Harden's survey result
Summary
“Combining the best of French and Italian gastronomy” – Emily Roux and her husband Diego Ferrari continue to put in an assured performance at their “lovely neighbourhood restaurant” in Notting Hill. The cuisine is of “excellent quality”, yet not particularly striving for its own sake: aptly described in one report as “enjoyable fine dining, comfort dishes”. You can either opt for à la carte – three courses for £92 per person – or go for a five-course ‘Build Your Own Tasting Menu’ option at £120 per person. “Simply divine: expensive but worth it!”
Summary
“Run by Michel Roux’s daughter” Emily and her husband Diego Ferrari (former head chef of Le Gavroche), this Notting Hill five-year-old “gives us the best of two culinary worlds: French and Italian”. The “precise, thoughtful and delicious dishes (celeriac, crab, turbot, veal)…” are “real high-end comfort food” and the “dining room is cool and buzzy without being overly formal”. “Both wine list and cheeseboard are on the conservative side, but none the worse for that”; and “the Italian sommelier has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Italian wines and will always steer us to something new and unusual”. Some reports note a “post-Covid blip amidst staff changes”, and a slip in ratings generally backs up those who feel the experience is “not bad, and better than average, but not quite the quality it was previously”. Top Tip – “lunch is particularly good value”.
Summary
“Bringing the expertise and professionalism of Le Gavroche to a more local setting” – Emily Roux (daughter of Michel) and her husband Diego Ferrari’s (former head chef at Le Gavroche) Notting Hill four-year-old has become one of London’s more notable destinations. It’s “an excellent combination of gastronomic dining in a relaxed and civilised interior with just the right balance of buzziness” that provides “understated luxury, but without an eye-watering price tag”. The French/Italian menu “changes regularly to show off seasonal ingredients” – “slightly quirkily presented” and with “thoroughly enjoyable” results. And the experience is buoyed by “excellent attention to detail from arrival to departure” from its “skilled and friendly” staff. Top Tip – “divine” lunch menu, which is “brilliant value”.
Summary
“The food is the centrepiece” at Emily Roux (daughter of Michel) and her husband Diego Ferrari’s (former head chef of Le Gavroche) “gem tucked away in Notting Hill”, which has established a strong foodie following. “The French/Italian theme to the cooking works well”, delivering “strong flavours with a light touch” from “an interesting menu whose dishes are a little out of the ordinary”. Service is “fabulous and personal” too, which helps make for “a very special meal out” in this comfortable, “cosy” space. “Surely it’s getting a star some time soon?”
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Caractère?
209 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EA
Restaurant details
Caractère Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Caractère We have been coming to Caractère since 2019 and in that time have watched the team grow into where they are now. The food , wine and service improves with each visit. This is why when we heard the new that they had finally earned their well deserved recognition of a Michelin Star we couldn’t wait to go back again and celebrate with them. This restaurant is set on Westbourne Park Road and only a five minute walk from the station or you can walk from Notting Hill and stroll through Portobello Road. As I said we’d been coming for five years and in fact our latest visit was number 12 and when you consider we travel from Essex to West London then you will understand we think it is always well worth the trip. When we arrived on Saturday we were greeted by Emily Roux herself and you could see how happy she was along with the rest of the team as all their hard work had paid off. We had a nice chat before being escorted by Matteo to our regular table. We started with a drink while we browsed through the choices of menu. These were the Tasting Menu , A la Carte or the Lunch Menu. We opted for the tasting menu with the addition of the special dish of the day. While enjoying our drinks we were presented with a fabulous selection of snacks. Our first course would be the special Handmade Gnocchetti with 30 month aged parmesan , vin jaune and black winter truffle and oh my god it was incredible. Now it was time to begin the tasting menu with our first course from the CURIOS section the Roast Orkney Scallop with sea leek , black winter truffle , beurre noisette. We also enjoyed the other dish of Balfego Bluefish Tuna. We then moved to the SUBTLE where we both loved the “Acquerello Risotto “ with red sicilian prawn , green shiso and a bisque. Now onto the DELICATE section where thought the two fish courses were amazing. The Steamed Cornish Cod was a delight and the new Roast Monkfish with peas , smoke bacon , eel and a heavenly rich matelote sauce. This led us to ROBUST which is the main course section. Here we chose both the dishes a Roast Squab Pigeon with mushroom , beetroot and plum along with the Saddle of Lamb with onions and peppers. These dishes were paired beautifully with two different red wines selected by sommelier Marco. We then had a little break where it was nice to have a chat with head chef/owner Diego. He told us how pleased the team was in getting the star and their plans for the future. He then offered us the the choice to have a selection of the the three desserts on the menu to which we gladly excepted. GREEDY - The first dessert was Chocolate heaven with hazelnut crisp , brownie and salted caramel , the second choice was the “Tart Bourdelaise” with Williams Pear , almond , vanilla then we finished with the Choux , passion fruit cremeux , coconut and almond praline. All three were absolutely delicious and paired once again perfectly with two sweet wines from Marco. This was a perfect way to end another amazing dining experience at Caractère. With a coffee and petit fours this brought to and a truly fantastic afternoon. The food was once again stunning , the wines were excellent and the service was first class. I really can’t recommend a visit to Caractère highly enough as this team goes from strength to strength. As I said at the beginning we’ve now been twelve times and I can honestly say our next visit will not be to far away. Congratulations once again to Emily , Diego , Gaetano , Matteo , Marco and all the team for your well deserved Michelin Star and look forward to seeing you all again soon."
"Always have a fantastic meal here and lunch is great value. We enjoy trying new wines recommended by the knowledgeable wine waiter. "
"Excellent lunch (one of many visits). Wine pairing is an enjoyable way of finding out about unusual wines"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £60.00 |  |
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| Brunch | £1.00 | |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 100.00 | Always available | 8 |
| Drinks |
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| Wine per bottle | £45.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
| Extras |
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| Service | 10.00% |
209 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6:15 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 6:15 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 6:15 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1:45 pm, 6:15 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1:45 pm, 6:15 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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