Paul Winch-Furness Photographer
The Ivy Cobham Brasserie
48 High St, Cobham KT11 3EF
Billed as Surrey’s most anticipated restaurant opening for years, Catherine Whyte visits The Ivy Cobham Brasserie to find out whether the reality lives up to the hype...
To be honest, when the restaurant opened I wasn’t in a mad rush to go, wary of encountering a pastiche of the West Street original. I had no doubt that there’d be style. But would there be substance? Or would it just be trading on its name?
The response from Surrey’s diners suggests that I am alone in my fears. Staff took reservations for an eye-opening 1,900 people on the first day alone – all of them eager for a piece of the A-lister pie.
Are they right? Well, having now been, I’d say they are. Accessible luxury is what they want, and accessible luxury is what they get. Even though this particular venue had only been open a few weeks, it was running like a well-oiled machine. The service was bang-on. The decor was sophisticated. There was a real buzz. Most importantly, we had a very pleasant meal – at a relatively reasonable cost. It’s a winning formula.
Indeed, the place already appears to have become a destination restaurant for the entire county. There were numerous birthday parties taking place, with the couple next to us having travelled all the way from Reigate. The celeb count was a bit low though. Keith Barron (remember him?) was the only semi-famous face there.
Cobham residents must be feeling very blessed. The building was home for many years to La Capanna – another well-loved Cobham haunt. It is completely unrecognisable now. All that rustic charm has been superseded by 1920s Art Deco glamour. The harlequin stained glass windows and banquettes are there, too – the trademark look of the celebrity-favoured original. The outside conservatory area and garden reminded me of Petersham Nurseries. It’s very pretty and an ideal backdrop for breakfast I’m sure.
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Paul Winch-Furness Paul Winch-Furness / Photographer
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Paul Winch-Furness Paul Winch-Furness / Photographer
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I’ll admit the food was a pleasant surprise. My starter – a refreshing twist on the ubiquitous mozzarella salad – was dressed instead with pesto, peaches and toasted almonds. My partner had crispy duck salad, one of the classic dishes which have been syndicated across The Ivy Collection’s branches (along with the most famous, the Shepherd’s Pie).
Likewise, our mains were full of interesting flavour combinations. My blackened cod fillet – baked in a banana leaf – was super sweet thanks to the miso glaze. It was served with a light radish and herb salad, a mayonnaise flavoured with one of my favourite citrus fruits, yuzu, and a side of jasmine rice. The Big Man had line-caught swordfish with red pepper sauce and toasted fregola. The desserts were damn tasty, too. I had a crème brûlée but The Big Man’s boozy apple tarte fine with Calvados flambé undoubtedly stole the show.
The Ivy Cobham Brasserie follows in the footsteps of its neighbours in Richmond and Wimbledon, with another venue due to open later in the year atop the rebooted Tunsgate Quarter in Guildford. There’s just enough variation between venues so that each has its own identity; menus do differ and cocktails have hyper-local names. However, don’t be under any illusions. The Ivy Collection brand may be very good, but it is still just a chain at the end of the day.
But do people care? Not in the slightest. For the record, neither do I.
