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And today the sunshine bastes South London, for real, although snell out there in the forceful breeze. No storminess has there been in these parts though.
Gastronomic report for Ariadne (despite the fact she's living in the British city with more restaurants per head than any other):
Partridge on toast for a starter. Bird was tasty, three or four tiny, gamey slices of it, served on a little bit of toast, garnished with walnuts and chanterelles. Absolutely my only (minor) quibble would have been with the heavy, oily dressing in which it was more drenched than drizzled.
Then Beef, braised in Guinness, with colcannon. Simple and fabulously well cooked. A beautiful piece of beef, magnificently cooked. It was melting in my mouth. Exquisite jus from the reduction of cow juices mingled with stout. The mash was almost as good as my own and that is not a thing I could often say.
Pudding was Chilled Scandinavian berries with hot white chocolate sauce poured over them. I would happily have swapped Ganesh for another plate of those. The frozen berries had the flavour you'd expect but also the crispness of being so cold and the extra crunch of embryonic ice crystals at their hearts. Hot chocolate sauce soon loses its heat, on the bed of snowy berries. Not sure in what sense they were particularly "Scandinavian", other than being so cold. Maybe they were picked by Moomins.
One friend with us wanted white wine rather than red, so we had two bottles of a very fine Grüner-Veltliner with that.
With mineral water and service, that still came in under fifty quid a head. Not cheap but I've paid a lot more for a lot less in London, and I liked the ambience at the Ivy very much.
Fairly expansive menu with lots of choice and, looked to me like, several entirely animal-free options for an entrée. Almost went for the Ceps Risotto myself.
No celebs though. I expect that might put another tenner on the bill, having someone from East Enders at the next table.
I seem to be turning into Michael Winner. |
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