The Ivy Asia will open its first Scottish restaurant at 30-40 St Vincent Place in Glasgow on Tuesday 20 October, and has named the best-selling dishes that will lead the menu. Part of The Ivy Collection, the restaurant serves sushi, sashimi, small plates and larger dishes, all designed for sharing. The drinks list leans on Japanese spirits and tropical fruit flavours.
Among the large plates is the Golden Aromatic Duck, served with steamed pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce. The Black Cod Miso uses Alaskan sablefish that is marinated and glazed in miso for 48 hours, and the Char Siu Pork Belly is another of the group’s top sellers. On the small-plate side, the most popular orders are Gochujang Glazed Chicken, Ebi Prawn Tempura Nahm Jim, and Pork and Kimchi Gyoza. The Ivy Asia Silver Shell is billed as a centrepiece, and the Samurai is one of the most ordered desserts.
Diners trying the restaurant for the first time can choose an experience menu at £70 per person, or a vegetarian version at £60. Both are served to a minimum of two people and are designed to give a tour of the signature dishes in one sitting. Cocktails start at £12.25. The Mango Sling is one of the bestsellers, alongside a Watermelon and Strawberry Margarita made with tequila and yuzu, and a Fire Gimlet that mixes Japanese gin, sake, elderflower, hot honey and cucumber. Japanese whiskies, sake and a selection of wines are also on the list.
The restaurant occupies the former City of Glasgow Bank building, built between 1870 and 1873, whose old banking hall takes its inspiration from Renaissance Florence. It shares the building with The Ivy Glasgow Brasserie, which has moved there from its previous site on Buchanan Street. The new brasserie space adds a terrace and a private dining room, and the two restaurants together hold more than 250 covers.
Olivia Wong, senior general manager at The Ivy Glasgow, said: “Glasgow is in for something special.” Simon Gregory, group executive chef at The Ivy Collection, said the team was looking forward to bringing the experience to Scotland for the first time. The opening gives the Collection two restaurants under one roof on St Vincent Place, one of the city centre’s main squares. Wong runs The Ivy Glasgow, which now sits alongside the new Asian restaurant in the same historic building.
