The Crackberry Times » Notting Hill

The Churchill Arms

crackberry — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:20:28 +0000

A real mix of styles, The Churchill Arms is a winning combination of local boozer and humble Thai eatery. Found enshrouded in a constellation of hanging baskets that burst with flowers in the summer months, once you step inside you’ll be faced with what appears to be the archetypal Old Man Pub, compete with murky carpet and sticky beer mats. However, push further in to the right of the bar you’ll reach another mini jungle of hanging flora where they serve earnestly good Thai food at amazingly low prices. What makes this place is that it’s everything you want, without any frills. The beer is on tap and the carrots aren’t carved into roses; the dishes are filling and there’s a distinct lack of incense.

119 Kensington Church St., Kensington, W8 7LN. Tel: 020 7727 4242

E and O Restaurant

crackberry — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:32:38 +0000

Uber chic Pan-Asian restaurant in Notting Hill, just off the Portabello Road. Minimalist, warm and dark, you would be forgiven for thinking you’d been sucked into a black hole of cool. Come here to eat delicious food surrounded by gorgeous people or just hang out in their bar. NB, although tucked away and great for dates, this is trendy, not intimate.

Price: c. £50 pp. 14 Blenheim Crescent, W11 1NN. Tel: 0207 229 5454, website: www.rickerrestaurants.com

Ukai

crackberry — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:29:03 +0000

Ukai is about to do for Japanese food what Carluccios has done for Italian food, making tasty, authentic dishes both affordable and accessible. The place comes across as both refined and yet relaxed, an edible tai chi. The food covers the typical range of bento boxes with funky pickles, flowery teas and of course plenty of raw fish. The menu is broad enough to titillate adventurous types whilst still providing more timid foodies with a safety net of recognisable favourites. The interior is no nonsense dark wood and oriental prints, as might be expected, accompanied by wonderfully deferential service. Suitable for both mates and dates.

223 Portobello Road, W11 1LU. Tel: 020 7243 3222 and 2 Westborne Grove, W2 5RA. Tel 020 7727 8222. Web:www.ukai.co.uk

The Windsor Castle

crackberry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:15:59 +0000

A quintessential English pub, equally perfect for wowing Americans or as a trusty alternative to your local. Giving it its charm are a series of dark wood dividers that used to separate drinking spaces for the riff raff and the toffs, and now carve up the interior into homely nooks and crannies where you can tuck yourself away. Out back there’s a walled beer garden that is perfect for whiling away a summer’s afternoon. Serves a selection of authentic ales and more common lagers to cater for the Notting Hill crowd that frequents it.

114 Campden Hill Road, Notting Hill Gate, W8 7AR. Tel: 020 7243 9551. Web: www.windsorcastlepub.co.uk

Maggie Jones

crackberry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Maggie Jones is a homely favourite hidden away off Kensington Church St. The farmhouse interior is subdivided by high backed benches, leaving many tables enclosed in their own space for an intimate feel complemented by agreeable service. Food is a rich, meaty selection of English classics and comfort fare with an extensive board of daily specials. Wonderfully gulpable house wine is served in magnums from which you are charged for only what you drink, making for the perfect atmosphere for relaxed, boozy dinners where you can forget the city outside.

Price: £40pp. 6 Old Court Pl, High St Kensington, W8 4PL. Tel: 020 7937 6462.

Crazy Homies

crackberry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:23:56 +0000

A kitsch Mexican place trading practicality for atmosphere. Garish colours and decorative skeletons combine with small tables to give the place a vampish, vibrant feel that suits the heaving nature of the place. With Margaritas at £6 a go, this is at the cheaper end of London drinking, which perhaps explains its popularity. Not recommended for a date, you can be left waiting and are likely to find yourself squeezed into the first available nook or cranny. If however, you’re looking for a relaxed place to get drunk with friends and have a good time, then this might just be perfect. Sister joint Lucky Seven, serving some of the best burgers in London is next door.

125 Westbourne Park Rd, Notting Hill Gate, W2 5QL. Tel: 020 7727 6771. Web:www.crazyhomieslondon.co.uk

Assaggi

crackberry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:22:45 +0000

For the last word in Italian cuisine this side of the Alps, visit Assaggi. Clean, bright colours, high ceilings, plain floorboards and formal place settings all point towards a restaurant that confidently serves quality food, whilst remaining disarmingly laid back. The short menu complements the small restaurant and simple décor, featuring traditional Italian dishes revolving around authentic ingredients. A grown up venue for serious food, it’s not surprising that this is on the pricier side of things, but with celebrities and Italians alike firm fans, no one seems to be complaining.

Price: £50pp. 1st Floor, 39 Chepstow Place, Notting Hill Gate, W2 4TS. Tel: 020 7792 5501.

Ottolenghi

crackberry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:35:17 +0000

But for its near flawless execution, Ottolenghi might be a mediocre medley of modern restauranteering. It has a minimalist white interior. It has a contemporary Euro-Med menu. It even has an innovative hybrid retail format… but the proof is in the pudding, and Ottolenghi has what is quite frankly an indecent selection of cakes and pastries at its bakery counter. If plain white is a touch arrogant, it’s all the more so when the staff are decked out in black for the full monochrome experience. You need to be pretty confident in your kitchen to decide you don’t need décor to generate some atmosphere, but Ottolenghi is justifiably white, serving superb food in abundance. The genre might not be new and clever, but the use of unusual flavour and texture combinations along with top ingredients make for food with a refined, expert feel that certainly is.

Price: £40pp. 287 Upper St, N1 2TZ. Tel: 020 7288 1454. Web: www.ottolenghi.co.uk