My first visit to The Ivy, the original one in Covent Garden, involved a four-month wait for a table. Stylish and with delectable food, its reputation for having more celebs per square metre than the Green Room for the Graham Norton Show didn’t disappoint: Sir Ian McKellen was at the next table and Stephen Fry a couple of tables beyond.

But now Ivys are breeding like rabbits. It won’t be long before they are about as exclusive as Sainsbury’s. There are Ivy Brasseries, Ivy Grills and Ivy Cafés in more and more towns and cities around the country. So I was skeptical that a visit to the Blackheath branch was going to be particularly special now that it’s become a chain, albeit a pretty upmarket one.

However, I was proved wrong. It could never live up to the original restaurant in West Street that opened in 1917, but it was very impressive all the same. More casual and affordable, it was also nice to not have to wait for weeks to get a reservation.

The menu is as lively as the bright interiors crafted by the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, with sparkling mirrors, deep green leather chairs, elegant light fittings, stained glass windows and bold pictures of all types and ages on the walls, including a number with a local slant. Overall, it gave it a 1920s feel. 

The menu covers breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, light snacks and dinner, and you can also perch at the swanky bar and enjoy a cocktail or two.

The mix of modern British classics and European-inspired dishes including The Ivy’s shepherd’s pie, made with slow-braised lamb shoulder with beef and Wookey Hole Cheddar potato mash; duck curry; fish and chips; brioche-crumbed chicken Milanese topped with a fried egg and black truffle mayonnaise; avocado and spinach Benedict; and hot buttermilk pancakes.

The zuccini fritti (£5.75), fried courgettes with lemon, chilli and mint yoghurt, were delicate and delicious, moorish and subtly crispy. The truffle arancini (£5.50) was upmarket fried fast food: fried arborio rice balls with truffle cheese – a scrumptious globe of delicate flavours. 

The crispy duck salad (£8.75) is a must: it’s a riot of textures and flavours: spicy, hot, sweet and salty, with crunchy seeds and nuts and juicy watermelon for good measure. On top of that, it looks a complete picture.

I tried the T-bone steak (£31.95), a huge hulk of a thing, with spinach sprinkled with pine nuts and parmesan (£3.95), fresh peas and sugar snaps (£3.25) plus truffle chips (£4.50). Delicious. 

For afters I had some pure, unadulterated indulgence: a chocolate bombe (£8.75) with a vanilla ice cream and honeycomb centre with hot salted caramel sauce. An ambulance was in attendance during this course, but was thankfully in the event not required.

The service is very attentive here: if a guest leaves the table, a waitress immediately comes over and neatly folds their napkin, or the most discreet nod to a waiter has them coming over to you in seconds, for example.

The vibe is buzzy, and the restaurant is very family-friendly as well as being an ideal choice for couples. On warm nights you can sit on the terrace, with seating for around 20 people.

43-45 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath SE3 0TJ; 020 3940 1010; theivycafeblackheath.com