Monday, February 22, 2010
New itsu restaurant coming to Notting Hill
Anyone that's passed by Notting Hill Gate recently, near the intersection with Pembridge Road, may have been excited by a big poster display in one of the shops there announcing the arrival of the latest addition of the London-based itsu chain of sushi restaurants.
Due to open in the second week of March, itsu's new Notting Hill location will be its fourth restaurant and its largest, with some rather special additions such as its first-floor Butterfly Bar.
The downstairs area will accommodate 92 diners, who will be served tasty Asian dishes from three conveyor belts. Dishes will include the spicy tuna X-ray roll - line caught yellow fina tuna, and soft shell crab maki rolls - a whole soft shelled crab, cooked tempura style, avocado, cucumber and tobiko, wrapped in steamed rice & nori with a fresh chive jacket.
There will also be a shop area downstairs for customers to choose from a takeaway menu, with a local delivery service arriving in the Spring.
Upstairs will be the sumptuous Butterfly Bar which will serve a variety of cocktails, sake, beers, wines and champagnes, including the bar's signature cocktail - the Bell'itsu, a combination of champagne, lychee puree and creme de cassis.
Be sure to stop by at the new itsu restaurant when in opens in March - it's certainly a very welcome addition to the area!
itsu
100 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3QA
100 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3QA
Tel: 020 7229 4016
Opening hours:
11am - 11pm (shop)
6pm - 11pm Monday to Friday, 12pm - 11pm Saturday & Sunday (restaurant & bar)
Labels: Drinking, Eating, News
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
New book by Notting Hill's Cookie Girl
Those of you who live and work in Notting Hill may have been lucky enough to come across Cookie Girl and her delicious cookies and cupcakes in real life. And now here's your opportunity to further enjoy her wonderful creations!
Australian actress-turned-baking entrepreneur Xanthe Milton came up with the idea of baking cookies and selling them locally as a way of making extra income (not to mention using her baking skills, well-honed since childhood). Her first experience saw her prepare a batch of 100 Belgian chocolate cookies and hit the streets of Notting Hill, selling them door to door to homes and businesses. With all of the cookies snapped up within a few hours, Cookie Girl was born to become an instant success with a legion of fans - including names such as Belinda Carlisle, Will Young and Take That - following.
As Cookie's Girl popularity grew, a regular column in Notting Hill's Grove magazine followed, before TV appearances on Masterchef and Market Kitchen - as well as having her cookies stocked in Selfridges. Today, Cookie Girl - Xanthe - also runs cupcake decorating classes; see her website www.cookiegirl.co.uk for further details, on which you can also order her cookies!
Xanthe's success has now seen her publish her first book - Eat Me: The Stupendous, Self-Raising World of Cupcakes & Bakes According to Cookie Girl. This wonderful book includes 80 amazing recipes of cupcakes and cookies organised according to season and occasion (Halloween, Valentine's Day), interspersed with a some beautiful photographs. This is the kind of book you'll curl up on the sofa with and read - before even trying any of the recipes - which is not something that can be said for many cookbooks!
I'll be giving some of the recipes a go very soon, so do stay tuned for a proper review of the book - personally, I can't wait to try recipes such as "margarita cupcakes", "blueberry clouds" and the absolutely amazing-looking "Bollywood cupcakes".
Eat Me is out on 4th March 2010, priced at £15, and is published by Ebury Press.
Monday, February 1, 2010
New reality TV show set in Notting Hill
According to today's Independent, Channel 4 have commissioned a new reality TV show that will be based in Notting Hill - and used to fill the void in the station's TV schedules left by the cancellation of Big Brother.
For starters, the mention of Big Brother doesn't really bode well. Nor does the fact that the Independent article starts off with the sentence, "David Cameron's London neighbourhood of Notting Hill". (Is that all it's known for?) To add to the this-is-a-programme-that-sounds-horrifying vibe, this show will attempt to have the "real-time drama of big reality shows such as Big Brother and ITV's I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!"
Sweeping all these nightmares aside, it doesn't sound all bad. The programme, with an amazingly inventive provisional title of "Notting Hill", is supposed to have more of a documentary rather than a reality-show feel (though the words "soap opera" have also been mentioned), with the central characters - ten locals who have yet to be chosen - followed by cameras as they go about their day-to-day lives. One-hour episodes will be screened each week, and the show will have an indefinite run following its start in the autumn. Channel 4 execs are promising a revolutionary show, suggesting it will be a documentary on a vast scale that's never been done before.
