Restaurant review: The Ivy Brasserie, Richmond in London

Since 2017 The Ivy Brasserie in Richmond has occupied a grand building that was formerly a bank. Reinventing the space in group’s vivacious style, today rich furnishings sit against smart white tablecloths and walls lined with intricate art and illustrations. This sets a scene for one of Richmond’s most popular eating and drinking destinations, situated in the heart of the Thames-side town.

Capturing the legendary magic of the The Ivy in Covent Garden which became intrinsic to the West End and the stars of the stage throughout the 20^th century, The Ivy Collection (which today consists of 40 handpicked locations across London, the UK and Ireland) encapsulates this iconic restaurant, available to diners across the country. Offering people everywhere the opportunity to experience a taste of the brasserie brand, each restaurant is built upon a concept inspired by elegant European hospitality, celebrated wholeheartedly by the English.

food selection at The Ivy Brasserie, Richmond — In the UK we love to celebrate the seasons, and this certainly is true also with The Ivy Group

Countless opulent trays of food appear from the kitchen as we sit in the centre of the busy, somewhat chaotic restaurant. With excitable families enjoying ice-cream on one side, and a smartly dressed older couple on the other, the casual iterations from The Ivy group offer an inclusive taste of the original restaurant, reinterpreted for local communities.

In the UK we love to celebrate the seasons, and this certainly is true also with The Ivy Group. With the arrival of autumn, we visited to sample the seasonal produce, indulgent flavours and carefully crafted recipes that reflect the time of year. Complementing popular classics, the flavour of the season is truffle: an increasingly common ingredient which can be foraged across Europe at this time of year.

With executive chef Sean Burbridge noting that he wanted to make seasonal and British produce, such as truffle, berries and artichokes the ‘stars of the show’ is the new truffle taglioni created using fine durum wheat pasta doused in a warming cheese sauce. Topped with truffle that is freshly grated at the table, The Ivy are also able to add some signature theatrical sparkle.

The Ivy Brasserie, Richmond interior — Since 2017 The Ivy Brasserie in Richmond has occupied a grand building that was formerly a bank

We chose two other dishes new to the autumnal party. Served opulently upon the shells are the new roasted scallops, served with creamed spinach, truffle and parmesan emulsion, and topped with pine nut pangrattato, potato puffs and green cress. This was alongside the buffalo mozzarella which celebrates the seasonal blackberries with beetroot and hazelnuts. Checking the Asian flavour tick box, I began with a spicy duck salad: a great choice laced with ginger and topped generously with cashew nuts. Moving from Asia to a French classic: a steak tartare served with a wonderful rich egg yolk, under a generous blanket of perhaps too many green herbs.

Reverting our attention to the autumn specials can also be found the Moroccan inspired artichoke and sweet potato tagine, spiced with ras el hanout and with toasted almonds, olives, aubergine and harissa couscous. This has been joined with the arrival of the blackened cod fillet (a dish that seems to have become as popular as the burrata) a loin served with citrus-pickled fennel, wakame seaweed, sesame seeds, yuzu and herb sauce.

From the sea too is the and pan-fried fillet of sea bass with creamed potato, samphire, tomato concassé with an earthy and fragrant saffron sauce. Other specials which landed in September sing and dance the ultimate autumnal tune. Enter the wild mushroom and truffle linguine – which unites creamed wild mushrooms with grated cheese, rocket and (of course) truffle. There is also a roasted guinea fowl ballotine, wrapped in bacon and stuffed with forest mushrooms, served with mashed potato and a fittingly truffle cream sauce, in keeping with the theme.

The Ivy Brasserie, Richmond dishes — Offering people everywhere the opportunity to experience a taste of the brasserie brand, each restaurant is built upon a concept inspired by elegant European hospitality, celebrated wholeheartedly by the English

Inviting diners to embrace the comforting flavours that come with the start of the cooler season are the warming desserts for an indulgent finale. For a fusion of flavours, try the cherry and pistachio nougat glacé flambé, served with raspberries and doused in kirsch to provide that signature flame. Alternatively, is the espresso coffee crème brûlée; a set custard infused with coffee and served with butter shortbread for dessert. The Ivy Group often excel with their desserts, so particularly if you have a sweet tooth, these are not to be overlooked. I chose a signature: the chocolate bomb which melts apart under caramel sauce with a honeycomb ice cream.

After dinner cocktails are as creative too. As the evenings draw in, The Ivy has drawn up a list of boozy blends. This includes the scotch coffee: a creamy and warming combination of Singleton 12-Year-Old whisky, macadamia and coffee, topped with Pedro Ximenez cream and a dusting of nutmeg, and the spicy and sweet queen bee margarita which combines Casamigos Blanco, Beesou honey liqueur, apricot, lime and a mix of spices, for the perfect autumnal take on the spicy margarita. I chose another not to miss classic: a gorgeous salted caramel espresso martini which unites liqueur, espresso and rich salted caramel for the ultimate after-dinner treat for self-proclaimed dessert lovers.