Holland Park, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

Is it London? It doesn’t feel like it at this enchanting, 17th-century ballroom adjoining Holland House, and surrounded by the tranquility of Holland Park. As a restaurant, it’s had many ups and downs over the years (there’s always a temptation here to coast on the location), and its latest incarnation was launched without fanfare in December 2022 by George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev, of Goodman, Burger & Lobster and Wild Tavern. True to the DNA of these other offerings, it’s been handsomely revamped and now serves an Italian-influenced menu centred on luxe casual dining – raw seafood, USDA steak, plus fancy pizza and pasta. In a February 2023 review, Giles Coren of The Times decried it as akin to “the second-best Italian restaurant in Dubai” whose unifying principle is “expensive” not Italian. Our initial reports are less sniffy: “an amazing meal with attentive service, and good ambience even if the decor is a bit overdone for my taste and the food is on the pricey side for what it is”.

“Terrific posh Levantine food with a twist” is the story of this Kensington High Street three-year-old, whose kitchen is run by former Palomar head chef Tomar Amedi. The menu can seem “confusing” to first-timers (“what’s a starter? a main? a side? did we order enough?”) but the small plates are “interesting and all very tasty”.