© THE IV Y E XETER
THE IVY EXETER
It’s here, it’s beautiful and it’s buzzing By Harriet Noble
I
t’s difficult to resist the lure of The Ivy. From the original London venue, notorious as a 90s celebrity hotspot, it has now spread its wings and become, that slightly dubious of things, a chain. And yet. The team at the Ivy have pulled off an amazing feat, creating a restaurant bursting with beauty, with nothing painting-by-numbers about it. Entering The Ivy is to enter a botanical fantasy land where old-school art deco influences sweep through the restaurant; you are, in an instant, transported away from the high street, landing in planet glam. And the current trend for maximalist interiors couldn’t come at a better time for this restaurant with its opulent bar, sky-high plants, and bold riverbank wallpaper design, depicting giant watery scenes and native wildlife of the River Exe. The botanical look continues in the bathrooms – the décor highlight for many and our beaut of a front cover – where you’ll find a carpet of blush pink roses on the ceiling, wallpaper featuring resplendent peacocks roosting in an elegant pergola trellis, pink marble basins and a whopping chandelier for good measure. But on to the food. The menu is a savvy collection
34 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk
with classics such as shepherd’s pie and fish and chips, as well as a splattering of unusual dishes to suit the more adventurous; my plus one on the visit is my sister Louise and we both comment that we could take our whole family here and the Holy Grail of restaurant experiences would happen – everyone would find something they liked on the menu. I start off with the bang bang crispy chicken dish that comes with peanut, cucumber, baby gem and radish salad, sweet chilli and peanut dressing. It has a big, delicious Asian kick to it, beautifully offset with splashes of fresh lime. In fact, I love this dish so much I am actually googling it now to see if I can re-create it at home. To follow, I have hoisin-glazed crispy duck leg sitting on a cloud of creamy coriander-mashed potatoes, with pak-choi, sesame seeds and red wine sauce. This is my kind of meat and veg dish, it’s bursting full of flavour – the crisp on the duck is to die for – but it’s elegant, not heavy; I don’t need to lie down afterwards. My sis kicks off her meal with a summery mocktail, elderflower garden. This restaurant is so on-brand the drink matches the interiors with its rouge colour and
