Prominent Notting Hill pub the Walmer Castle is to reopen on November 1 under new ownership – its third in quick succession after a turbulent few years. The new owners are Jack and Poppy Greenall, who also own The Surprise in Chelsea – another handsome mid-Victorian tavern – and are working to resurrect it as a “traditional community […]
Veteran chef Rowley Leigh is making a comeback at the age of 73 with a three-month pop-up bistro called Chez Rowley, which opens next month in Notting Hill. He describes the venture as “a bistro with nostalgic dishes and classic technique at its heart designed to be enjoyed family style. The true show stopper, poulet […]
Singaporean restaurateur Michael Lim has opened a second branch of his popular restaurant Uli – 26 years after launching the Notting Hill original. The new branch is in Marylebone’s Seymour Village, and opened this month after being announced last year. The original Uli opened in All Saints Road in 1997, and moved to new stripped-wood […]
Empire Empire, a double tribute to the Indian disco scene of the 70s and the traditional cuisine of the Old Punjab, has opened in Notting Hill ahead of a formal launch next Thursday, 15 June. The restaurant, in All Saints’ Road, is a follow-up to the successful Gunpowder trio from Harneet Baweja (pictured), and features a […]
Kibako, billed as a ‘modern Japanese restaurant’ featuring presentation boxes of exquisite small dishes, opened this week in Windmill Street, Fitzrovia. Taking over the site formerly occupied by Rai, Kibako is from the team behind Hot Stone in Islington’s Chapel Market, highly praised in the 2023 Harden’s Guide for its “high-quality Kobe beef, sushi and […]
Two of London’s most interesting young restaurants – Fiend in Notting Hill and Black Radish in Wimbledon Village – have confirmed their permanent closure, while Barletta in Margate is also folding after falling victim to a £50,000 fraud. Fiend only opened in summer 2021, and marked the return of chef Chris Denney (pictured), who had previously made […]
A “rock star” line-up of professionals from some of London’s top restaurants have banded together for the launch of a new British bistro in Notting Hill. Dorian is scheduled to open October in the former premises of Raoul in Talbot Road. Founder Chris D’Sylva, the owner of two high-profile local food shops, Notting Hill Fish […]
Israeli chef Eyal Shani is bringing his international pita brand Miznon to London with the launch of his new restaurant in Soho next week, adding to the capital’s booming Middle Eastern dining scene. He opened the original Miznon in Tel Aviv in 2011, and has followed up with branches in Paris, Vienna, New York, Melbourne, […]
Chef Thomas Straker, a social-media star who built a following of 400,000 during the pandemic, opens his first restaurant this month in London’s Notting Hill. He says Straker’s, in Golborne Road, will be an “epic neighbourhood restaurant with east London wine-bar vibes”. Thomas, who has worked at Phil Howard’s Elystan Street and Dinner by Heston […]
A well-connected watering hole in Notting Hill is to reopen as a Scottish restaurant and whisky bar later this month. The Walmer Castle in Ledbury Road – a hop and skip away from Brett Graham’s celebrated restaurant The Ledbury – will serve classic Scottish meals in its ground-floor dining room and more than 100 whiskies in […]
