2 /5 Georgi G: Well located, within walking distance of KX. We had to wait at the entrance for about 15–20 minutes before our table was ready. The staff were pleasant and helpful, but it was clear the restaurant was understaffed. Our waitress did her best, but several things went wrong during our visit.
When we were seated, we were told we had to wait for glasses to be washed before receiving water. Eventually, they offered wine glasses to avoid the wait. We ordered bread with our starters, but it didn’t arrive until the mains. Water refills weren’t offered proactively, sauces were forgotten at the beginning and we often had to track down a waiter and repeat our orders multiple times.
The food was good overall, with the starters standing out more than the mains. The steak, in particular, was drenched in sauce when it would have been preferable on the side or in smaller amounts. We also ordered a smoothie, which was more of a watery drink—tasty, but not quite what we expected.
The service charge was 13.5%, but given the number of issues, I would have preferred not to pay it. Ideally, the staff could have recognised this and offered to adjust it. While the team was friendly, additional training might help them manage situations better when understaffed. I understand mistakes happen, but from a customer’s perspective, it’s frustrating to hear staff discussing what went wrong and who’s to blame.
This was my second below-average experience at one of the Ivy restaurants, and unfortunately, I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon.