If you saw my last post, you'll have seen a snippet of our brunch at The Ivy, Chelsea, and funnily enough, the very next day, I was invited to the opening of it's sister restaurant - the Ivy Castle View in Guildford! (massively exciting as it's so close by *heart eyes*)
We all arrived in dribs and drabs, and were led to the private Looking Glass dining room (available to rent out which I think would make a beautiful location for a special dinner or party), my first chance to spy the beautiful decor in all it's old-fashioned glamour with a modern twist. Once everyone was seated, it was time for brunch to commence!
The service was a little awry (my tea got forgotten about and there were a couple of orders mixed up etc), but I'll put that down to first day teething problems. We were all treated to tea, juices and pastries (pain aix raisins - delicious), and then I plumped for the hot buttermilk pancakes - deliciously light and fluffy (and not dissimilar to my favourite lemon ricotta pancakes), adorned with fresh berries and lemon balm, not forgetting the best bit, the warm strawberry sauce poured over the top (Sophie went for eggs royale which looked pretty tasty too).
I have to say my favourite part of the event was post-food, when we got free reign to venture upstairs and wander about the entirety of the restaurant. If you thought the Looking Glass room was beautiful, just take a look at upstairs! The stunning bar centrepiece stands proudly over on your left and glass walls overlook the Cathedral on your right - it's quite the setting for a casual lunch or dinner.
O U T F I T D E T A I L S
We got snap-happy, definitely making the most of not getting awkward looks from fellow diners partaking in the very ordinary experience of lunch, rather than arranging and rearranging chairs and crockery to get the shot 'just so'! ;)
I'd say if you're in any way aesthetically driven then you must give the Ivy Castle View a shot for lunch - ask for a table upstairs near the terrace and you'll be surely not be disappointed.
I do hope you're all enjoying your Sundays - I'd love to hear about your Ivy favourites if you've been!
xx
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