The new Ivy Asia on The Hayes in Cardiff has opened its doors to customers this autumn, right next to its modern British food sister restaurant, The Ivy. With equally opulent decor that includes two huge fake cherry trees and green onyx floors, the eye-catching Ivy Asia is the latest addition to the city centre's food scene.
However, the new restaurant it has not escaped controversy, even before it opened, coming under fire last year for a now-deleted advert which saw the chain accused of cultural appropriation. The advert, posted on Instagram, showed two women (dubbed as "the ladies") dressed in traditional East Asian clothing, carrying Wagasas [bamboo and paper parasols] and branded Ivy Asia bags before running to flag down a rickshaw. After climbing in, they fall backwards only to be saved by a "hero" who races them to Ivy Asia. The advert was met with criticism for its "anti-Asian racism" and The Ivy Asia apologised, as reported by The Independent.
Conversations about Ivy Asia’s ‘cultural appropriation’ recently resurfaced in anticipation of the restaurant opening in Cardiff. Josh Ong, a food writer and journalist for The World's 50 Best, wrote an article, ‘A Tale of Three Asias,’ in his newsletter, Bitten, in which the restaurant’s interior was described as "dark and gloomy, they aim to mirror the mystery of east Asia, as if we don’t just eat like regular humans in normal dining rooms." You can read more about that here.
READ MORE: First look inside Ivy Asia in Cardiff as it opens to the public
I visited its opening night, along with my partner, to try some of the food on offer and while it was tasty, we were left holding our breath for the bill and ultimately left wondering if, with such a plethora of delicious, wallet-friendly and independent Asian restaurant choices in south Wales, it was worth it?
It is safe to say that dining at The Ivy Asia is an experience. We received a warm welcome at the door from a number of staff members. There was someone to open the door, another person to take our coats, and yet another person to show us to our seats.
Walking in, it’s hard not to be impressed by how bright and colourful the interior of the restaurant is. The glowing floor is particularly impressive while dining under the two cherry blossom trees was certainly a unique experience. That being said, I did hear some other customers telling the waitresses that the decor made them feel “seasick”, which is understandable - from the glowing green floor to the murals that cover the walls and ceiling, there’s a lot going on and some people might well find it overwhelming.
We were promptly given drink menus after being shown to our seats. There is a huge range of drinks on offer for all tastes, including wines, beers, sakes, and an extensive cocktail list. While my partner had a Tsingtao beer, I decided to give one of the cocktails a try, opting for their Pineapple Sour which is made up of 12-year-old whiskey, matcha, lemon, pineapple and a smoked coconut perfume.
The cocktails are on the pricier side, with the cheapest priced at £10.50, while the most expensive is £14.75. While my Pineapple Sour was pleasant, it was a little watery and, for the price, I did expect a bit more in terms of presentation and flavour. Staff were extremely attentive and friendly throughout the whole meal, regularly coming over to check on us, refill our water glasses, and clear plates. The menu, which has a wide variety of dishes, operates as a “sharing concept”, as our waitress told us.
There’s a mixture of sushi and sashimi, 'small dishes,' 'large dishes,' and separate sides, and we were recommended to order two to three of the above each. Due to the different sizes and types of dishes, this was initially a bit confusing - for instance, large dishes were not to be ordered as standalone mains - but attentive waitresses were always on hand to answer questions.
Opting for four dishes shared between the two of us - two small dishes and two large ones - we went for the pork and kimchi dumplings (£9.50), gochujang glazed fried chicken (£10.75), clay pot prawn and tamarind curry (£17.50), and the hot and sour plum chicken (£19.95). While all the dishes were delicious, they were expensive, with small plates ranging from £8.50 to £16.95 in price, while large dishes ranged from £13.95 (the avocado silken tofu) to £53 for the wagyu beef and £38 for half a duck, to share between two.
Prices for dishes at The Ivy, just next door, are comparable, however, the concept of the menu is different, with a traditional starter, main course, and dessert set up. When ordering two to three dishes per person at The Ivy Asia, the prices of the dishes can certainly add up and have you holding your breath when the bill comes. I wasn’t alone in thinking the prices were steep either, with diners chatting on the table next to us after finishing their food saying it was “overpriced for what it is.”
Food is brought out as soon as it’s made, so dishes arrive at different times, allowing you to make room on your table as plates are cleared away and more are brought out. The dumplings were the first to arrive and they were probably my least favourite out of the four dishes - though my partner said that they were his favourite.
The dumplings were a good size, allowing for a lot of filling, and were beautifully presented, sprinkled with spring onion and chilli flakes and drizzled with chilli oil. However, I found that there were too many chilli flakes and that their taste ended up dominating the rest of the dish, making it difficult for the other flavours to come through.
We followed up with the hot and sour plum chicken, which was my favourite. The dish was delicious, with the chicken perfectly crispy and the sauce coating it having a lovely sweet and sour flavour. It would be one I’d definitely recommend trying, and certainly one I would order again.
The prawn and tamarind curry - which we ordered with a side of rice (an extra £4.50) - was just as tasty, with all the flavours of the dish coming into their own and perfectly complimenting each other. We had to wait for a while for our final dish, the gochujang glazed fried chicken, to arrive, finishing all our other dishes beforehand. However, this allowed us to make some more room on the table and clear the dishes we’d finished with out of the way so it wasn’t too crowded.
The dish had plenty of flavour and the sauce was pleasantly sweet, with the chicken, again, being perfectly crispy. We found that the four dishes between us (as well as the side of rice) was the perfect amount, with the large dishes allowing for a bit of a bigger portion.
From looking around at other tables, some of the dishes are spectacularly presented - quite literally with smoke and mirrors in some cases. One table along our row appeared to have something served on a giant silver bird. Another table’s food came under a dome that released smoke when lifted.
We both ordered desserts which were similarly beautifully presented with intricate details. My partner had the ‘Samurai’ (£9.85) - a dark chocolate mousse that came with brownie pieces, vanilla ice cream and chocolate pearls. I had the ‘Green Lantern’ (£9.50), made up of white chocolate and yuzu cheesecake, raspberry and chocolate pearls, and mango sauce.
While my partner compared my dessert to a “posh Muller Corner” (I'm not sure what Muller Corners he's been having), it was, thankfully, much more luxurious than that. The mango sauce was deliciously tangy and contrasted nicely with the creaminess and sweetness of the cheesecake. Both desserts were beautifully presented, with mine coming in a jar that glowed green at the bottom with intricately painted white chocolate butterfly wings on top.
The attention to detail is incredible and suggests that they have thought about everything, right down to the heavy, fish-shaped chopstick holders which, by the message stamped on the bottom of them, 'stolen from Ivy Asia', the restaurant seems to think people will be keen to slip into their handbags.
While the dining experience is a unique one, food-wise we certainly already have fantastic independent businesses across the city and beyond where you can get authentic Chinese, Korean, Japanese food and more for half the price. From In Cafe on Crwys Road which serves vegan versions of Chinese dishes to Janet's Authentic Northern Chinese Restaurant in Pontypridd Market and Brother Thai's proudly inauthentic sticky beef, there's no shortage of other places to go.
I spent a lot of my teenage years going to what is now Gigi Gao's Favourite Authentic Chinese in Swansea with my friends, which recently garnered the praise of one of the UK's most respected food critics, Jay Rayner, describing the restaurant as a "candy-coloured, garlanded, ribboned, sequined and tasselled world" of "all-round bloody good things".
All in all, The Ivy Asia is full of spectacle, from the restaurant's interior to the dishes themselves. However, given the high prices for the food, it's and I would probably only reserve for very special occasions in the future.
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