There’s an audible buzz in Leeds and you can trace its origins back to The Ivy Asia, the most recent and much anticipated addition to the city. Located within the heart of Leeds on Vicar Lane, above sister restaurant, The Ivy Victoria Quarter, the restaurant is quite simply breath taking.
On arrival, diners are mesmerised by The Ivy Asia’s renowned show-stopping illuminous green onyx flooring, set against cherry blossom trees, bespoke artwork and furnishings, from luxurious Asian fabrics, to captivating colourful wallpapers and antique gold mirrors. DJ performances entertain guests every evening, while the restaurant’s The Ivy Asia Lates programme encourages late night dining from 9pm.
Having already attended the star-studded launch event, we were thrilled to be invited back to review a full dining experience.
When I tell you we visited early on a Wednesday evening and the place was packed, in fact buzzing, this is no exaggeration. There was one table left, in a prime spot I might add, and it was all ours.
After the launch event, we had every expectation that this would be the new place for all the beautiful people and local celebrities to gather, we couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, of course it’s a magnet for beautiful people however, we were pleasantly surprised to see families, couples, groups of friends and workmates all enjoying their Ivy Asia experience.
And we were ready to enjoy our own so let’s get started telling you what we had.
Cocktails:
We started with cocktails while we studied the ample menu; a delicious Beijing Sling (long, cooling speciality of the house with Wyborowa Vodka, Umeshu Plum Sake, jasmine, lime, apple juice and plum bitters), and a Peach and Ginger Highball (Beefeater Gin, Crème de Peche, Ginger, Lemon and Fever-Tree Ginger Ale). They hit the spot – so well that we instantly ordered two more!
Small Dishes:
We chose two small dishes to share. Mouth-watering Pork and Kimchi Dumplings with chilli oil and spring onion, and Spiced Peanut Chicken Skewers with coconut, spring onion and lime got the evening off to a fabulous start. Also good for you to note that the food doesn’t take long to arrive, which was great for us as we had starved ourselves since breakfast to make sure we were hungry!
Large Dishes:
These were spectacularly good! We each chose one and again shared them – we are completely into food sharing to make sure we are not missing out and can experience more than the dishes we personally chose. Do you food share?
The Smoking Barbeque Lamp Rump with miso aubergine was absolutely gorgeous, there is no denying, but the theatre of that dish even before you taste it is a wow factor. The glass cloche is lifted and the smoke escapes, along with the aroma of the delicious, tender lamb. Mmmmmm.
Our other large dish was a no brainer, Wagyu Beef with glazed shitake mushroom, truffle yakiniku and barbeque sauce. Wowza! Two full flavour dishes that were every bit as amazing as they sounded, and that beef just melted in the mouth.
Sides:
Kimchi Egg Fried Rice and Chilli Noodles. Perfect accompaniments and we would probably choose the same again, even if we decided on different main dishes.
Desserts:
By this time, we needed a respectable rest before choosing desserts, but choose desserts we did and another bit of welcome theatre came into play. I chose the lightest dessert as I didn’t feel I could do justice to anything else after such a feast. I went with a very refreshing Lychee with papaya and mango, yuzu sorbet, lemon balm and coconut and pineapple sauce.
My dining partner went all in with Sake Barrel. This is where the theatre came in, as although essentially this was a Vanilla Crème Brulée, it had a sesame seed and sake tuile on top which had to be smashed with a small hammer – brilliant! By the way, both were really delicious, and of course I helped with the Sake Barrel.
What a night.
Whether you’re looking to lunch with friends, enjoy tea for two, or book a romantic dinner with someone special, you need to book The Ivy Asia and let us know what you think. We highly recommend it, especially if you have something to celebrate.
By the way, our wine choice was a spectacular bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Te Muna, Craggy Range.
Hope to see you there and remember to tell them we sent you.
Opening Times
Monday: 11:30am – 10:45pm
Tuesday: 11:30am – 10:45pm
Wednesday: 11:30am – 10:45pm
Thursday: 11:30am – 1:00am
Friday: 11:30am – 1:00am
Saturday: 11:30am – 1:00am
Sunday and Bank Holidays: 11:30am – 10:45pm
DJ times:
Monday – Friday: 7:00pm – close
Saturday – Sunday: 6:00pm – close
Visit: www.theivyasialeeds.com
Follow: @theivyasia
