Canteen | Notting Hill — Restaurant in London

Okay, this place could be capable of good food at relatively reasonable prices. But the hype/puff in the media coupled with a walkins only policy is getting in the way.

We got there 15 minutes after it opened for dinner and it was rammed. Which would have been no problem had the kitchen been able to cope with the flood of orders all at the same time. But it couldn't and it showed. Our meal was rushed, under seasoned and some dishes came in the wrong order. Salad arrived immediately. Bread got forgotten. One of our pasta starters came before the main course and the other one after it! We were in and out in about 1.25 hours. Not good.

Pricing is erratic. Very small salad at £13 and carafe of Sicilian red at £36 are expensive. But porchetta main course at £26 is good value.

We sense that it can do better so we will give it another try at lunchtime early or midweek, avoiding the period after it has just opened when hopefully the kitchen will be able to cope.

UPDATE. We thought it could do better when we first visited a few weeks ago and left a less than average review here. And it most definitely can. We think that the trick is to go for lunch early in the week when the kitchen is less stressed. It certainly delivered today. Our mozzarella starter was accompanied by a beautifully seasoned dressing and was easily large enough for the two of us. Pappardelle with artichokes was a standout dish, the pasta perfectly cooked with a sensational butter/parmesan/chili/white wine sauce. Absolutely excellent and worth looking out for. Complemented by a very tasty small/medium thin base pizza which sounds odd but wasn't. It worked perfectly. Our only criticism is that service was again rushed. They clearly wanted our table back and we felt it. We were in and out in about 1.25 hours max. But all of this said we will return. A good addition to the London restaurant scene which is in desperate need of good food at reasonable prices.

Latest visit I've reviewed this restaurant twice previously. I now understand that having a good meal and the experience you expect of a restaurant like this depends on when you visit. Which day. We visited for the third time yesterday, Saturday, it was only reasonably busy, but still the restaurant couldn't cope. Again, service was good but rushed. Again, our main courses arrived while we were no more than halfway through our starters. Our server put them down and disappeared so quickly that it was obvious he knew that we weren't pleased. Then one of our starters arrived. When we were halfway through our main course. I ordered roast chicken. But I want a side and there weren't any. I asked for a salad, but the kitchen wouldn't do it. I had to order beans at £13 so my half chicken with a side totalled £51. Too much for this dish. The chicken was excellent, but the beans weren't so great. This restaurant can deliver some very good food. But it needs to work on service and pricing to deliver a good experience. I hope it will because we plan to give it yet another chance by visiting much earlier in the week and definitely...

As a fan of The Pelican, I was quite keen to try out this new opening from the same group. I visited with my wife for a Friday lunch. Arriving just before their 12pm opening time there were a few people already lined up outside but we were all seated as soon as they opened with around half of the restaurant immediately occupied. It did get busier as our meal progressed but there were still a few vacant seats.

We lucked out and were allocated one of the 10 or so seats along the counter which offered prime views of the kitchen. We were actually right in front of the wood fired ovens which apart from the excellent views was pleasantly warm in the wintery weather!

The two of us ordered some focaccia, the pear and walnut salad, duck gnocchi, girolle ravioli and the half chicken, followed by the frangipani tart and chocolate mousse for dessert. Most of the food was of a high standard, we definitely enjoyed the pastas and the half chicken, which despite being a breast piece was quite juicy and had a beautifully crispy skin. The pear salad was less exciting though, comprising mostly lettuce. The chocolate mousse was fairly standard, but the frangipani tart was better than expected.

Service was quite attentive and impressively speedy given they had to deal with so many people who had all arrived at their opening time. The bill for our meal came to £135 of which £20 was spent on drinks. A solid lunch overall and an interesting concept. Nice buzzy vibes and with their country music soundtrack it felt like quite a unique experience within Notting Hill. Sitting at the counter definitely enhanced our experience, we did enjoy the views and felt like we were right in the mix of things, but on the negative side there was zero interaction between the kitchen and guests. Our half chicken for example was being prepared almost within hands reach of us, but then went the long way round through the serving staff rather than just being handed across. Perhaps this approach helps to keep the kitchen more efficient, but interacting with the chefs has been an enjoyable part of our meals during other counter experiences. In conclusion it may be a bit overhyped at present but I was quite happy with my lunch and I would certainly consider a repeat visit in...

To avoid doom posting, the food was really good. The chocolate mousse was delightful and the idea of a rotating menu is quite attractive. My review and comments below are mainly to do with the customer experience and ambience.

While the overall experience was ok, it was quite disappointing to see that the restaurant is willing to cram up as many tables as possible to a point where it negatively impacts the customer experience.

For a table of 2, we were placed at arm’s length to another table, and one of the seats was right next to a pillar support which quite literally interfered with the person’s ability to eat with the stilt area for the staff right behind us. This was a constant interruption for us, coupled with the fact that place was quite crowded and loud. The latter is not necessarily a problem, but something worth noting.

When we asked if we could sit at the counter which was empty at the time, we were told that it was reserved. Which is fine given how busy the place is, but the counter was left empty for majority of the duration when we were dining in. I’m assuming the place was reserved for a VIP but I’d appreciate if the customer who had waited 90+ minutes to get their table was given more importance.

Further to the fact that the restaurant does not employ the use of apps such as Dojo (just an example), it’s quite frustrating that you’re expected to wait for such a long time in the freezing winter for your table. I like the idea of a traditional experience to wait your turn, but in an age where we actively use technology - I think this could be used to the restaurant’s advantage.

Given as the restaurant is quite new, I’m hoping they’re able to iron out these issues. However, it certainly seems that some of these choices...