The Ivy has launched a new festive set menu and I want to go back.
Decorated with festive Alpine snowmen and Christmas trees, The Ivy Café in Blackheath really does serve up that festive charm.
Decorated with festive Alpine snowmen and Christmas trees, The Ivy Café in Blackheath really does serve up that festive charm. (Image: Emily Davison)
This year the menu is themed around Alpine ski lodges, with a set menu for £55 where you can have a three-course meal featuring festive dishes like Cure Smoked Salmon and Turkey, Goose and Duck Shepherds Pie.
Alongside the festive set menu, The Ivy has also added a range of festive cocktails to its drinks menu, with a good variety of non-alcoholic ones too.
From the starters menu we sampled the Roast Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup and the Salton and Walnut Cheese Soufflé.
The soup had a really warming and seasonal feel, with a slight crunch with the pine nuts and chestnut ricotta, whilst the soufflé had a very rich and creamy texture with the cream sauce.
The Roast Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup had a really warming and seasonal feel. (Image: Emily Davison)
The main dishes ramped up the festive flavours, with two Turkey dishes on the menu as well as more classic options like Sirloin Steak and Pan Fried Sea Bass.
I wasn’t quite ready to begin the Turkey consumption just yet, so I went with the Foraged Wild Mushroom and Truffle Linguine, which was served with a plant-based cream cheese along with pine nuts and truffle mushrooms.
I was very impressed with the sauce, being a plant-based sauce, and it had a really pleasant earthy taste with the pine nuts and mushrooms.
The main dishes ramped up the festive flavours, with two Turkey dishes on the menu as well as more classic options. (Image: Emily Davison)
My mum on the other hand was feeling more festive and went with the Turkey Ballotine, which was essentially like a fully fledged Christmas dinner with cranberry and pork stuffing, pigs in blankets, sprouts and parsley mash.
But if you’re still feeling hungry you can also choose from a selection of sides like Thick Cut Chips and Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Chestnuts.
For dessert I was dying to try The Snowman dessert, which I think has to be one of the best festive desserts I’ve tried.
I think The Snowman has to be one of the best festive desserts I’ve tried. (Image: Emily Davison)
The dessert has been created to resemble a dapper snowman with hat and scarf, and is a medley of sweet treats like brownie pieces, vanilla parfait, milk foam, sponge cake, honeycomb and popping candy.
My mum went for the Ivy’s classic Chocolate Bombe dessert, which is a melting dome poured with hot caramel sauce with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream, and is definitely a rich and decadent dessert for any self-professed chocaholic.
The Ivy’s classic Chocolate Bombe dessert is definitely a rich and decadent dessert for any self-professed chocaholic. (Image: Emily Davison)
We finished off the festivities with some cocktails, the menu features five festive new drinks and I’d return just to try them all.
I tried the Christmas Colada, which is a festive take on the classic drink with Santiago de Cuba Carta Blanca Rum, coconut, white chocolate syrup, mango and pineapple and topped with a chocolate snowman.
This was a sweeter version of the drink and I could really taste the white chocolate which went really well with the citrusy flavours, they also have this drink in a non-alcoholic equivalent if you fancy it without the alcohol.
My mum went for one of the non alcoholic versions of the drink, which was the Highball Spritz, a fruity mix of Seedlip Garden, Wild Idol, spiced berries, citrus juice with mint and vintage candy, and was comparable to a bramble with the berry flavours.
The menu features five festive new drinks and I’d return just to try them all. (Image: Emily Davison)
Compared with other more Central London locations, this Ivy definitely had a more relaxed and cosier feel to it, with people visiting for family meals and friendly get-togethers.
This was a fun evening and felt so incredibly festive with crackers to pull and all the festive decorations.
The Festive Set Menu at the Ivy Blackheath will run up until January 2, with two courses priced at £50 and three courses priced at £55, with some courses costing an additional supplement charge.