Pure class
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| Grilled sweetbread in green peppercorn sauce |
I am a super fan of Ibai, tucked just off the heavy footfall of St Paul’s. There’s no overstated rustic décor or theatrical fancy elements; instead, the food is 'what you see is what you get', with a focus so pure it feels like a statement. It’s clear from the moment you sit down that the point here is not to distract you with noise or gimmicks. The menu reads short, deceptively plain, but each dish is tuned to precision. Ibai serves calm, confident food, built on an obsessive attention to ingredients and technique, with most dishes cooked on an open fire. The below covers by 9th and 10th visits.
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| Red prawn tartar |
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| Wagyu beef and crab pinxtos |
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| Grilled XXL scallops |
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| XL red prawn with caviar |
New on the menu as a special was a veal sweetbread cooked in green peppercorn sauce; it might not look much, but the taste can rival any Michelin-starred restaurant. The creamy texture was wrapped with a thin layer of smoky, crispy edges. The peppery tone of the sauce was just perfect to go with the sweetbread. Another special... the Iberico Ox was pure class, cooked perfectly, the texture and depth of the flavour did the talking without needing a parade of accompaniments. The taste was so powerful, with a hint of oily smoky, almost single malt aged whisky, and cured meat like, I think I just had the best steak in London. Even something as simple as their tomato salad... the fruit singing with fresh ripeness, dressed with oil so green it bites back. No drizzle for show, no crowding the plate—just the essentials, done well.
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| Tolosa beans & celeriac with black truffle |
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| Red pepper and bone marrow |
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| Galician rib steak |
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| Whole John Dorey |
Ibai has done something few restaurants in the city manage: it has stayed true to itself from start to finish. There’s no pivot to crowd-pleasing finales, no cheap fireworks to leave you with a sugar high. Just a clean, rich, well-judged finish that fits the rhythm of the meal. This is a place for people who care about the details but hate the fuss. Ibai isn’t chasing trends or shouting for attention; it’s building quiet loyalty (not the easiest place to book). In a part of London that leans towards soulless chains and expense-account crowd-pleasers, Ibai feels almost defiant in its simplicity.
Food 4.5/5
What I paid: £165 per person with wine
Average cost without drinks and services: £80 (dinner)
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