The Ivy Montpellier Brasserie in Cheltenham is quite simply magnificent, the magnitude of the glorious Rotunda building is just exquisite.

Located in the heart of Cheltenham, the grade I listed building has been used since the early 19th century.

The Ivy chain took over the building in 2017, keeping lots of original features of the Montpelier Rotunda.

Upon arrival to the restaurant, guests are greeted by the Maitre De and temperatures are taken by literally standing still in the foyer.

The Ivy are cleverly adhering to social distancing regulations without making the guest experience feel any different to before that were the new norm.

The Maitre De leads to socially distanced tables, with the booths spaced by glass shields, coveted by decorative plants, you would not necessarily notice the hidden measures that have been implemented.

The main restaurant is a sight to behold, the high domed ceiling envelopes the Rotunda. The centre piece bar is adorned with lights and with a horse and jockey sat upon its crown.

In a nod to Cheltenham’s racing heritage, the walls are majestically painted with equestrian images of riders and horses, rather breathtaking on first glimpse.

The general ambience is warm and calm, but one would imagine, if not for social distancing limiting guest numbers, the cocktail bar would be a much livelier place to sit.

The menu is easy to navigate and ranges from traditional, The Ivy Shepherds pie, to their new autumnal offering including beetroot Carpaccio. Wishing to try the new fayre, our front of house guided us through the entire new autumnal menu, making the usual difficult task of choosing, relatively easy.

Starter:

The roast onion soup, new for Autumn, was beyond sublime. A glorious warming dish of thick soup, with a sage ravioli type pasta , generously floated through the middle.

Tempura Prawn with salt and pepper, these were fabulously presented , with more than enough for two, the wasabi miso dipping sauce had just the right amount of heat to not over power the dish. Beautiful.

Main:

Pan-fried Sea bass fillet served with slithers of courgette and a tomato verde. This dish was a fresh contrast to the soup, perfectly complimented with the accompanying sauce.

Fillet of beef, a staple that is always ordered but rarely executed as well as in a steak house. The ivy brasserie has this on point. The steak was cooked to medium rare perfection, ordered with a peppercorn sauce that came in a silver jug on the side- this was divine.

Dessert:

The piste de resistance came in the form of the tiramisu; elegant saviordi biscuit soaked in espresso and marsala, topped with mascarpone and chocolate. The ultimate in indulgence, if not slightly too much to finish after two previous courses.

The chocolate melting bomb comes whole, with a heated bowl of hot caramel sauce to dissolve the ‘bomb’ to uncover the vanilla ice-cream centre. An impressive end.

The front of house staff were fantastic. They were friendly and willing to chat, nothing seemed like too much trouble.

The Ivy Montpellier feels like a special occasion restaurant, but with reasonable pricing and such a relaxed ambience you can enjoy a Monday night date night too. Highly recommended.