It's that time of year again. As the August Bank Holiday weekend opens its brightly coloured, feathered arms once more, West London prepares for Europe's biggest street party. The two-day celebrations (27th – 28th August) get brighter and better this year, so enjoy a taste of the Caribbean with Notting Hill Carnival's official drinks partner, The Duppy Share. Brimming with artistry, dedication and expertise, Rum Distillers helped George Frost set up The Westbourne Drinks Company to bring The Duppy Share to life. Perfectly balanced, The Duppy Share’s unique blend of premium rums hail from the ...
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If you're a bit of a boozehound, which admittedly I am, The Distillery on Portobello Road, Notting Hill is your hotel dream come true. You can drink, eat, drink some more, and sleep on the same spot. The quirky multi-level venue is the world's first-ever hotel on the site of an alcohol distillery, the libation in question being gin. Albeit, it is very small - there are only three rooms - and the night we visited, two couples had travelled from Manchester and Lincoln to check the place out. My friend Mary Lou and I checked into the hotel's corner room, which boasts beautiful views of the qu...
Read more →If you're a fan of gin then Gintonica in Notting Hill is a MUST. The restaurant is part of a unique distillery-hotel complex, which is brimming with character and west London low-key flair. Expect a chilled atmosphere, tasty tapas and top notch drinks. We hit the upstairs eatery on a Sunday evening. The sun was streaming into the double height ceilinged room and we took a table next to one of the windows overlooking the quaint bricks of Portobello market below. The music was good, there was a nice buzz and the open-air kitchen was a visual delight, as was the corner bar with libations con...
Read more →Professing your love for all things gin has just become a whole lot easier as capital bracer, Portobello Road Gin, launches the first ever gin-themed emoticons. Released in celebration of World Gin Day, the ‘Gin-moji’ i-message emoticon and sticker set is the perfect way to ‘garnish’ your texts when using your i-Phone. The collection pays homage to the marvellous botanical libation, as well as Portobello Road Gin’s home city of London and its namesake road in Notting Hill. The brand’s signature red lion bottle design also features heavily across the collection’s designs. Priced at 99p, the...
Read more →I'm guilty of using an emoji - or five - when I message people. So the thought of an emoji-themed dining experience got me kind of intrigued. I'd heard that Notting Hill's favourite underground cocktail bar / eatery / party flat, The Little Yellow Door, had launched one of the first 'emoji menus', so I hopped on a tube from east to west to check it out. Firstly, if you haven't been to this tucked away spot, conveniently located right next to the tube, it's a must. It's been one of my go-to little hideaways for years. The eclectic party flat, which was once almost threatened with closu...
Read more →Love is in the air this week at The Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill.... and not just love for you or I... the love is for chicken.
Read more →Usual soundbites from a parlour would include “what colour would you like your poodles nails painting?” or in the dairy world “that one’s called Daisy”... however on our visit this weekend, to The Parlour in Kensal Rise we were greeted by the question “are you ready to be assaulted by food?”, and with elasticated waistbands at the ready and a gallantly famished hangover in tow, we accepted the challenge. Jesse Dunford Wood, the charismatic epicurean and head chef at The Parlour lead us through to The Chefs Table. Sat in a wooden paneled booth, that faced the fully staffed kitchen, we wai...
Read more →The Shed, Notting Hill’s favourite and stylish local restaurant which offers unique and superbly seasonal, locally foraged cuisine, have now extended their menu to include a weekly Saturday brunch with tasty cocktails and live music. Think a Brunch-time hang out spot for friends to relax and celebrate the weekend, whatever the occasion. With live music pumping and cocktails flowing on the rustic summer terrace this is the perfect way to kick-start a Saturday afternoon.
Read more →Looking back to look forward; it seems that entrepreneurial team behind MODE are really propelling this venue into every discerning deviants radar. The grey matter brawn in question is the joint effort of five local entrepreneurs; Stevie Thomas, Jono Remington-Hobbs, brothers Oliver and Benjamin Bolton and Jolyon Klean, who have worked tirelessly to develop the next level in nightlife experiences. Friday saw the official launch of the venue which classes it’s self as a club, bar, art space, music venue, restaurant hybrid. Launching with its first chapter ‘Future Vintage’, guests were imm...
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