Photo: Greenwich Diary
The Ivy Cafe has been rumoured to open in Blackheath for quite some time. Their doors opened on Wednesday the 31st of January and Greenwich Diary was invited to their preview evening the night before. A colourful and glamorous night, filled with local residents and business owners. Wonderful drinks and tasty nibbles were served to sample the delights that the Ivy has to offer in our area. A great night overall!
Photos: Julia Kourmpidou
Following that night, some friends and I booked a table to have brunch and taste their morning menu.
From the very start they were extremely accommodating! We requested a window table and a high chair and all was set up for us before we arrived. From a hospitality point of view, our first impressions were really good. That was rather apparent from the opening evening too.
Photo: from The Ivy Cafe Blackheath website
Soon we ordered our food and drinks. The restaurant was very busy, as it was expected. Despite that the service was efficient and fast. Our food was beautifully presented in a clean but not pompous way. Me, and one of my friends ordered the Avocado and Spinach Benedict, and my other friend had the Hot Buttermilk Pancakes.
The only negative thing I can say is that our order was taken incorrectly and instead of the Avocado and spinach Benedict we received the Avocado, tomato and sesame breakfast, both of us. That one was beautiful too, especially the sesame sauce was scrumptious, but it was not what we ordered. Instead of getting a fresh new breakfast we just opted to have the spinach on the side. They brought two bowls of fresh and crispy spinach, almost immediately and they apologised profoundly.
Photo: Julia Kourmpidou
The buttermilk pancakes were just delightful!! Fluffy, light and the Greek yogurt made them totally guilt free! The fruit on them were ripe and juicy and the warm strawberry sauce made both of us jealous of our friend’s choice.
Photo: Julia Kourmpidou
One thing that I have to comment on was their attentiveness and how discreet it was. I truly hate it when a waiter comes to ask how your food was, and you are mumbling with a stuffed mouth. At The Ivy, they were always keeping an eye on us, at close proximity and with just a nod they were by our table instantly.
What a great brunch we had! We felt welcome, well looked after and in such a beautiful setting, because the restaurant is exquisitely decorated. Big points for using local pictures on the walls. And it is really family friendly too, there were at least 4 families with young children around us.
Overall a wonderful and relaxing morning and we are all looking forward to coming back for lunch or dinner soon.