Restaurant Review: The Ivy on the Square

Who does not love a weekday date night? Earlier this month Mr Enthusiast and I were kindly invited to sample The Ivy on the Square's dinner menu. The invitation could not have come better - we were in the middle of kitchen renovation work after a major leak. The staff was super welcoming and sipping our bubbly we quickly forgot about all the renovation stress.

It was a beautifully sunny spring evening and the interior of the restaurant looked even prettier in the evening light. I particularly loved the gallery wall with the colourful vintage posters and the old map of Edinburgh's New Town.

Starter

For starter Mr Enthusiast picked the oak smoked salmon, which came with rye soda bread. I went for wasabi prawns with salt and pepper squid which was delicious and perfectly cooked. It was presented in a pretty wee cup, possibly the most photogenic fried squid I've seen.

Main

For mains we choose two classics: I ordered the Ivy on the Square hamburger, while Mr Enthusiast got the Ivy on the Square shepherd's pie. Both dishes were very tasty, and I also got to try shepherd's pie for the very first time. Would you believe that after 6 years of living in the UK I never tasted it before? Needless to say I am now a convert!

Dessert

We both have sweet tooth and the Ivy on the Square's menu features several of our favourite desserts, so it was hard to choose. Normally I go with a classic creme brulee, but on the waiter's recommendation I picked the flourless cappucino cake. I did not regret, it was delicious! Mr Enthusiast loves everything involving chocolate, so he got the chocolate bomb. It came with vanilla ice cream, honeycomb centre and hot salted caramel sauce.

Overall we had a lovely date night at the Ivy on the Square and highly recommend the experience - the food was lovely and the staff super attentive. As a bonus I also got some interior inspo and now planning a gallery wall in our dining room! We will certainly return soon to try the weekend brunch and the afternoon tea - check out the Ivy on the Square menus here.

All photos by The Edinburgh Enthusiast (C).

Acknowledgement: Even though we were kindly offered complimetary dinner by The Ivy on the Square, the views and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and purely my own. Special thanks to the lovely folk at Leopold & Frida for organising our dinner and to the Ivy on the Square for hosting us.