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WORLD TOUR'

From page 15 of Classic Rock Magazine December 2007

Cover of December 2007 issue.

ROCKKROLL LANDMARKS

WORDS: HENRY YATES

Place: The Ivy

What: Restaurant of the rich and the famous Where: 1 West Street, London What's Alike? "A table at The Ivy," noted the broadsheet food critic AA Gill, "is one of the most sought-after pieces of furniture in London " Which is basically a clever way of saying you need to book in advance.

It's certainly true that this West Street restaurant has an elitist reputation, with the mention of its name evoking decade-long waiting lists, snooty waiters, celebrity diners slurping lobster bisque, and the common man salivating at the window. All of which made it quite surprising when a chatty receptionist told Classic Rock that, yes, he could squeeze us in the following evening, and, no, it didn't matter if we wore jeans Maybe we just got lucky.

It was opened in 1917 by Abel Glandellini with the modest aim of feeding London's theatre-goers, but these days you can't throw a bread roll in The Ivy without hitting an A-list celebrity on the back of the head Elton John, Mick Jagger and Noel Gallagher are among the rock legends who have enjoyed the cuisine of chefdirector Mark Nix, while Marianne Faithfull has long cited it as her favourite restaurant in town: "The first time I went to The Ivy was in the 60s, when I was only 17 After my first dinner there I knew I'd reached the place where I wanted to be," she said.

Cost: Roast Roulet Des Landes will set you back a princely £38.50.

Whatyou get: Chris De Burgh, at the next table, talking loudly .

Must do: Get The Ivy's recipe book and have a go yourself far cheaper.