One of the Thacks Awards panelists went undercover. James Bond style in Windsor… and wrote this review about why The Ivy Royal Windsor Brasserie in Windsor deserves to receive a ‘2022 Top 5 Award’.
Very close to ultimate perfection:
“The Ivy Royal Windsor Brasserie was lovely, lively, and a bit of a spoil with friendly, attentive staff. Located at the feet of Windsor Castle, buzzing from 11am, the décor and position is enviable.
I had to wait for a table and sat elbow to elbow with the customer at the table next to me, and, once settled, found myself with the view of Windsor High Street for the remainder of my noisy, busy, bustling visit. They had a thriving breakfast trade which flowed into brunch. Each dish I ordered was beautifully presented, with fine ingredients – and was delicious.
If I had to be critical, I might say the pastry on the tart was a little soft for my liking, and that was before I added the dreamy truffle sauce. The Asparagus Salad with Truffle Hollandaise was sublime but it lacked salt and I needed a stronger hit of truffle to be sure. The Duck Liver Parfait was great but instead of toasted brioche I’d have preferred Melba toast. All that actually set it apart from a good Duck Liver Parfait from anywhere was the exceptional gooseberry preserve served with it, of which there was too little.
The non-alcoholic Porn Star Martini was perfect as was the Raspberry Eaton Mess. The raspberry coulis served with the dessert was delightfully tangy without a trace of sweetness which complemented the meringue, vanilla ice-cream and thick cream. I quite liked the lime zest and found I wanted more of that instead of the pea greens: which were very pretty but rather lost with the other big flavours.
Looking around at other happy diners, I saw around 12 plates of Eggs Benedict served. They all looked perfect and definitely the most popular choice at brunch.
Starters are around £10 and entrées are around £30, all worth it for the beautiful presentation, fresh ingredients, the majestic views of the Castle and people watching as they pass by on Windsor High Street. The mocktail was around £10 and the good stuff (for those who aren’t working) starts at around £13. The wine list has a good variety, with their selection representing top wine estates in geographically protected regions.
Definitely worth a visit. And another and another. I would, in all honesty, probably order the same meals a second time around because they were quite close to perfect.’
2022 Top 5 Winner: The Ivy Royal Windsor Brasserie, Windsor, UK was written by one of the international Thacks Awards panelists visting the UK.
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