Ivy Market Grill

It's been over a month since we returned from London, but it's still very much on my mind. Partly because it was such an amazing time and partly because the London photos keep scrolling through on the digital frame. One of the better meals we ate was at a place in Covent Garden called The Ivy Market Grill.

I remember it was a Monday and we had been to Windsor Castle and then St Paul's Cathedral. SP & I wanted to walk around and do some shopping but mom was tired, so she took a cab back to the hotel. Of course not long after that it got very windy, cold, and rainy. So that wasn't much fun. We ended up at Covent Garden and decided to find somewhere there to eat. We settled on The Ivy Market Grill, walked over, and were seated right away, without having a reservation, around 6 pm.

By now you're noticing the lack of photos in this post. That's because as we entered, SP saw a sign requesting no food photography. I didn't see the sign, and I see see photos posted on other sites, but SP insisted he saw the sign. So as much as I would have loved to document this delicious meal, I kept the camera tucked away and even refrained from trying to use my cell phone.

I mentioned, cold, windy, rainy, so of course we ordered hot tea, which somehow just tastes better in London. SP also enjoyed a beer, I think it was this one: Meantime Pilsner. Here's what we ate:

• We started by sharing Heirloom Tomato Salad (crumbled feta, watermelon, black olives, mint and pomegranate dressing). Delicious!
• I chose Market Grill Shepherd’s Pie (slow braised lamb shoulder with Keen’s Cheddar and
• potato mash). yum! Browned cheesy potato mash atop the lamb. There were little sprigs of rosemary sticking up from the dish, like little trees in a cheesy potato desert. The lamb part was maybe a bit oily/greasy but it was quite satisfying. SP liked my meal, too, and was happy to keep helping me finish it.
• For his meal he chose a starter which our server offered to turn into an entree portion and SP agreed: Seared Scallops (crushed garden peas, crumbled chorizo, crème fraîche and pea shoots). His scallops were very good and nicely seared (I tried a bite of one) and he really like the mushy peas and chorizo.

There are a lot of restaurants in Covent Garden, some are what I would call "fast food" and some are what I would call "fancy/pricey need a reservation and no jeans" and some are like this, good food, reasonably priced, no reservation necessary, and tourists in jeans looking damp and bedraggled are welcome. Our service were fantastic. I'd go back if we are in London again.