Notting Hill, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Lovely food and a great casual atmosphere” draw a buzzy crowd to this quirky, small Notting Hill site (which old-timers recall as The Ark). It was the first of the Gladwin bros’ shabby-chic venues in London (see also Rabbit and Nutbourne) and their Sussex-farm-to-metropolitan-fork concept provides an “interesting English variation on the tapas theme”; on the downside, some find the rustic furniture “very uncomfortable”.

An all-day wholefood cafe, restaurant and deli using seasonal ingredients and ethical produce sourced from predominantly British farmers and makers; opened in December 2020 by deep-pocketed Malaysian model and actress Mandy Lieu, who has also bought Ewhurst Park in Hampshire to convert in to a farm to supply produce.

The “fantastic experience” of eating at this highly original and “exciting” venue – a former car repair shop off Portobello Market featuring “industrial stripped-down walls” – has been restored with the return to the kitchen of Chris Denney, “a really inventive chef”, following the loss of sibling-venture Southam Street. It’s “uber trendy, but the food is of exceptional quality”.

One of a growing number of 'flexitarian' restaurants (where plant based menu items are not merely an afterthought) arrives in London's spiritual home of healthy eating, Notting Hill. This all- day, neighbourhood restaurant and bar also specialises in wood-fire grilled fish and meat.