From 24th March to 12th May, Ivy Asia are bringing us their Blossom Nights series aimed at immersing guests in the spirit of Japan, with bespoke dishes including a cherry blossom-themed dessert platter, and cocktails created in collaboration with The House of Suntory. We went along on a windy Tuesday night to check it out.
Ivy Asia is without a doubt an absolute treat for the eyes. From floor to ceiling, this venue is absolutely stunning. We could not stop looking at the floor which is lit from underneath and made from some sort of incredible resin swirls. You have to see it to believe it. It’s almost worth going just to look at the floor – it’s mesmerising. The service was second to none – we were looked after by the handsome Dan who made some excellent recommendations and made us feel like the only two guests in the room.
We sat in a comfortable corner booth with gorgeous pink cherry blossom cascading above our heads with a good view of the bar and the DJ (who was playing decent music at a decent level, which we appreciated). For a Tuesday it was surprisingly busy, which can only be a good thing. It felt more like a Friday and was full of couples, groups and families, all basking in the opulent interior of this beautiful venue.
We started with a cocktail. Ivy Asia – In partnership with Roku Gin and Haku Vodka – have carefully curated their Cherry Blossom cocktail menu to celebrate sakura – aka cherry blossom – season in Japan. We went for a Hana Harmony, a twist on a classic sour made from Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whiskey with peach and pomelo liqueur. The cocktails are outstanding at Ivy Asia – we’d definitely go again just to sit at the bar. We followed the Hana Harmony with several negronis, which were also exceptional.
On Dan’s recommendation we had the yellowtail sashimi fresh truffle salad which was – and this cannot be stressed enough – mind-blowingly delicious. The flavours were perfectly balanced and the fish literally melted in the mouth. We could swim in a sea of this salad for the rest of our lives and die happy.
We followed the sashimi with pork and kimchi dumplings dumplings and popcorn shrimp. Unfortunately for them, nothing could stand up to the sashimi, but they were tasty enough and whet our appetite for the mains. We adored the beef sirloin with chilli and tamarind salsa. We had it medium-rare and it was cooked to perfection. It worked perfectly alongside the char sui pork belly with smokey BBQ glaze and sesame chilli sauce. Dan recommended the steamed broccoli with a toasted sesame dressing and rice and these were the perfect accompaniment to our dishes.
We rounded off the evening with The Ivy’s show-stopping limited-edition dessert: The Cherry Blossom Dessert Platter, a spring twist on the infamous Ivy Asia dessert platter. We enjoyed passion fruit doughnuts, white chocolate and yuzu cheesecake, and mini samurai, all served beautifully on a cherry blossom tree. There was even dry ice which is never not exciting.
Would we go again? Yes, but at the weekend so that we didn’t need to nurse a hangover after the cocktails. Do we want to move into The Ivy’s toilets? Yes, we do. Would we like to bathe in sashimi? Yes, please.
By Anna Burtt
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