130 Primrose
We became aware of this places through an article that said that Monica Galetti, from Masterchef and Mere fame, took up the role of trustee and head chef of the charity that runs this restaurant. 130 Primrose isn't just a restaurant, but it's a charity built on a social-impact fine dinging model by using hospitality as a pathway into employment for people with experience of homelessness.
When we arrived, we had the choice of a few tables, and sat down at a table on the ground floor with loads of light and soft furnishings — too many pillows, really. It is a cosy space, and looks really inviting. But we were here for the food.
For our starter, we shared a baked Camembert with rosemary, honey, and picked mixed fruit. We used a serving of sourdough to scoop up all the lovely gooeyness.
Mains wise, my wife selected the pan fried bavette steak, service with a black and green peppercorn sauce. The peppercorn sauce really did pack a punch.
I had the pan fried sea bass, which came with very crispy kale, and a brown butter caper sauce, with some extra crispy shallots. A roasted bit of fennel on the side elevated the dish. We shared a side of green beans.
After our mains, we were not quite satisfied, and therefore shared a creamy pistachio cheesecake to finish our meal. This was rich with pistachio flavours, and had some good texture too due to the crushed nuts.
With our meal, we enjoyed a bottle of a Portuguese white wine, which complimented most of our dishes well.
We enjoyed our time at 130 Primrose. The food was great, the ambience nice, and the service excellent. Definitely something to recommend if you're in the neighbourhood.
The Hero
The Hero has had many names in the past: idlewild when I moved into the area 15+ years ago. Via the Trustcot Arms, and The Hero of Maida, it now operates under the name The Hero.
It's a delightful pub, attracting a younger crowd on the ground floor, with two more floors above doing dinner. We had a table on the top floor, dubbed the Library, which provided a more relaxed setting than the busy hubbub of the pub below.
Both of us chose a bar snack as a starter. My wife had a fish finger roll. The roll was a lovely soft and sweet bun. The fish fingers were hand-made and resembled smaller versions of the fish in "fish and chips". The tartare sauce added some salt and sourness to it. I had the pork pie as a starter. The pork was well seasoned, and the pickled cauliflower and green bean parts added some nice and sharp sourness.
Four our mains, I enjoyed a Barnsley Chop — succulent lamb on the bone with a mint and lamb sauce. It was server with sweet and tender carrots. My wife had a whole butterflied mackerel on the bone from the special menu. It was well cooked, and served with a tomato sauce — which she thought was slightly too salty.
A bottle of a white Ochoa Blanco complemented our meal well.
It's a little on the pricier side, but the food at The Hero was excellent, and the staff friendly and competent. A worthwhile upgrade to the neighbourhood.
Khao Bird
The restaurant is situated on a busy Soho street, with sadly still some traffic around. It has more of a street-foodie-cafe vibe than a restaurant vibe. Which makes perfect sense in this neighbourhood.
As many contemporary restaurants now do, the dishes come "when they are ready". We ordered as our starters, some shan meat balls and a watermelon salad. The meatballs were made with chicken, and wrapped in caul fat. They were cola glazed and barbecued with crispy garlic and ginger. The flavours were very much new. The same can be said for the watermelon salad, which was pungent and spicy with a fish sauce caramel, with Thai basil.
For our mains, my wife chose the mutton fries: chips topped with a braised Burmese mutton curry, served with some sour cream and crispy leaves. It looked more like a starter than a main course, but it was oh so tasty. I picked a more traditional main in the form of the Hung-Ley pork curry. This was a delicious and tender curry with fish sauce and pineapple flavours. Some jasmine rice made sure that I could enjoy all the tasty curry juices too.
A bottle of Viognier complemented our meal well.
The flavours of the dishes at Khao Bird, although spicy, were novel and exciting. We easily could have selected a lot of more things from the menu. However, we were wise not to follow the suggestion of picking: two small, one medium, and two larger dishes. That would have been too much (we find this is often the case). The size of our selection was spot on, which means there is plenty to chose from on a return visit. It's also reasonably priced.
The Shed
We had originally booked to dine at Gourmet Sushi before seeing a film at The Gate cinema in Notting Hill Gate. But when we got there, it turned out to be closed for renovations, and it was clear no sushi was going to be made there that evening! After a quick look on The Fork, we found The Shed nearby and made a really last minute booking. So late, that the restaurant hadn't received it yet when we got there. Luckily, they had a spot for two, albeit for a shorter time than normal. That suited us fine, as we were going to see a film afterwards anyway.
We didn't have an enormous amount of time, and hence we started with something small. Instead of a full starter, we enjoyed an amuse-bouche first. For me that was a delightful goats cheese tartlet, and for my wife a mushroom marmite éclair. Marmite isn't a flavour I agree with, but she loves it.
For our mains, we both chose the Sussex lamb. The lamb was moist and succulent, and probably one of the best cooked ones I've had so far. It came with a beetroot salad, which was earthy and complimented the dish well.
With this, we shared a side order of English asparagus, which were served with a saffron emulsion. Some almond dust added some texture.
We still had some time, and space for pudding. As dessert, we enjoyed sharing the Rum Baba. It was presented in a boa-bun like contraption with a creaming rum sauce as filling. Some slightly sour raw strawberries complemented the sweetness of the dish.
Alongside our meal, we had a bottle of a full flavoured white wine which stood up well to the lamb.
The Shed was comforting and cosy, with great service. We were a little short on time, so couldn't try something for a full three-course meal. As it was so nice, I think we will be back when we have more time, and can book a little further away in time!
Mr Francatelli
We booked at the last minute at Mr Francatelli as I had been busy with the count at the local council elections. I was tired, and I was in no mood to cook myself. My wife however, knew a restaurant near her work that she had been eyeing up for a while, so we went along
My wife picked the Girasoli Mare, filled with crab and prawn, and served with a cherry tomato sauce. I selected the Pappardelle Porcini e Salsiccia, pasta with porcini mushrooms and Italian sausage. The pasta was well-made, and a little al-dente. I usually like it more al-dente than my wife, but we both enjoyed it.
With our meal, we shared a bottle of a Welsh rosé, which complemented it well.
We were in the mood for pudding, for which we enjoyed a Tiramisu to share which came served in a mini mocha pot.
Mr Francatelli served good Italian food, and not fussy. It was slightly on the pricier side, but that is not really a surprise in Westminster.
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