Tag Archives: Notting Hill

Chef’s Table at The Shed, Notting Hill

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Anywhere my grandparents recommend has to be good. Culinary experts and keen foodies, they seek out the very best restaurants in London sometimes before they have been reviewed by the critics.

Needless to say, I found out about Notting Hill’s new best kept secret long before most of the locals. The Shed is a family triumph, run by two brothers (a chef and a restaurant manager) with meat supplied from another farmer brother and wine from their mother’s vineyard.

It has a lovely feel inside with rustic mismatched furniture and shabby-chic decor. An eatery for farmhouse fantasies, I can’t fault the menu which changes depending on seasonal stock and their brother’s best meat.

After a glass of the ‘Daily Loosener’ – a delightful cocktail of Chase GB Gin, rhubarb, star anise and ginger – we got started on a feast of food. Sitting on the star chef’s table, just next to the little kitchen, we found ourselves munching on treats which we hadn’t even ordered. Beef heart, for instance, was passed to us when there was some leftover in the pan.

The creative menu has an obvious British influence, but is innovative and exciting beyond any restrictive labelling. Mouthfuls are priced at £1.50 and are literally a mouthful of food: matured beef with baby gem and wild garlic mayo was an absolute dream, whereas mackerel sashimi with mustard was an extremely pungent dish we found a little too challenging. Next came sticky and delicious spare ribs coated in an addictively tasty sauce.

There is plenty to choose from the ‘Slow’ and ‘Fast’ cooking sections. Standout dishes for me were the surprisingly light Garden herb gnocchi with peas, cheddar and mustard beans, and the sticky Spatchcock Quail with spicy ginger and summer salsa, a fresh and vibrant recipe – ideal for a light June lunch.

My guest loved the chunky Lamb chips which have already become a restaurant favourite, and the Scallop with smoked bacon cream, a lovely combination of ingredients composed beautifully on the plate.

Ensure you save room for dessert, the Shed Magnum Viennetta Parfait is the best pudding you will ever taste. Layered vanilla ice-cream, thick salted caramel sauce and shards of dark chocolate, it is dangerously good. I asked for the recipe but sadly the chef was unable to share the secret method and ingredients.

The Shed is a brilliant concept, and deserves all the credit it receives. I can’t wait to try many more Shed sensations.

More information here.

www.theshed-restaurant.com

The Shed, Notting Hill

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The Shed is a family affair, run by brothers Oliver (chef) and Richard (Maître d’) Gladwin, with meat provided by their younger brother (a farmer) and wine from their mother’s vineyard. The skill and expertise clearly inherited from their father’s successful catering company.

These passionate and enthusiastic boys have created a restaurant that is an extension of their rural lifestyle back in Nutbourne, West Sussex. “Growing, foraging, great cooking and great company have always been the order of the day and this ethos has been brought to life at The Shed.”

I went along for lunch last week, kindly hosted by my grandparents who had heard about this new local eatery from Giles Coren’s Times column. Hidden round the back of Notting Hill Gate, it is moments from the tube station and easily reached from Portobello. Cosy and quirky, the unusually long room suits the restaurant layout with an open plan kitchen at the rear with a private Butcher’s Table for personalised dining. Tractor parts, old signs and vintage anecdotes give the place character and charm.

The menu is made up of small tapas style plates, priced around £9… guests are advised to order two each. Needless to say the three of us ordered seven plus bread between us. We regretted it and didn’t need it all – each dish is surprisingly filling. Lamb chips quickly became a firm favourite with Shed regulars, deliciously tender lamb coated in a thick crunchy coating and served with sensational spicy tomato harissa sauce. We also enjoyed the broccoli (with chestnut mushrooms, chilli, black sesame and tahini) and the wholesome Cider and herb sausages with addictively good homemade mustard.

The menu changes daily to ensure variety, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients. Oliver is a firm believer in nose to tail cooking, using the whole animal to create inventive and exciting dishes. His pride and passion is evident throughout the food, and particularly when he presented “my Magnum Vienetta Parfait.” This pudding is a real must – we had to fight over the final mouthful of the second portion! Lovingly made by Oliver, it is the perfect combination of creamy vanilla ice-cream, bitter shards of dark chocolate and sweet oozing butterscotch sauce.

As I may soon be moving to this area, I am excited to have The Shed on my doorstep… the perfect place to pop in for a modest lunch or for a longer satisfying supper, it is certainly the most special Shed I have ever visited.

www.theshed-restaurant.com

POP, Notting Hill

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I will admit, I’ve never been much of a popcorn fan… I have always associated it with cinema snacking and compulsive mouth stuffing as the film flashes in front of me. I didn’t particularly like the taste, and found the ongoing sweet vs. salty dilemma painfully frustrating. Recently however popcorn has undergone a bit of a makeover with several trendy little companies developing a snack that is both healthy and tasty, satisfying and flavoursome.

There is something instantly attractive and tempting about POP, Europe’s first popcorn boutique. This new concept store is the brainchild of London-based couple Matt Guarente (a former magazine editor) and Catherine May, a public affairs director. Priding itself on being the first of its kind, POP produces coated and dusted popcorn freshly made every day, in unusual and indulgent flavours.

Customers can choose in-store flavours or create their own bespoke popcorn for parties and events. We sampled each recipe from the current menu. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed eating this delicious snack… intensely flavoured, wonderfully fresh and pleasingly crunchy, it is the ideal grazing food, perfect for stylish cocktail parties or event openings.

The owners’ passion for food is obvious… each flavour has been carefully developed – innovative and creative components combined to make addictively good combinations. English Toffee and Sea Salt is the most popular and was definitely my favourite, a thick caramelly coating on the corn. My team of tasters preferred the luxurious Raspberry Dark and White Chocolate (a pretty pink variety with thick drippings of chocolate) and Sweetcrisp (a simple but scrumptious version of classic sweet popcorn). Of the savoury choices, I loved the Bloody Mary flavour.

POP also sells a number of cult drinks from America, strikingly bright vintage cans sit in a fridge waiting to quench your thirst after your popcorn!

I know it sounds corny but you too will be dancing for joy when you taste the latest pop sensation, I can’t get enough of it.

(POP has just launched delivery by post – Pop at Home – meaning their great corn is available across the UK, and they plan to be at a festival near you this summer.)

Visit the website for more information: www.popthewebsite.com