Ivy on the Square's special birthday menu

September 20, 2019 | Eating Out

I’ve always felt that the best birthday parties are always those where you go along, and actually end up coming away with a present of your own.

That’s very much the case at The Ivy on the Square, which has now been open in the heart of Edinburgh for two years ago. As two years is the cotton anniversary, they’ve taken that theme to heart.

This month the brasserie on St Andrews Square is celebrating its second anniversary in typically stylish fashion, with a nod to tradition by launching a ‘cotton’ inspired cocktail, dessert and floral installation.

The brasserie is always well-presented, but the current installation is exceptionally eye-catching, with a floral cotton cloud inspired installation on the restaurant’s exterior and internal pillar.

My companion and I were greeted with the usual warm welcome by the friendly, efficient staff, and led to our table. I ordered a drink and chose the Ivy on the Square’s birthday cocktail, the Candy Floss Fizz (£10), sees Prosecco complemented with rosé, lychee, ginger and Havana three-year-old rum and topped with cotton fairy floss. Whatever I expected it to taste like, it wasn’t this. It looked fun, which is ideal, as the best birthdays are, and the taste was superb. The ingredients blended perfectly for sweet treat.

Chicken Milanese

For my main course, I ordered the Chicken Milanese (£16.95). I do love my chicken, and this was first class. The brioche-crumbed chicken has a wonderful crunch to it, with Parmesan on top, and topped by a fried egg, accompanied by a truffle cream sauce. Chicken Milanese is one of my favourites, although the fried egg was served slightly runny, as you could see the clear part of it shake.

Roasted lamb shoulder

My companion picked the roasted lamb shoulder from the two course set menu (£16.95), presented with glazed Chantenay carrots, baby onions, creamed potato, parsley and red wine sauce. The lamb cut beautifully, and was cooked to perfect, crumbling when the fork was run down it, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

Strawberry ice cream and white chocolate sauce

For dessert, she opted for the strawberry ice cream with pistachios and a white chocolate sauce. The ice cream was suitably creamy and decadent, with the sauce the perfect accompaniment.

My dessert continued the birthday celebrations, with the cotton candy limited-edition birthday dessert (£9.50).

Cotton candy limited-edition birthday dessert

This is sumptuous strawberry-flavoured chocolate dome base, sat atop a white chocolate mousse. Contained within the dome was a half orange, which provided a sharp zing, to contrast the sweet strawberry flavour. This was topped by some candy floss, and a strawberry chocolate curl. It’s a grown-up take on a birthday sweet treat, and this is one present I was delighted to enjoy.

The cotton birthday specials are available until Monday, 7 October.

Visit The Ivy on the Square website HERE.