Portobello Garden Caffe – Portobello Road, London

Can you book? Yes
Food: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Price paid per person: £13

Out and about on a lunchtime constitutional along Portobello Road last week something interesting caught my eye. Set back from the road, hiding behind vintage clothes in the arcade, was an alluringly attractive Italian restaurant. On my own, without reading material and in a hurry to get back to work, I had no intention of sitting down to eat but I was compelled to go in and investigate. I glanced at the menu and clientele, was charmed by the decor of hanging dried meat and flowers, and decided I would return imminently.

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Dock Kitchen – Ladbroke Grove, London

I changed jobs at the beginning of the year, and in doing so I said goodbye to swanky Marylebone and hello to trendy West London. Naturally, the first thing on my agenda was after work dining/drinking spots, of which I soon discovered there are many.

Last night I went to Dock Kitchen, a converted wharf building overlooking the Grand Union Canal in Ladbroke Grove. This unusual site is also home to Tom Dixon’s (the furniture designer) shop so the restaurant is fully decked out with his furniture; I believe we were even sitting on Tom Dixon chairs while we ate. Continue reading