Notting Hill Kitchen Notting Hill
92 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PN
020-7313 9526/http://www.nottinghillkitchen.co.uk
When I was invited along to review Notting Hill Kitchen with Fiona from London Unattached, I expected it to be a decentish modern European brasserie providing nourishment for the bankers and their trophy wives who can afford the house prices in this neck of the woods. Situated in a series of Edwardian townhouses at the more refined end of Kensington Park Road the restaurant is in actuality a much more specialist and interesting proposition. It is a hymn of love by Portuguese chef Luis Baena, to the food and drink of the Iberian peninsula; to the black pig, the salt cod from the Atlantic and the wines of the Douro. I have only been to Portugal a couple of times, once to do a gig in the botanical gardens in Lisbon, the second trip an exploration of Porto and the Douro which was when I fell for the country’s charms.
The interior is muted in olive green, cream, brown and grey. This isn’t your cheeky local tapas bar, although tapas are available as bar snacks, and the presence of the Portuguese ambassador on the evening of our visit adds a certain diplomatic heft to our evening.
We kicked off with a couple of glasses of white. The Bellori Joven Verdejo, 2013 (£8) was from the Rueda area of Spain where the Verdejo grape is to be found. It was dry and aromatic with notes of lime and petrol coming through and perfect with our seafood starters. Dorset Oyster Croquetas (£12) was a refined take on the Portuguese classic- a binary dialogue between ochre and green with a turmeric and a parsley stripe, saffron oil and the trendy and remarkable oyster leaf being the participants, with a pickled pearl onion acting as referee.
Scallops came perfectly grilled and with a suitably wobbly ajo blanco pannacotta in a fine dining twist on the cold Spanish almond and garlic soup. Served with a sliver of pork terrine, tomato and crispy onion and a ‘vilao’ dressing (£12), this dish was Iberia on a plate.
Mains are divided into two lists headed land and sea. Fiona’s Seared Beef Tenderloin (£25) was tender and full of flavour. The accompanying truffled mash, white asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and Madeira sauce adding to the deep, rich flavour. Her berry-laden glass of tempranillo, a Pico Cuadro, Ribera del Duero, 2011 was the perfect match.
Bacalao Negro (£19) was a fantastic looking and tasting plate of food. The slow cooked cod, chorizo, yoghurt and black beans were bound together by the intense flavour of the squid ink. My accompanying glass of Van Zellers Douro White 2010 (£9) was a classic expression of the area with an intense fruitiness and deep straw colour.
Patatas Bravas (£4) were presented as deliciously fluffy chips with smoked paprika and mayonnaise and crispy green salad and nuts (£4) was fresh and crunchy.
Pastel de Nata (£9) is the Portuguese egg custard tart which I had first eaten in Lisbon in an amazingly tiled building on the Atlantic ocean that sold nothing but these deliciously hot little tarts sprinkled with cinnamon. This was a more restrained take on the classic, more cake like and served with cinnamon ice cream. The sweetness was delivered by my glass of Setubal Moscatel private collection 2006 (£14).
Fiona’s choice was the Greengage Sticky Pudding (£8) plated with a scoop of extra-virgin olive oil ice cream and grapes which she loved and described as being a lighter version of a sticky toffee pudding. Her glass of 10 year old Fonseca tawny port (£6) was rich and a great accompaniment.
Notting Hill Kitchen is as serious a restaurant as you would expect from a chef who worked with Paul Bocuse. There is an integrity to the food and a sense of roots and tradition that is respected rather than being reinvented. If that is your kind of thing then it is definitely worth a visit.
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