The show could, I imagine, be very watchable and interesting - if it's something on a similar format to Channel 4's highly-entertaining The Family. However, I can't help thinking that it's been done before. Does anyone remember the BBC programme, Paddington Green, that aired in the late 1990s? Actually set around the Paddington area (of course), that was a rather engrossing docu-soap following the lives of a number of local residents and business owners. So I guess it's going to be just like that...but bigger?
Channel 4 had better be very be vary careful - and clever - in choosing the main characters. Let's not go for too many stereotypes, please.
Article: C4 sends the cameras in to Notting Hill to explore unknown reality show territory (1st February, The Independent)
Labels: News, Television
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Parking problems in Notting Hill
Yesterday's Evening Standard featured an article about Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, and its rather confusing parking rules. The problem lies with the fact that the street is situated on the boundary between two London boroughs - (Royal Borough of) Kensington & Chelsea and City of Westminster. Supposedly, and for the purposes of parking, this boundary lies down the middle of the road, causing problems (i.e. a parking ticket!) to those park on one side of the road and then obtain a ticket from the other council's ticket machine - as detailed in the article.
If this is the case, I can imagine that the same problem would exist for those with a residents' parking permit if they mistakenly park in a space "in" the wrong borough. In fact, I know the southern section of nearby Chepstow Road used to suffer from exactly this problem; as another road on the boundary between these two boroughs, many of those who parked there were often caught out. Luckily, that road now has clear signs indicating that those with residents' parking permits can park on either side of the road. Maybe Ledbury Road should follow suit?
Article: London road where you get fined for parking on wrong side of the street (27th January 2010, The Evening Standard)
Labels: News
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Restoration of Leighton House
Yesterday's Guardian had a great double-page spread on Leighton House (12 Holland Park Road, W14) and its ongoing restoration. Originally built in the 19th century to designs by architect George Aitchison as a home for Lord Leighton, a painter and sculptor, it was extended considerably over the next few decades. The article talks about of house as well as discussing the gossip over Lord Leighton and his private relationships (or lack there of).
Leighton House is now a museum which houses many paintings (and other artwork) by Lord Leighton himself, as well as pieces by other artists. As mentioned, it is currently undergoing a £1.6 million restoration and is due to re-open on 3rd April 2010. It's well worth a visit - not only for the art it houses, but also for the House itself, particularly its stunningly unique Arab Hall.
Leighton House is also the official home of the Kensington & Chelsea Music Society, who are holding this season concert's elsewhere in the Royal Borough whilst the refurbishment takes place - and are due to the return to Leighton House for the 2010/11 season.
If you happen to still have a copy of the paper, do take a look - the photo online doesn't do the beautiful hall justice.
Article: Backstairs keep their secrets as home of a giant of Victorian art reopens (22nd December 2009, The Guardian)
Leighton House is now a museum which houses many paintings (and other artwork) by Lord Leighton himself, as well as pieces by other artists. As mentioned, it is currently undergoing a £1.6 million restoration and is due to re-open on 3rd April 2010. It's well worth a visit - not only for the art it houses, but also for the House itself, particularly its stunningly unique Arab Hall.
Leighton House is also the official home of the Kensington & Chelsea Music Society, who are holding this season concert's elsewhere in the Royal Borough whilst the refurbishment takes place - and are due to the return to Leighton House for the 2010/11 season.
If you happen to still have a copy of the paper, do take a look - the photo online doesn't do the beautiful hall justice.
Article: Backstairs keep their secrets as home of a giant of Victorian art reopens (22nd December 2009, The Guardian)
Labels: News, Sightseeing
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Harry Enfield's jokes stolen
If you're in the Notting Hill area anytime soon, and spot some jokes just sort of lying around, be aware - they may belong to Harry Enfield. And he'd like them back.
A laptop belonging to comedian Harry Enfield, containing material for his show with fellow comic Paul Whitehouse, was recently stolen from a car in Notting Hill.
The thieves subsequently contacted Enfield and demanded a ransom of £750 to return the computer. That's a rather paltry sum, no? Perhaps the they read the material and decided that's all it was worth. Thieves can be such harsh critics. Although perhaps we should just assume the material was at a "very early stage" and not yet properly developed.
Enfield has refused to pay the ransom and is instead working with the police. Quite right too. But if you should happen to see the jokes lying around, have a heart and please return them to Mr Enfield. Otherwise, we may not get any more episodes of the stunningly funny Harry & Paul show...
