Notting Hill Brasserie

The Notting Hill Brasserie has been a favourite haunt of mine for many years. Although the menu has remained largely unmodified, I don’t think this is a bad thing – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Staple dishes such as lobster cannellone and the slow cooked beef fillet are robust and reliable palette pleasers. They use excellent ingredients and I have never had a single quibble about the cooking or the service during any of the numerous meals I’ve enjoyed here.

Then there’s the atmosphere – African wood carvings, interesting paintings, live jazz and all set in a beautiful Victorian townhouse, with very comfy seating and a relaxed lighting scheme set at just the right balance between not too bright and not too dark.

If you are looking for somewhere to host a small function or dinner party, their private dining room is just the place. A part of the normal dining area, it can be closed off to create a lovely room that is a bit like dining in someone’s expensive townhouse in Notting Hill, complete with waiting staff and a very good chef in the kitchen.

To call this restaurant a brasserie doesn’t really do it justice, other than conveying the relaxed feel of the place. It really is one of those restaurants you can just melt away in, spending a long evening over a fantastic bottle of vin rouge and perhaps a few of their cocktails to boot. Long may it prosper!

Notting Hill Brasserie, 92 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2PN. Tel. 020 7229 4481.