I’ve done it again. I’ve visited another Merivale establishment. I felt, once again, like a black spot in a sea of white. And yellow. At the ivy bar.

Looking for a quick lunch in the budget in the city is quite a task. Fortunately, the kitchen at the ivy is not that expensive and has enough variety to keep everyone satisfied. The coolest thing about the bar, apart from the hip people sipping trendy drinks, is that you can mix and match your salads ($12, including classics like the Greek and the Caesar and a few others) and your choice of protein ($8, including prawns, chicken, salmon, and steak). And the menu indicates which options are vegetarian and/or gluten-free. Extremely helpful.

I chose the roast beetroot, pumpkin, spinach, goats’ feta and baked tomatoes salad and the harissa king prawns. I asked about the prawns’ serving size, they told me they were big and plentiful. Alright, then.

Some minutes later, the buzzer let me know my meal was ready. I panicked a little bit because it looked smallish on the plate. The salad was good, but the chunks of beetroot (my favourite vegetable), pumpkin and goats’ feta were scarce. There were about six medium-sized prawns with a great harissa kick. I was a bit hungry after lunch; next time I’ll order two protein add-ins.

Roast beetroot, pumpkin, spinach, goats’ feta and baked tomatoes salad ($12.00) with harissa king prawns ($8.00)

The Kitchen @ ivy bar
Level 1, 330 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9254 8100
merivale.com.au/ivybar