The Ledbury, London W.11, England

The Ledbury, in Notting Hill Gate, is one of the really cool restaurants in London and has acquired two Michelin stars since it opened in 2005.    The surrounding area has been totally revitalized over the past few years and Ledbury Road is lined with upmarket stores of every description – a far cry from the Bohemian atmosphere of earlier times.  But on weekends there is still Portobello Market just around the corner, which continues unchanged,  and is very popular with locals and tourists.  And I should also mention that the Ottolenghi  Delicatessen is five minutes away,  and well worth remembering for more casual occasions –  you can see some of the delicious salads available in the accompanying photo – though as there are only a few seats, the best solution is probably a take-away.

Ottolenghi Delicatessen

The dining room at the Ledbury  is understated, decorated in shades of grey, with a huge mirror covering the whole of the back wall, giving an impression of space and depth.  Plenty of room between the tables, very polished service without being intruding,  and an overall atmosphere of relaxed chic.

The chef, Brett Graham , is Australian and started cooking in a fish restaurant in Australia when he was 15.  He prepares sophisticated dishes, but without losing the authentic  flavours of the various components,  and  uses  freshly sourced products and an extensive range  of vegetables  such as artichokes,  celeriac and assorted leaves,  as well as a wide variety of herbs.  The day we were there the a la carte menu offered quail, mackerel and smoked eel  amongst  the starters, followed by pigeon, lamb, and beef, and  tempting desserts such as lovage icecream, brown sugar tart with poached grapes and ginger ice cream . The starters are approximately £14.50, the main courses £32 and the desserts £10.

We chose the set lunch menu at £30 for 2 courses and £35 for 3 Courses and were not disappointed.  We started with Roast Quail with peas, black pudding and summer savoury, followed by Fillet of Sea Bass with Fennel, Elderflower and Cockles and ending with Blackcurrant Leaf Ice Cream with Fresh Blackcurrant, White chocolate and Thyme.  The other main course was Roast Ribs of Beef with Carrots, Girolles , Sorrel and Horseradish, and there was Wild Brown Trout with watercress as an alternative starter.

The wine list is extensive, but fairly expensive and I settled for a glass of Savennieres which was well worth its heady price.

The restaurant is very popular and you need to reserve well in advance.