I see modern fairytales as a twist on the traditional fairytale. Whilst a traditional fairytale would have a us waking up to a Prince’s kiss and an interim modern fairytale would have a Lady that lunches using her husband’s credit card, a truly modern fairytale has us waking up to an alarm and paying for our lunch using our own credit card and then having a facial. I’m sure Snow White didn’t keep her lovely complexion without the aid of a beautician but that’s for another story.

On this day, my partners in crime Gina and Teena are joining me for a lunch at Merivale’s The Ivy complex at Mad Cow and then we’re going for a facial. An ideal day for me and I’m very excited (if only it could be topped off with a visit to nearby Jimmy Choo). During the month of March, Merivale is hosting the March Into Merivale event where for $33 you get a main meal and a glass of wine or beer for lunch or an early dinner. It’s another recession busting winner to help encourage diners to come out and eat more often. The last time I went to a Merivale restaurant was so long ago but I do remember having a fantastic meal at est.-one that I still remember with vivid clarity today.

I’m lost. I find the whole Ivy complex confusing and it doesn’t help that I went to the Establishment building two blocks away looking for it. There is a girl who is asking people if they need directions. Mad Cow is up the stairs and I stand there a touch confused. There’s no signage to speak of and I finally give up and ring my friends. It’s surprisingly full, the inside booth and table sections are all taken with just the outside section empty.

It’s frightfully pretty indeed, with all shades of yellow, gold and lemon and white surrounding it-as with all things Merivale it looks awfully good. We order a combination of things, after all the mains aren’t that much more expensive than the March into Merivale offer starting at $34 for a delicious piece of Top Sirloin Wagyu (but of course they don’t include the wine or side) so we order the March Into Merivale Rosemary grilled quail, crisp polenta, black olives, green beans, The 200g Eye fillet and the Wagyu Top Sirloin as well as a side order of shoestring fries. You can select a sauce to accompany the meats out of a list of Chimichurri, horseradish cream, tarragon shallot jus, Barbeque and Béarnaise.

The bread comes with a creamy, unsalted butter and is particularly good with the sourdough.

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