[London] Beach Blanket Babylon

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Beach Blanket Babylon

Add: 45 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AA*
Tel: 020 7229 2907
Hours: 12pm~12am
Website: www.beachblanket.co.uk
Price: [cocktails] £9.50~14.50 [bar nibbles] £3.50~18
Visited on: Jan 2013

After an exhausting day of walking around in the cold rainy London weather, a cocktail or two by the cozy fireplaces at Beach Blanket Babylon was just what I needed. This restaurant/bar, housed in an old Georgian Mansion in Notting Hill, is lavishly Rococo – baroque candelabrum, gold statues, vases of towering floral arrangements. Drinks by the warm fire in an opulent setting like this – what more can one ask for on a winter evening?

*Second location in Shoreditch, check website for address.

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[London] The Ledbury

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The Ledbury

Add: 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AQ
Tel: 020 7792 9090
Hours: [Mon] 6:30~10:15pm [Tue-Sat] 12~2pm, 6:30~10:15pm [Sun] 12~2:30pm, 7~10pm
Website: www.theledbury.com
Price: [lunch] £45/5 courses, £85/8 Courses [dinner] £90/8 Courses
Visited on: Jan 2013

Let’s start with the accolades. 2 Michelin stars, #14 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2012, London Restaurant of the Year 2012 by Food and Travel Magazine, and UK’s best restaurant for the third year in a row by National Restaurant Awards. I was lucky enough to snatch one of its highly coveted tables due to a last-minute cancellation on January 1, so this was where my first meal of 2013 took place. Elegant decor, refined service, and most importantly, dishes with delicate and layered flavors that are imaginative but not overly radical.

What a meal to start the new year.

Amuse bouche: Poppy Seed Tartlet with Gruyere Cream. Crispy, creamy, with a hint of cumin.

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[London] Daylesford Organic

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Daylesford Organic

Add: 208-212 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11 2RH
Tel: 020 7313 8050
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 8am~7pm [Sun] 10am~4pm
Website: www.daylesfordorganic.com
Price: [bakery] £2.50~5.50 [main courses] £10~15
Visited on: Jan 2013

What it is: a grocery with heaps of shining produce and artisanal cheeses, a deli/bakery with freshly tossed salads and baked goods, and a sit-down restaurant that serves simple meals throughout the day. The idea of Daylesford Organic is simple – to provide fresh, organic food directly from farm to city. Why yes, what a lovely concept.

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