Harden's says
The first Welsh branch of Richard Caring's Asian Ivy offshoot opened in 2022.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Stunning food in a stunning setting with St Paul’s as a to-die-for backdrop…” (in EC4); “the superb atmosphere of the very colourful room sets the mood…” (in SW3): – Praise isn’t short on the ground for these maximalist pan-Asian venues. They are easy to diss, but most reporters actually feel that, OK, they’re “a bit pricey” for their hotch-potch of pan-Asian “classical dishes”; seem “slightly tasteless”; are “very noisy”; but, for all that, overall are “still a lot of fun”. There is also though, a minority of diners that loathe them for a variety of reasons; and feel that “the prostitution of the Ivy brand continues apace”. (“The western siblings are fine, but this faux-Asian set-up is a travesty – the worst sort of western cultural appropriation and arrogant corruption…”; “opulent surroundings and extravagant presentation cannot disguise overpriced and underwhelming food…”; “it’s all flashing lights and selfies. We will not be going back!”)
Summary
“Wanted to hate this chain but it’s actually really good” – Despite being totally un-PC in its level of cultural appropriation, it looks like Richard Caring’s is going to make a go of this “extraordinary” new sub-branch of the Ivy brand (which has opened five further branches around the UK). True, “it’s part of a big corporate machine with little intrinsic character”; the über-“kitsch” styling is “love-it-or-hate-it”; and some diners feel “these places are ghastly and overpriced”. But even if “the jewelled floor is more interesting than the food”, most folks feel that the “OTT decor” “justifies the trip in itself” and that the long, pan-Asian menu is “so much better than expected”.
Summary
“Great fun … despite lots of Instagram poseurs hanging around” – that’s the most common view on Richard Caring’s latest Ivy sub-brand: a mashup of “stunning” OTT interiors and a Pan-Asian menu which by-and-large totally avoids dishes from China to throw together Thai curries, wagyu beef and lots of fish and seafood (much of it presented as sushi or sashimi). Even fans would concede that “the food is secondary here – for entertainment value, this place has ‘got it’, but the menu is somehow lost in the mix”. And there are those who discern “crazy levels of cultural appropriation (a floor-to-ceiling, fake banyan tree? Seriously?), stirred in with a menu that’s less Asian-fusion than Asian-confusion, all creating a bit of a Caring-inspired mess”. This year saw the addition of a Mayfair branch to the original one (in the shadow of St Paul's) and last year’s opening in SW3 (where “very loud music can add to the already-high noise level”).
Summary
Richard Caring continues to pimp the Ivy brand to the max: since this Asian-themed sub-brand first debuted in Manchester in 2018, it has expanded with a 200-seat venue in the City’s One New Change mall (“great view of St Paul’s”) and – in August 2021 – a second branch opened in SW3 near The Ivy, Chelsea Garden; (and there’s a third coming soon on the Mayfair site that was once Princess Garden). True to Caring’s restaurant DNA, the decor in all locations is wildly maximalist, with fluorescent onyx floors, replica samurai armour and (cringey?) pagoda-style roofs over the bars. Some reporters do find the effect “very cool, in a see-and-be-seen kind of way”. To say the least, though, the Asian-theme-park styling doesn’t send the message that authenticity is on the agenda – a concern which the Chelsea branch’s risibly off-message launch video did nothing to allay (‘naive… totally inappropriate and culturally insensitive’… and that was just what they said about it themselves!). As to the sushi and wide menu of other Asian-inspired scoff: some diners find it “surprisingly good” but, all things considered, it’s kinda beside the point.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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