Leo bombes at The Ivy... but he didn’t jump queue

THE much-hyped Ivy Restaurant on Dawson Street in Dublin opened its doors last week and, as expected, the great and the good have been beating a path there to secure a table.

Nabbing a spot in the brasserie, where bookings are through the tastefully-decorated roof, is proving a difficult task, with waiting lists stretching to months.

But hipster Taoiseach Leo Varadkar seemingly had no such problems as he was spotted by The Diary enjoying a dinner for four in the restaurant on Monday evening.

Accompanied by his doctor boyfriend Matthew Barrett and two female friends, they sampled the restaurant’s menu.

Leo power-walked from Kildare Street to nearby Dawson Street as he arrived fashionably late for his window-seat table.

After a gaffe-prone few months in his political life and tough challenges in office, he was perhaps having the expensive meal to celebrate the end of term in the Dáil.

Opting for the smoked salmon and crab starter (€13.50) and a bottle of red wine, Leo certainly looked relaxed among his friends.

And while there were no Instagram photographs of their food, the chatter did turn to social media, as frequent Twitter user Leo told his dinner companions that all his tweets were his own and that nobody ever wrote them for him.

After enjoying a three-course meal which concluded with the chocolate bombe desert (€9.95), Leo et al departed for home with his garda minder, who had idled outside.

Sources told the Diary that the Taoiseach used none of his political clout to secure the sought-after table and had simply ‘popped in’ for dinner, ‘which he paid for’.