A laptop belonging to comedian Harry Enfield, containing material for his show with fellow comic Paul Whitehouse, was recently stolen from a car in Notting Hill.
The thieves subsequently contacted Enfield and demanded a ransom of £750 to return the computer. That's a rather paltry sum, no? Perhaps the they read the material and decided that's all it was worth. Thieves can be such harsh critics. Although perhaps we should just assume the material was at a "very early stage" and not yet properly developed.
Enfield has refused to pay the ransom and is instead working with the police. Quite right too. But if you should happen to see the jokes lying around, have a heart and please return them to Mr Enfield. Otherwise, we may not get any more episodes of the stunningly funny Harry & Paul show...
- Digital Spy: Thieves 'try to blackmail Enfield' (18th October 2009)
- Guardian: Heard the one about Harry Enfield's stolen jokes? (19th October 2009)
Labels: Celebrities, News, Television
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Tabernacle on Powis Square reopens
The Independent recently featured an article about the famous Tabernacle venue on Powis Square, W11 that has been a very important part of Notting Hill over the years, but unfortunately fell into a certain amount of disrepair in recent times.
A former Church, the venue has recently undergone a £1 million refurbishment and has now fully reopened - just in time for the Carnival and other upcoming events.
Hoping to be a cental hub for the local community, various dance and music events are already scheduled, and there's also a restaurant and bars there so you can enjoy it at any time.
See http://www.carnivalvillage.org.uk/ for full listings and details.
A former Church, the venue has recently undergone a £1 million refurbishment and has now fully reopened - just in time for the Carnival and other upcoming events.
Hoping to be a cental hub for the local community, various dance and music events are already scheduled, and there's also a restaurant and bars there so you can enjoy it at any time.
See http://www.carnivalvillage.org.uk/ for full listings and details.
- Ready to party: Notting Hill hub is back (23rd August 2009, The Independent)
Labels: News
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Very early start for 2009 Notting Hill Carnival
As reported previously, this year's Notting Hill Carnival - just over three weeks away - will have earlier start and finish times than usual, to try and avoid the street trouble that marred the end of last year's event.
The Carnival parade will now start at the rather eye-wateringly early time of 9am to ensure that it finishes by 6.30pm. This is all in the hope that crowds will have dispersed by nightfall, and so no trouble can occur.
Whilst it's of course a good idea to try and prevent the violence which unfortunately sometimes happens at this great London even, I'm not entirely sure a 9am start will be welcomed by many revellers. Don't forget, it's a Bank Holiday weekend (i.e. the Monday is a public holiday in the UK), so I can't imagine that many people will be around that early!
The Carnival parade will now start at the rather eye-wateringly early time of 9am to ensure that it finishes by 6.30pm. This is all in the hope that crowds will have dispersed by nightfall, and so no trouble can occur.
Whilst it's of course a good idea to try and prevent the violence which unfortunately sometimes happens at this great London even, I'm not entirely sure a 9am start will be welcomed by many revellers. Don't forget, it's a Bank Holiday weekend (i.e. the Monday is a public holiday in the UK), so I can't imagine that many people will be around that early!
- Early start for Notting Hill Carnival to cut noise and violence (This Is London, 31st July 2009)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tourism in London & Notting Hill in 2009
The Evening Standard last week had a article on the effects the recession is expected to have on numbers of tourist visitors to the city this year. The paper states that visits to the UK were down by 8% in the year ending May 2009, whilst actual visitor numbers dropped by half a million last year, compared to 2007.
More Britons may be considering a "staycation" this year (i.e. not going abroad, but visiting elsewhere in the country instead) which may help visitor numbers, and the Pound's fall against the Euro may also boost numbers from the Continent. There aren't expected to be as many long-haul travellers, however: the Standard reports that American visitors (who are London's top visitors in terms of numbers, as well as the top spenders) dropped by 17% in 2008.
How does Notting Hill come into all this - what are its visitors numbers like? Getting my hands on some actual statistics (if it were possible) would be great, but a bit of visual research seems to conclude that...well...it's doing fine. Down in Portobello Market this past Saturday (usually a complete no-no, as it's simply too crowded) revealed that the area was well and truly bustling.
Tourism here will presumably suffer during the recession, and most likely has. Do to the popularity of the area, it is also like that it will recover reasonably quickly. It's always going to be a popular area given its location, style and amenities.
It almost sounds a bit like the property market in Notting Hill - which suffered quite badly in the second half of last year and the beginning of this year, but is now seeing a definite upward trend.
