Tag Archives: Notting Hill

MYZ Beauty, Notting Hill

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I am always delighted to discover new beauty hang-outs in my area. MYZ is a small nails boutique and beauty spa, located down a side street in Notting Hill. Owner Maryam is a self-confessed beauty addict and brings all her knowledge of the best products and treatments to this new boutique. Always in store (with her beloved dog Cookie) Maryam welcomes and chats to all the guests who come through the door, which creates a lovely homely atmosphere.

MYZ pride themselves on their bespoke approach to every customer, offering expert advice and tailoring the treatments to perfectly suit your needs. Here you can pamper yourself from head to toe with manicure and pedicure, waxing, facial and massage. The facials have already become a bestseller, using revolutionary natural and botanical based products. I tried a MYZ Ultimate Pedicure. An experienced therapist will file your nails, nourish the cuticles removing all hard skin, cleanse and exfoliate, continue with a relaxing massage and finally paint your nails with your choice of OPI or Essie nail polish.

It was heaven to sink back into the luxurious stylish reclining chair and let my weary feet be pampered. The therapist was efficient and kind, working away at my feet tirelessly for an hour until they looked and felt wonderful. I chose five pastel shades from the huge collection of varnishes, a cheerful look for summer. The ultimate pedicure costs £55, other treatments are very reasonably priced too, so a treatment at MYZ can be a regular outing rather than an occasional treat!

This new hidden gem has not gone unnoticed with the famous locals like Sienna Miller, and recently Lindsay Lohan even paid the spa a visit. Book yourself in now for some indulgent holiday pampering before MYZ becomes too popular with the Notting Hill celeb crowd.

More information and book a treatment here: www.myznailsboutique.com

Notting Hill Kitchen

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Since moving to Holland Park, I have endeavoured to discover as many exciting bars, boutiques and restaurants as possible. Notting Hill Kitchen is perfectly located for Portobello Market trawlers or those perusing the boutiques on Westbourne Grove. A contemporary eatery offering Spanish and Portuguese delicacies, it is ideal for a late tapas lunch in summer or a glass of wine with friends on a Friday.

After a floral herb infused Honey and thyme whiskey sour cocktail in the bar, we got comfortable at one of the informal wooden tables ready to indulge in the modern Mediterranean cuisine. The bread was unexciting and a little dry but the thinly sliced Jamon Iberico and the Spanish cheeses were delicious and reminded me of a little tapas bar I stumbled across with friends in Alicante. The best bites though were the tasty little Ham croquetas, with molten cheese oozing out of the crunchy cases.

Main courses are classy and creative… the luxurious Free range chicken with langoustines layered with chorizo, avocado mousse, artichokes and viscaina sauce is presented artistically across the plate, a contrast of textures and creamy and salty flavours. The Seared beef tenderloin was my favourite, chunks of soft meat with a crisp edge, its woody rustic flavour marrying beautifully with the buttery truffled mash, sautéed mushrooms and fresh white asparagus. The food wasn’t fussy, but the quality was as high as you’d expect from a stuffier, smarter restaurant.

The wine selection here will leave you stumped, obscure varieties from idyllic sounding vineyards from Spain and Portugal. I left the decision to our chirpy waiter who chose a fruity, fresh Portuguese wine, Crasto Douro from 2012.The desserts looked beautiful but were slightly overcomplicated in flavour, the posh Portuguese tart would have been better just left alone without the fruit and cream and the Lemon cheesecake conflicted with the chocolate. Most of the attention and detail is given to the savoury courses, puddings seem to be a bit of an afterthought.

Food is pricey, but you’d expect it to be in this area of London. Many of the nearby restaurants exhibit style over substance, Notting Hill Kitchen offers a fresh concept for West Londoners to get their teeth into.

More information and book a table here: www.nottinghillkitchen.co.uk

Chakra, Holland Park

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Type ‘chakra’ into Google and you are likely to find a collection of definitions and articles about the Seven Chakras – energy points that are thought to vitalise the human body. With this in mind Chef Andy Varma and team have created a relaxed but smart restaurant inspired by the ancient Vedic scriptures. They plan to invigorate the guests with positive energy from innovative Indian cooking.

My expert Holland Parkers had informed me that Chakra is one of the best restaurants in the area and well worth a visit. So on a Sunday night, keen not to travel far from home, we marched up the hill to experience our Indian feast. The team were delighted to see us, presenting flutes of champagne on arrival and regularly attending to table adjustments as and when they were needed.

The General Manager designed our meal to show all the scope and techniques of the kitchen. A wonderful arrangement of grilled treats arrived first, homemade masala flavoured lamb, delicately dressed chicken with crushed black pepper, garlic and coriander, huge seared tiger prawns with fresh ginger and garlic and a soft and spicy butternut squash galouti. All the components were delicious and particularly satisfying served together.

Thank goodness the waiter listened to my request for ‘mini mains’… at Indian restaurants it is easy to get carried away ordering six or seven huge dishes for two to share, after a weekend of heavy dining I didn’t want to over-indulge! Tasters arrived of ‘Chakra’s best’: we loved the creamy Black Daal (slow cooked lentil finished with dry fenugreek and cream) and the addictive Jalandhar Chicken (a variation of the Punjab classic with a tomato and cream masala sauce). The chicken was so tasty our waiter had to bring a second serving! The full flavoured garlic naan is unmissable and marries perfectly with the spicy sauces.

Mango Kulfi was a fruity finish to the meal, light and cooling, sweet but tangy. Leaving Chakra I’m not sure I felt vitalised but I was certainly satisfied, and I am proud to call it my local Indian.

More information here.

www.chakralondon.com