I’m relishing in the last of the September sunshine – anyone else? One place that has it sizzling hot is The Ivy Harrogate. Having teamed up with Elephant Gin and of course, the very talented Helen James florist, the terrace has been transformed into a Moroccan oasis, inspired by the beautiful Yves Saint Laurent botanical garden in Marrakech. To top it off there’s a fabulous cocktail menu to boot so best friend Chelsea and I went to explore.
A warm welcome from The Ivy Harrogate
You better be quick and get your table book as the installation will only be available until 13th October, but make sure you request the terrace as we were initially offered a table in the restaurant and we wanted to take advantage of a beautiful and warm September evening. Along with the warm evening, you can always rely on The Ivy Harrogate for a warm welcome from the ladies in red along with a colourful display of eye-catching blooms outside the front of The Ivy.
As with the new way of dining, measures were in place – every diner’s temperature was taken before entering. tables were slightly further apart but one thing I thought was strange was that the waiting staff did not wear masks. When I asked it was felt that they wanted to bring a sense of normality to the diners.
Moroccan inspired cocktail menu
Getting cozy on the heated terrace, Chelsea and I perused the cocktail menu and, after having a few giggles with our waiter Tony about how to pronounce the cocktails we chose an Effervessing Elephant (£10.25), a delicious combination of ginger juice, apple juice, and prosecco and a the Kandual Fizz (£11.95) combines lemon juice and Champagne to create a perfectly celebratory concoction which we enjoyed among the flowers, with the sounds of the fountain and crackling fire paired with moreish green olives and addictive salted almonds, cheers!
The star of the menu
Chelsea and I tucked into a three-course meal from the à la carte menu while we chatted the night away after months of not seeing each other. It was super lovely to see her, it almost felt like life was normal. To start, I ordered the most delicious Tempura Prawns with salt & Pepper Squid (£9.50) followed by the star of the menu and a recommendation by our waiter, Tony, the Blackened Cod Filet (£17.95) served in a banana leaf with a soy and sesame marinade. It was a showstopper of a dish. Chelsea had the Duck Liver Parfait (£8.25) followed by another recommendation by Tony, the Fish Pie (which was a special).
Although I said the Blackend Cod was the star of the menu, nothing says dinner at The Ivy without a dessert where the waiter pours something hot over your dish in front of your eyes and cameras. Tonight was no different. I went for the classic Chocolate bombe (£8.95) with hot fudge sauce and Chelsea had the Apple Tart Fine (£8.50) served with a Calvados flambé.
Landing in another world
You can’t go wrong with lunch or dinner at The Ivy in my opinion. I’ve always had good service (both while blogging and ‘off the job’), the staff are very friendly and the food was consistent. Tonight Tony’s recommendations elevated the food and the cod was superb. But what made it even more special was the feeling like Chelsea and I had hopped on a plane and landed in another world… something we’re all missing at the moment. So if you’re missing that holiday feeling, get yourself to The Ivy Harrogate terrace for a bit of Moroccan magic.
For further information visit, www.theivyharrogate.comÂ
P.S. Thank you to The Ivy for complimentary dinner and cocktails in exchange for this blog post. Views are my own. If you are interested in other restaurant reviews, visit my Eating Out pages.
