After a few challenges in the beginning, an all around great experience: Restaurant Ibai (21. October 2025)

The Ibai has apparently opened relatively recently, so, I was more than glad to give it a try. And it didn’t start entirely optimal, since it took the service staff quite a while until we were able to place our initial order. Once that was a success, the cadence picked up quite a bit and started with “baguette & butter” (GBP 4.00), which was simple, but the baguette was actually good.

Next in line were the “Iberico pork belly pintxo” (GBP 15.00), which was an absolute sensory dream in your mouth. The combination of the intensity of the flavors, the crispiness of the pork belly, and the lightness to have it eaten in one bite, made it an absolutely delicious starter. The carabiñero tartare” (GBP 28.00) was great too, but I must admit that I found GBP 28.00 for that a bit much after all.

Next in line was the “beef tartare, smoked espelette pepper” (GBP 15.00), which turned out to be great. I absolutely loved the flavor and the fact that it was prepared the way it was. The smoked pepper really added to the dish, so, a good choice as well.

Finally, we went for the “Galician Blond by Xose Portas in Pontevedra, Spain” (GBP 130.00 / kg), which was quite a portion. And besides being quite a portion, the meat was cooked perfectly to temperature and was absolutely luscious, so, definitely a good choice.

I went for the “anchovy & herb salsa” (GBP 4.00) for the meat, but – despite the fact that I absolutely love anchovies – it didn’t really add anything much to the dish.

However, the “seared foie gras” (GBP 14.00) on top was something else! Frankly, I’m no fan of a filet rossini, but this foie gras was tasty and went super well with the meat – so, an absolute win for flavor.

The “tomatoes & shallots” (GBP 6.00) on the other hand were rather – uhm – boring. They definitely didn’t have the taste of freshness I would have hoped for.

The “beef fat French fries” (GBP 9.00) were decent, but somehow lacked a little bit of crispiness.

For dessert, I went for the “fig & white chocolate sundae with Pedro Ximenez” (GBP 12.00), which actually turned out to be quite tasty too.

The place is lovely, but the tables are a bit too close to each other, making it rather noisy. Other than that, the staff is generally friendly and attentive and makes sure you have everything you want and need. However, the whole thing is really rather on the pricey side of things. Nevertheless, you have to book your table quite well in advance if you want to make sure to score a table.

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes:
Price-Performance Ratio:
Overall Rating:

Contact Details:

Restaurant Ibai

Bartholomew Cl 92

EC1A 7BN London (UK)

Tel.: +44 20 45 97 38 21

E-Mail: reservations@ibai.london

Homepage: https://ibai.london

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.