There has been a LOT of excitement around the opening of The Ivy Bath Brasserie. They finally opened their doors this week and I grabbed a table on day 2 for a little lunch date.
When the name ‘The Ivy’ comes to mind, I think of long waiting lists to get a table, high class glamour and the chance to spot a celebrity or two. In the Bath restaurant, there’s definitely high class glamour, no long waiting list and I didn’t spot an celebrities (unless you class the blogging friend I was with…!!) The decor is ArtDeco inspired and compliments the old bank in which the restaurant resides – there is still the old doorbell outside.
Open all day, The Ivy offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. You can grab tea and cake, a glass of wine or cocktail or sit down for a delicious meal. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and despite it being the second day of business, everything ran like clockwork! The front tables of the restaurant are in front of huge windows making it feel extremely airy and light.
Onto the food…the menu is HUGE! There’s SO much choice, it took me ages to decide what it was that I wanted. As it was lunch, I thought I’d play it safe and opt for something small so went for the Apple and Bath Blue Salad which was a starter. The salad comprised of creamed local cheese with Beauty of Bath apples, cranberries, endive and caramelised hazelnuts…and was a pretty big portion for a starter! I think if I’d ordered that plus a main I’d have struggled to eat the main course. It was deliciously light and had just the right balance between sweet apple and the strong blue cheese although I can’t get enough of blue cheese. My dining companion thought it was a little too cheesy and could have done with a few more slices of apple to balance it out.
Based on the size of the starter, we decided to share a creme brulee…and again…the portion was enormous! We accepted the challenge and tucked in to the rich creamy custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel – YUM!
Rumour has it that there is a second floor and an outside terrace that are yet to be opened so keep your eye peeled!
I can’t wait to visit again – the breakfast menu looks divine as do the cocktails. The Ivy will definitely be another restaurant on my Bath favourites list!
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