Notting Hill, Middle Eastern Restaurant Guide

This appealing café/restaurant in Notting Hill is “just a gentle place to be”, with a modern eastern Mediterranean menu inspired by founder Victoria Paltina’s visits to Tel Aviv.

Fadi Kattan’s three-floor Palestinian newcomer in Notting Hill inspires mixed reviews. Everyone agrees it’s a “beautiful room” with a “bubbling” atmosphere; and welcomes the fact that its Middle Eastern menu is “just a bit different, with a nice twist on more familiar fare”. But while some reporters (especially veggie ones) feel the cuisine is outstanding, too many feel it is “heavy handed” – “a baffling series of dishes, some of them good, some of them unappetising, with no coherent pattern of size or flavour”. “I was so looking forward to this one – the service was great and so was the ambience but the food was disappointing”.