It’s not for everyone, but if you want to eat, drink and dance in one place with the Chelsea set, MODE is just the ticket, says Oscar Williams-Grut.
The buzz: Tucked away next to Portobello Road, MODE is a mind-bending restaurant-cum-bar-cum-club from the people behind Glastonbury’s legendary Shangri-La area.
The deal: The idea is for the night to progress from dinner, to drinks, to dancing, but in practice there can be a bit of overlap – watch out for dancers shimmying past as you eat. The exposed brickwork interior is dominated by set piece talking points: a Spitfire plane suspended from the ceiling and a fire-breathing Chruch organ.
Good for: The Made in Chelsea crowd on a night out. The clientele are very well-heeled and the prices reflect it. Not the place to pop for a quick after work drink.
Order: Try the Gentleman’s Sour, a fresh twist on an Old Fashioned – Jack Daniels mixed with lemon juice, maple syrup, pressed apple and bitters.
By the way: The food is not an afterthought here – try the Tuna Sashimi.
Find it: 12 Acklam Road, W12 (modecollective.com)
Elixir Organic Cold Pressed Juice & Healthy Eatery
Elixir Juicery is a health haven due to open July 1st on Portobello Road. This juicery is a business with a mission: to support those in need and to promote the link between high nutrient foods and mental health. 25p of profit from every bottle of juice sold goes to the North London Rape Crisis Centre, to aid them in supporting those in need of urgent help.
If that’s not enough reason to storm their premises for all the juice you can get on July 1st, then simply try one of their fresh concoctions, and you’ll be a loyal customer for life!
ABOUT NORTH LONDON RAPE CRISIS
North London Rape Crisis offers free, confidential counselling, advocacy and holistic therapies to women aged 14 and over who live, work or study in Islington, Camden, Westminster, Barnet, Enfield, Kensington and Chelsea and Haringey.
North London Rape Crisis is one of the specialist services provided by Solace Women’s Aid, an organisation with years of experience and commitment in working with violence against women.
Solace Women’s Aid are a London based charity with a primary focus supporting women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence. They help 5,000 survivors of violence each year.
14th June: Notting Hill Summer Street Party
Join Daylesford Farmshop on Saturday 14th June at their Notting Hill farmshop for the annual Westbourne Grove Street Party.
See the street come alive as they celebrate our beautiful Notting Hill neighbourhood alongside fellow Westbourne Grove retailers and restaurants, with street stalls, live music, family entertainment, face painting and delicious organic food from Daylesford.
This year the stalls will be offering freshly pressed juices – from rhubarb, carrot & ginger to our nourishing green juice – and championing the start of the strawberry season with organic strawberries & cream and homemade strawberry patisserie, as well as strawberry plants and punnets available to take home.
The Westbourne Grove Street Party is held in aid of local charity the Rugby Portobello Trust. Raffle tickets for fabulous prizes will be available from the farmshop and others on Westbourne Grove – giving away a camping hamper worth £150!
DAYLESFORD FARMSHOP & CAFÉ IN THE HEART OF NOTTING HILL
208-212 Westbourne Grove
Notting Hill
London W11 2RH
Telephone: 020 7313 8050
Manager: jenny.andrade@daylesford.com
FARMSHOP & CAFÉ HOURS
Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm
Saturday 8am – 9pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Fresh, seasonal produce delivered daily from our farms’ market garden, artisan cheese and breads from our farm’s creamery and bakery, organic meat from our animals – serviced by a real butcher; everything you need for your fresh weekly organic shop.
Organic cafe is open all day, a place to eat, drink and relax with friends and family – see the menu.
Butcher, bakery, fruit, vegetables, dairy, larder, meals and soups, wine. They also have a cookshop, homeware, gifts and the Bamford bath and body range.
Russell Norman launches Polpo Notting Hill
Russell Norman is set to open his fourth Polpo restaurant in Notting Hill, almost five years since he and business partner Richard Beatty launched the Venetian bàcaro concept on Soho’s Beak Street.
