Busy and Bright are the words I would definitely say were the first impressions I got for my first visit to The Ivy Manchester. Read my review for further thoughts. If it’s your first visit to my blog – Welcome! I use the same template for all my reviews to provide consistency. You may want to read what my criteria is.
Name of Restaurant
The Ivy Spinningfields Manchester
The Entrance The Ivy Spinningfields
Time of Visit
7pm on a Thursday evening – we were walk ins and were lucky enough to get in without a booking on this occasion. But we wouldn’t recommend doing it again.
Reason for Visit
As we are big foodies my lovely niece and her husband gave us a £50 voucher for the restaurant at Christmas. Our visit was to take up this lovely treat.
First Impression
Busy and Bright!
Busy and Bright! What a busy vibrant place! Wowee! The decor is Art Deco with a modern twist in bold bright colours with lots of gold and brass look trimmings. There were few empty tables, if any, we may have been fortunate enough to have got the only free one. The volume of conversation was loud, but that to us was a negative thing. It added to the fabulous vibe. Even though I have described it as busy and bright that is more an observation of the decor. There was secluded lighting and the tables were far enough a part to maintain privacy if you are having an intimate date.
The Lifts are bold and bright art deco style
The Ladies Toilets
The reception area of The Ivy
An art deco styled Manchester bee print adorns the wall
Time To Get Served/Attention
We were taken to our table swiftly and efficiently. The drinks and food orders were also taken swiftly but not hurriedly.
Food
Mr Fitz and I chose from the A La Carte Menu. There is an extensive choice. For starters I chose Zucchini Fritters and Mr Fitz went for the roasted scallops. My fritters were unusual – I expected 2 fritters on a plate but instead I got a dish of battered shreds of zucchini accompanied with a spicy mayonnaise dip. It was lovely but too much for one person. I would suggest this is adequate for 2-3 people to share. Mr Fitz said his Scallops were delicious – and I can agree as he gave me a taste! They were cooked to perfection in a fabulous oil.
Our main dish choices were Crab Linguine Pasta and courgette linguine with Devon crab, chilli,
smoked garlic, lemon and rocket for Mr Fitz – this is one of his favourite choices in any restaurant. He said that this one at the Ivy was probably the tastiest he has ever had! High praise indeed from him! I decided to try the Blackened cod fillet Baked in a banana leaf with a soy and sesame marinade, citrus-pickled fennel, grilled broccoli, chilli and yuzu mayonnaise . I rarely cook fish at home and like to choose a fish dish when dining out. Again this was delicious – so many flavours onna plate without being overpowering.
Our food choices complimentary bread, Zuccini Fritters, Scallops Crab Linguine and Baked Blackened cod
Service
Our server was excellent, attentive and helpful without being cloying. He was obviously watching discreetly as he leaned over and whispered in my ear that I didn’t have to eat all the Zucchini, not many people finished it! I appreciated that reassurance as I was struggling but didn’t want to leave a large amount of the dish and give the impression that I didn’t enjoy it!
Drinks service was swift and advice given about our choices.
Evaluation
Busy and bright , buzzing atmosphere. We absolutely loved it. There is a mix of ages in the clientele. There was retro background music, it was from our disco era and we found this so enjoyable, an example was Backstabbers by The O’Jays. A very varied menu with delicious choices.
The Interior of the Ivy
The decor is so different from the sparce Industrial Urban look that is popular today. I totally approve of the Ivy decor and vibe. You really felt you were somewhere special. Our final bill was around £97 – with a 12.5% service charge included. The food was probably covered by our voucher, the extra was probably for drinks, Mr Fitz had 3 small bottles of beer, I had a glass of house red and a Baileys in place of a dessert.
Would I Visit Again
Oh Yes! It will be our go to restaurant for special occasions. You may have read my review of Hawksmoor Manchester, that is fabulous too but a different type of restaurant experience.
As I write this I have in fact made a further booking for lunch with one of my oldest friends. We’re both retired nurses and think we deserve a nice treat now and again!
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I also have a sister blog EarlyRetirementRocks about loving life after taking Retirement from the NHS at the age of 55. You may wish to pop over and have a nosey to see what a 58 year old gets up to!
I’ve always wanted to go to the Ivy in London, I’m so excited that there’s one here now too! It’s definitely on my list!
I’ve walked past the London restaurant in the past and it did not have the bright frontage like Manchester. I’m going again for lunch with a girlfriend this week. They have a reasonably priced set menu. Thanks for your comments
This is also on my to-try list, so thanks for the review. I’ve heard nothing but good things so far!
Thank you for your comments. I’m happy to say that I’m payingcanother visit this week – lunching with a girlfriend on their set menu. Hope you get to go soon.