Ivory Bar & Restaurant

Food was very good and well presented at lunch, with the staff friendly and keen, but lacking some professional touches, with this particularly obvious as the restaurant became busier. This has been noticed several times earlier in the year, so some management thought shd be given to more management supervision, both to assist organisation and to assist service when staff appear to be bordering on inadequate for the number of diners accepted.

I visited Ivory for the first time last night with a friend who often joins me when dining out. We have visited many different restaurants and feel we are rather easy to please.
Anyway i had phoned in advance to book the table for 7.30pm and arrived a couple of minutes early, to be told there was a free table in the conservatory (Dining Area), which i had been hoping for anyway. The waiter showed us to our seats and pulled out our chairs - very polite, then asked what we cared to drink. We ordered a glass of white wine and an orange juice. We waited around 15 minuites for the drinks, then we had to return the orange juice as there was a fly in it! However the staff were helpful and replaced it, then removed it from the bill. The starter was slightly delayed, however the lovely setting seemed to make up for it, i enjoyed my Goats cheese Fritter very much and i liked the presentation.
When it came to the main course however my enthusiasm disappeared. I had ordered Ricotta and Tomato Ravioli at £12.95 ... and was confronted with a bowl of what looked like a dogs dinner. It tasted of nothing and was overloaded with slimy sauce. Presentation was dreadful and my friends dinner wasnt so great either, the portions were also abnormally large, which i find off putting and wasteful.
To finish the meal i ordered a coffee and was only given one sugar on the side, which was corrected after i had asked. The meal came to £39.80 and if im honest i feel cheated as my main meal was so terrible.
The decor is, however, lovely and as far as i know the menu changes quite a bit. So im hoping if there is a next time, it will be a much better experience.

As a small Post Script: We were waited on by a young man with long hair, let loose. He was wearing jeans and a tshirt, and his underwear was clearly visable... this is compared to the smart black uniform of his collegues. Another waitress was also chatting rather loudly into her mobile phone while attempting to lay a table.

Having been in this restaurant before i wasnt expecting anything spectacular but was looking forward to a relaxed meal with my partner. On arrival we were quickly ushered in to the brightly lit dining room at the back of the building. We were then sat at a table under a bright spotlight which felt as if we were waiting on an interrogation to begin. The waiter promtly arrived offering drinks- a bottle of pinot grigio was ordered at £15.00 -very reasonable. We then sat patiently for 15 minutes for the wine only for it then to be plonked on our table by what looked like an extra from spinal tap- presumably one of the bar staff from next door - no glasses were delivered with the wine and the wine was not opened - another 10 minute wait for the waiter with glasses and corksrew. we then ordered while we had the chance.
We ordered the mixed bread basket as a starter £5.95, described as freshly baked ciabbata,foccacia and mixed bread with a selection of dips. What arrived was 4 slices of brown bread and 4 white. Hardly justifies £5.95 . Once again our "eager" waiter was called and informed - freshly baked foccacia arrived. Then to the mains Fillet steak with pink peppercorn sauce £18.50 and Roast lamb shoulder with a chick pea fritter. The steak medallions were dry and of a very poor standard served on "ivory mash" i presume the lumps and general lack of flavour is what they were going for. Cue again the eager waiter who took it back to the kitchen and returned with an apology from the chef. My partners lamb was of an ok standard but was served on the dreaded "ivory mash". OK cheese cake and coffee to end a terrible meal with shocking service. Steak was removed from the bill so the total was £38.00.
With the opening of so many good eateries in and around the Shawlands area the Ivory need to get their act together fast.