At 120 covers, the new restaurant will be more than double the size of the next biggest Polpo, and for the first time, the licensing conditions will allow guests to have drinks at the bar area without eating.
Why Notting Hill?
We have been very keen to find a good site for our fourth Polpo restaurant for a while. We wanted to open in Notting Hill or nearby and we had looked at various premises in Portobello Road, High Street Kensington, Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove. I have always had a soft-spot for the area; my mother is from Shepherd’s Bush, I was born in west London, I used to watch QPR play at Loftus Road as a child, and I once lived off Ladbroke Grove.
How will this Polpo differ from others?
This premises has a very large bar and an A4 licence – these are like gold dust. It means that people will be able to just pop in for a drink if they want, without the usual requirement that they must eat. Without this restriction, I am hoping that there will be a more relaxed all-day vibe, a lot more like continental Europe and Italy in particular.
Is the large site a challenge?
I have worked very hard on the interiors of the restaurant to ensure it retains the essential qualities that make Polpo special. We have built half walls and created separate areas so that it still feels cosy and intimate.
Has the concept changed or evolved at all since the original Polpo?
I think we have stayed incredibly true to our original vision. There is still a very real rough-around-the-edges feel and the food and drink offer is still very authentic. I go to Venice several times a year, often with our managers and chefs, and the experiences we have in the back-street wine bars and bàcari feel absolutely in tune with what we offer at Polpo.
This is the fourth branch of Polpo, is it now a chain?
No. I would just consider it the fourth branch of Polpo. Just because siblings have the same parents and the same DNA, it doesn’t make them clones. I put as much effort and love into each branch of Polpo but no two ever come out the same way. They have their own personalities and characteristics, some of which are completely beyond my control. But if others want to call Polpo a chain, I don’t mind.
Are you planning more Polpo restaurants after this?
There are no immediate plans, but we would like to open another Polpo or two, yes. We are open-minded about a range of sites in zones 1 and 2, but we want to work hard to ensure that Notting Hill loves Polpo before we look at more sites.
Polpo has been very influential. How would you say that it has impacted London’s wider restaurant scene?
I’m really not sure. Perhaps it has scruffed it up a bit.
TV chef John Burton-Race returns to London with The New Angel
The menu is ingredient-led and seasonal with signature dishes including: ‘The New Angel Steak Tartar’, ‘Fillet of Dutch Veal with cèpes, sprouting broccoli, goats curd and truffle tortellini and wild mushroom cream’, and trio of ‘Raspberry soufflé, white chocolate mousse and raspberry sorbet’. There is also a statement French cheese trolley featuring, among several others, Pouligny Saint Pierre, Camembert with Calvados, Comté and Reblochon.
To accompany John’s menu, Head Sommelier Csaba Adamy (previously at Aubaine, Mayfair) has created an exquisite, predominately French wine list, with a good selection available by the glass. House bottles include ‘Picpoul de Pinet, Tournée du Sud’ (£26), and ‘Grenache-Pinot Noir, Tournée du Sud’ (£25), and further highlights include ‘Pinot Noir, Domaine Jean Marc Pillot’, ‘Chablis, Domaine Grossot’ and ‘Château Ausone 1er Grand Cru Classé’. There is also a good selection of English wines including ‘Bacchus ‘Reserve New Hall’ and ‘Nyetimber’ sparkling wine. The New Angel is also working in collaboration with Laurent Perrier, serving their full range of Champagnes by the bottle as well as the Brut and Cuvée Rosé by the glass.
John commented: “The restaurant scene in London just gets better and better, and I am thrilled to be returning to the capital at such an exciting time. With The New Angel Notting Hill, we are hoping to create a venue which is both a destination, and a neighbourhood restaurant, serving simple yet creative dishes made with beautiful British ingredients.”
Charles Derby Estates Notting Hill 