GOOD service is hard to find.
Impeccable service is even even more elusive, especially in a digital age which has fostered a respect for speed and efficiency over any authentic attempt to engender a sense of trust and loyalty among patrons.
Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that the art deco surroundings of The Ivy Marlow Garden should reflect not just the timeless elegance of the 1920s but the attentive service we normally tend to associate with a bygone age when an expert maître d’ could make every customer feel personally known and valued.
It’s a dying art. And it’s one of the reasons behind the success of the original Ivy, opened in Covent Garden back in 1917 as an unlicensed Italian café and rapidly turning into one of London’s great Theatreland rendezvous, patronised in the 1940s by Olivier and Gielgud, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and the like.
Revitalised in the Nineties, it became as popular with Hollywood stars and Royalty as it had been with the theatre legends of old, with long waiting lists for reservations boosted by the potential prospect of catching a glimpse of Madonna, Brad Pitt or Kate Moss.
Under the ownership of Richard Caring, over the past 20 years the brand has dramatically expanded beyond London’s Theatreland, with more than 40 cafes and brasseries opening around the country, including Marlow, Windsor, Oxford and St Albans.
Thankfully the passion for fine food has extended to ensuring that the elegant ambience and intimate attention to detail has not been diluted in the process of expansion, and the warm welcoming glow has an extra festive flavour when the Christmas decorations are up.
We’re here for a December breakfast treat, a chance to enjoy a little old-world luxury before facing the rigours of the high street, and we’re not disappointed.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, a sacred meal, one to be savoured and embraced, full of promise and possibilities.
Where better to enjoy it, then, than in an establishment that understands how to create a memorable, multi-sensory experience which never feels pretentious, stuffy or uncomfortable.
This is the sort of meal which conjures up the characters from an Evelyn Waugh or PG Wodehouse novel, a leisurely moment of respite from the outside world where all the senses are engaged, from the feel of linen and heavy hotelware to the taste of well-cooked fresh ingredients, elegantly presented.
At around £60 for two, breakfast at The Ivy is perhaps double the cost of an equivalent full English at your local greasy spoon, but the cheaper option is likely to be a lot less memorable.
Like an affable colonel in an Agatha Christie mystery, we linger over the toast and marmalade before emerging onto the high street replete, mellow and ready to cope with the challenges of the day ahead. And it’s pretty hard to put a price on that sense of wellbeing.
For menus, opening times and bookings, visit The Ivy Marlow Garden website.
