Notting Hill Kitchen - Removed from website August 2021 (closed) , London

Notting Hill Kitchen opened during the summer of 2013 and has already earned an enthusiastic following in its neighbourhood and further afield with a relaxed, convivial ambience and enlightened Iberian-influenced cuisine. Set just off of Portobello Road on Kensington Park, NHK is quickly becoming a standout destination, with both its more formal dining setting and boisterous bar area swiftly gaining popularity with Londoners.

Upon entering, guests are greeted by a handsome bar to the right side of the room with tables to the left, situated below a striking display of tealights suspended within jars and arranged across a set of shelves. The tables have been purpose-built for tapas, with an extra leaf nestled underneath in the case that diners need additional space for the menagerie of dishes to follow. The dining room takes a modern slant yet is distinctly elegant. The walls are painted mauve and go nicely with the dark wooden tables, chairs and hardwood flooring. On our visit there was a palpable buzz - it would lend itself out well to a dinner party with a larger group.

The kitchen has been calibrated according to the expertise of Luis Baena, who has worked closely with culinary icons running the gamut from Paul Bocuse to Joel Robuchon. Having spent his early life in Portugal before embarking on a career in locales as far-flung as Hong Kong, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, his cooking is inspired by Portugal and France but with an international refinement and a classically French approach.

We settled down with a couple of marmalade mojitos, which were punchy and nicely balanced, before mulling over the menu. Choosing from tapas was easy.  Tiborna pata negra was given a sophisticated slant, accompanied by truffled egg yolk, bone marrow and toasted sourdough, as was a spider crab brioche impregnated with a spider crab mousse.

For starters, we enjoyed roasted prawns with a white garlic panacotta, a sliver of pork terrine, with tomato, crispy onions and a vilao dressing. This was just slightly pipped by large, opalescent, impeccably caramelized scallops with parsnip crisps woven together, wasabi mayo and a chorizo crumble. Heeding the advice of our server, we opted for the swordfish, which was hot-smoked in Azorean black tea before being pan-fried, then served with a Carolino rice lashed with sea weed, a fresh coriander piso and miso crumb. A trademark dish at Notting Hill Kitchen, it never leaves the menu, and it was easy to see why.

We've now added Notting Hill Kitchen to the Innerplace coterie of restaurants. Innerplace members and guests will receive a complimentary welcoming cocktail when making bookings through [email protected].