insideKENT Magazine Issue 77 - August 2018 | Page 120

FOOD+DRINK
The Ivy
LAYS ROOTS IN A TRENDY BRIGHTON LANES LOCATION
A FIRM FIXTURE ON LONDON’S SWANKY SOCIAL SCENE SI NCE 1917, WHEN THE FIRST RESTAURANT
OPENED ITS DOORS AT 1-5 WEST ST NEAR COVENT GARDEN, THE IVY – ORIGINALLY A THEATRICAL
INSTITUTION GRACED BY THE LIKES OF LAURENCE OLIVIER AND VIVIEN LEIGH, WHICH HAS SINCE
WOVEN ITSELF INTO LATE-NIGHT LONDON FOLKLORE – HAS MORE THAN SPREAD ITS WINGS.
WITH MULTIPLE BRANCHES ACROSS THE UK AND SCOTLAND, INCLUDING A SOPHISTICATED SPOT
JUST A FEW MINUTES’ WALK FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS’ ICONIC PANTILES GEORGIAN COLONNADE,
FAR FROM ‘SELLING OUT’, EACH AND EVERY IVY HAS RETAINED ITS AIR OF EXCLUSIVITY, ALL THE
WHILE BECOMING MORE INCLUSIVE. POLLY HUMPHRIS WENT ALONG TO THEIR LATEST HOTSPOT,
BRIGHTON’S THE IVY IN THE LANES TO CHECK IT OUT.
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Walking into The Ivy in the Lanes, what first
strikes you is the exquisite interior design.
There are flashes of welcome continuity in
relation to its older counterparts – the centrally
located oval bar crowned with hanging racks
holding spotless glasses that reflect their gilded
surroundings being one – but there’s more
than a touch of Brighton in the look. Bold,
tropical, elegant and suitably camp all at once,
huge paintings of everything from crabs,
pelicans and palm leaves are framed among
the art deco arches and mirrors for which the
chain is famed alongside coastal imagery and
sketches of the city’s most treasured landmarks
that peep through on closer inspection. more gold, all held together by a cushioned,
blush banquette seat sat proudly in middle,
they are the epitome of glamour and one of
the best places to hang out in Brighton on
their own merit.
The toilets – and this is a first – deserve their
own mention, if not their own Instagram
account; never before has a Brighton set of
bathrooms been more shared on social media
than the ladies’ at The Ivy in the Lanes. Marble
tiles in white/grey, black and gold; six full-
length mirrors framed in flattering strip lighting
that demand post-touch up selfies; fresh
flowers; gilded columns; gold, gold and yet You can order from the à la carte menu from
4pm and I rocked up at 7pm for what most
would consider an early table and yet the place
was heaving; instantly evoking a laid-back air,
there were after-work drinkers at the bar, pre-
theatre diners making the most of the set
menu (available at a very reasonable £21 for
three courses from 11.30am until 6.30pm daily),
as well as couples and groups of friends
Onto the food then. Open all day, this seaside
Ivy rustles up breakfast, brunch and afternoon
tea classics between 8am and 5pm, but dinner,
in my opinion, is always the real marker of
how good a restaurant’s cooking is and – with
room for 240 diners, plus private dining for
up to 20 in an equally decadent private space
at the back of the restaurant – is also no mean
feat where service is concerned.
meeting for a sociable meal – a reassuringly
relaxed mix in an already buzzing atmosphere.
I can’t resist a tuna carpaccio, so that had to
be ordered alongside tempura prawns, which
both had more than a touch of Eastern allure
about them. The yellowfin tuna was sliced just
thick enough for bite and topped with fresh
bursts of tomato and watermelon, both giving
an initial hint of sweet that was then given
greater depth and a punchy hit of Oriental
salt-and-sharp flavour in the form of ponzu
dressing, miso mayo and sesame. Large
Nobashi prawns in a light, crunchy tempura
batter followed leaving their pickled mouli and
cucumber plate-mates in the shade, but only
because their succulence and sweet flavour
spoke so deliciously for themselves.
Unadventurous or old-fashioned perhaps, but
I associate The Ivy with life’s finer things, and
although there is all manner of foodie
temptation punctuating their menu, I was
only ever going to opt for steak and lobster for
main. How a kitchen presents lobster is a mark