Having difficulty securing a booking in your favourite restaurant? Then why not write a book about it? That at least appears to be the intention behind food writer A.A. Gill's new book on The Ivy restaurant in London. According to the accompanying publicity material, Gill eats at The Ivy "whenever he can get a table." Presumably this will not be a problem any longer.
Actually, it would not appear to have been too much of a challenge in the past, as Gill has long been one of The Ivy's regulars. The West Street restaurant is that kind of place, particularly since its overhaul at the start of this decade. An advantageous location in the heart of London's theatre district has meant The Ivy was popular with actors and audiences since opening in 1917; it is a terrific place to go for a post-performance supper (provided you can get that elusive booking, of course). Frequently the cast you have just been applauding will also turn up at the next table; other diners are as much a source of conversation as the food here and neck-craning is the norm.
Adding to the restaurant's atmosphere of cosy intimacy is its decor which has a club-like quality about it, complete with wood panelling, lead-paned windows, leather banquettes, wall murals and an eclectic assortment of paintings and photographs. The diversity of art is mirrored by The Ivy's menu in which no one school or style is allowed to dominate.
The selection of recipes included by Gill reflects the restaurant's daily menu in its blend of the unusual with the familiar. There are classics such as Caesar salad and Eggs Benedict, for example, but also such items as Malayan spiced noodles with roasted pumpkin and - a dish Gill says was the reason for this book - roast poulet des Landes (the chicken is stuffed with foie gras and black truffle). There is nothing grand about The Ivy's food or the service, which is relaxed and, not surprisingly given the loyalty of customers, familiar.
That too is the approach taken by Gill in this book which, by the way, is crammed with gorgeous colour photographs of the restaurant, its staff and dishes. The recipes are divided into the usual sections, opening with stocks and soups and concluding with desserts, puddings and savouries. Between these, a typical day in The Ivy is described, from the arrival of the head plongeur at 6.45 a.m. to the departure of the manageress some 18 hours later. During the intervening period, some 82 members of staff will have looked after 425 customers. This book should only increase the number Ivy admirers - and make the challenge of booking a table even more difficult for all of us.
The Ivy, The Restaurant and its Recipes is published by Hodder & Stoughton, £25 in the UK.