West Thirty Six - Removed April 2018 Permanently Closed - Notting Hill, London

Notting Hill deserves more street cred. While many Londoners characterise it with luxury cinemas, crescents of particoloured pastel townhouses and more gastropubs than you can shake a stick at; it's easy to forget its reggae roots, record stores (like the original Rough Trade) and lawless little basement clubs. West Thirty Six, opened by Beach Blanket Babylon owner Robert Newmark, unites Notting Hill's Jekyll and Hyde personas in one tidy building - and it just might give celeb enclaves like Soho House and Chiltern Firehouse a run for their money.

Unlike the aforementioned basement boltholes, West Thirty Six is an ambitious undertaking in scale. It's spread across three floors, each with its own unique identity, and has a rabbit warren/Alice in Wonderland vibe - you feel like you could get lost in here, especially after a couple saucers of champagne. The ground floor boasts more of a gastropub atmosphere, with a smoking area aptly entitled the Tool Shed equipped with its very own fire pit. Things button up slightly as you ascend to the first floor. The tables are of myriad heights, colours, shapes and sizes. Some people are situated on tallboy stools, some in low-slung chesterfields, giving the room a jilting topsy-turvy sensation, exacerbated by an intelligent array of drinks. On the top floor you'll find another curving, swerving network of rooms, including a cocktail lounge, PDRs and who knows… maybe your next makeout session.

We were led to the one of the mismatched tables on the first floor where we apprised ourselves of the grill-style menu options. Jon Pollard, formerly of Soho House, has devised a menu utilising the best British produce and flaming it with charcoal and natural fuels. This was evident from the lovely char and caramelisation exhibited in the smoked chicken wings, with a sumptuous maple chipotle sauce on its exterior - an unlikely matrimony of New England and Texas. The crab trifle was another heavy hitter, the crustacean whipped with mayonnaise and the parfait glass striated with layers of crab and avocado, served with rye toast. At this point we'd like to issue the caveat that we were already beginning to fill up - the portions, like the venue, are large.

A 39 day dry-aged fillet steak was nicely prepared on the grill, seared to a Maillard bark on its outside with a hot red centre. Lobster, split in half and served in the shell, was another simple yet satisfying dish. It was accompanied with garlic and hazelnut butter and shoestring fries, however, we didn't want to compromise the sweet flavour of the shellfish so used the butter for the potatoes instead. The apple cinnamon pie with custard is really an unmissable dessert, just be prepared for a long and arduous cardio session the next day. Whether you're interested in drinks, dinner or general tomfoolery, you can carve off a hearty slice of it at West Thirty Six.

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