A Long, Lovely Brunch at the Ivy Soho Brasserie

The Ivy Soho Brasserie is Caprice Holdings’ latest addition to its sprawling empire of restaurants. D and I ended up having a 5-hour brunch there recently and I think it may just possibly be my favourite Ivy restaurant.

Admittedly, when I heard an Ivy restaurant was opening on Broadwick Street (juxtaposed near Berwick Street Market), I thought it would fall slightly out of place. However, when I stepped inside the restaurant, it exuded an ambience that worked. I realised it’s not where the restaurant is that matters, but where it takes you.

The 200-seater exudes Soho’s vibe with its insanely gorgeous artwork reflecting music through the years, and The Ivy Collection’s class through the poetry of William Blake.

The bar looks great and offers a decent range of cocktails and wine. I liked the buzzy feel of the place, I can’t wait to check it out more for post-work drinks!

Brunchtime fun-time

Sunday brunch catch up sessions with my favourite girl obviously involves alcohol (because between us, we could write 10 seasons of IRL drama suitable for the Baftas and Golden Globes). D chose the Winter Pear Bellini (£9) whilst I went for the Ivy G&T (£8.95). A decent refreshing start.

D went for the avocado and spinach benedict (£10.95) which looked pretty AF. You know I do love crushed avo on toast so this would’ve been my choice, too… ‘cept I don’t eat eggs. Anyway, two perfectly poached hen’s eggs sat atop toasted muffins and raw spinach. But it was that picture-perfect Hollandaise sauce that really made me want to be an egg convert.

Oh, and it came with pretty good chips.

My main was a salad of seared yellowfin tuna (£16.95) encrusted with sesame and served with mandarin, edamame and pickled herbs. At first glance, it was exactly how I’d like seared tuna cooked for brunch. However, I think they could’ve chosen a different cut of tuna as there were bits that were quite sinewy and hard to chew. It’s a light and refreshing dish, though.

And because I’m a good girl who tries (every once in a while) to eat healthy, I also went for a side of creamed kale and spinach (£3.95). This actually kinda blew my mind. It’s slightly mushier than your normal creamed spinach but there’s a good burst of flavour there that makes you think you’re cheating your diet when you’re not.

D wanted something sweet so we also ordered a serving of vanilla waffles (£8.95) with salted caramel ice gream, bananas, and maple syrup. I normally like pancakes (the fluffy type) over waffles, but I ended eating up half of this cos it was just… good.

Bar time for liquid afters

We had a pretty decent meal and a really good time. By the time our server needed us to give up the table, we were still not ready to leave so we propped ourselves by the bar.

Our friend B joined us in the end, who gobbled up some eggs benny (£11.50). Insanely beautiful pulled honey roast ham (I tried a bit) topped with eggs and that gorgeous Hollandaise.

Really pretty plate of food, non?

Stories and conversation flowed and we ended up trying a few cocktails and bubbles.

I liked the look of D’s Burning Passion (£10.25): fresh passion fruit shaken with vanilla infused Wyborowa vodka, finished with flaming passion fruit. For latte lovers, go try the Free Love (£8.75), a mix of Expre Tosolini espresso liqueur, Havana Especial rum, amaretto Saliza & Baileys, milk and cream.

We drank until we laughed and cried and a little longer later, it was time to leave. Brunch had become a four hour affair, which was lovely.

Verdict of The Ivy Soho Brasserie

Truth be told, I really enjoyed the vibe at Soho’s new Ivy addition. I genuinely thought it wouldn’t work but it really did. The decor embraced the marriage of Ivy class and Soho razzmatazz. Service was rather good, particularly when they accommodated us by the bar with table service after we had to vacate our table. I think all sorts of people will like it here, which captures the essence of Soho itself.

Food was good, in a sense that the weekend brunch menu was quite varied but still familiar. I’ve yet to try lunch/dinner here but til then, I’m happy to go back with a gang of buddies for cheeky long brunches.

(3.5/5)

The Ivy Soho Brasserie
26-28 Broadwick St, Soho, London W1F
Ave spend pp: £40

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Honey de Gracia