Well, let's hope so it all recovers, anyway!
More Britons may be considering a "staycation" this year (i.e. not going abroad, but visiting elsewhere in the country instead) which may help visitor numbers, and the Pound's fall against the Euro may also boost numbers from the Continent. There aren't expected to be as many long-haul travellers, however: the Standard reports that American visitors (who are London's top visitors in terms of numbers, as well as the top spenders) dropped by 17% in 2008.
How does Notting Hill come into all this - what are its visitors numbers like? Getting my hands on some actual statistics (if it were possible) would be great, but a bit of visual research seems to conclude that...well...it's doing fine. Down in Portobello Market this past Saturday (usually a complete no-no, as it's simply too crowded) revealed that the area was well and truly bustling.
Tourism here will presumably suffer during the recession, and most likely has. Do to the popularity of the area, it is also like that it will recover reasonably quickly. It's always going to be a popular area given its location, style and amenities.
It almost sounds a bit like the property market in Notting Hill - which suffered quite badly in the second half of last year and the beginning of this year, but is now seeing a definite upward trend.
Well, let's hope so it all recovers, anyway!
Labels: News
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Notting Hill featured in the "Only in London" series
Part of Visit London's "Only in London" campaign, which provides a list of 171 unique London experiences for visitors (the full list can be seen at the Only in London page), has a number that are based in Notting Hill! The area can be proud - although, in fairness, I do believe that tourists and visitors have managed to make their way to the area in their droves before this list was published...
Notting Hill-based items on the list include:
Number 43 - "Join the party at Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street carnival"
Number 44 - "Peruse one of the largest weekly antique markets in the world on Portobello Road"
Number 46 - "Find out where Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in the movie Notting Hill"
Number 149 - "Enjoy the comfort of Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, the city's oldest functioning cinema"
Pretty standard stuff, really, but all good reasons to pay Notting Hill a visit! I would say that number 46 does sound a little misleading to me, seeing as technically Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in a fictional-but-based-on-a-real bookstore, and then spilt orange juice on her in the street. Put like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, does it?
Notting Hill-based items on the list include:
Number 43 - "Join the party at Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street carnival"
Number 44 - "Peruse one of the largest weekly antique markets in the world on Portobello Road"
Number 46 - "Find out where Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in the movie Notting Hill"
Number 149 - "Enjoy the comfort of Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, the city's oldest functioning cinema"
Pretty standard stuff, really, but all good reasons to pay Notting Hill a visit! I would say that number 46 does sound a little misleading to me, seeing as technically Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in a fictional-but-based-on-a-real bookstore, and then spilt orange juice on her in the street. Put like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, does it?
Labels: News
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Makeover for Notting Hill Gate
Last Friday's edition of the Evening Standard featured on article on an planned much-needed upgrade for Notting Hill Gate. Whilst most of Notting Hill is a varied mix of pretty little streets, beautiful buildings, interesting areas and unusual shops, and is rather vibrant as a whole, Notting Hill Gate is one long, rather ugly drag with far too many coffee shops and estate agents!
Amongst the ideas for regenerating the street are a plan to decrease the number of traffic lanes to make it more cycle-friendly, and creating a square at the junction with Pembridge Road. The entrances to the Underground station, which are currently on both sides of the road, would also be moved so they no longer block the pavement.
Independent shops and businesses would also be encouraged to move to Notting Hill Gate as well - to copy the success of Marylebone and its village area - to make it a more welcoming place rather than merely somewhere to pass through...onto somewhere better!
Amongst the ideas for regenerating the street are a plan to decrease the number of traffic lanes to make it more cycle-friendly, and creating a square at the junction with Pembridge Road. The entrances to the Underground station, which are currently on both sides of the road, would also be moved so they no longer block the pavement.
Independent shops and businesses would also be encouraged to move to Notting Hill Gate as well - to copy the success of Marylebone and its village area - to make it a more welcoming place rather than merely somewhere to pass through...onto somewhere better!
- Makeover for Notting Hill Gate (3rd April 2009, The Evening Standard)
Labels: News
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Notting Hill is full of hippies...apparently
A newspaper report revealed last week that a recent survey by online-shopping website Ocado uncovered some hippy-like tendencies in Notting Hill. The Evening Standard reported that Ocado's survey of purchases on its website showed Notting Hill residents to eat the most seeds and use the least shower gel and deodorant in the whole of the UK.
So they may be a healthy lot...but a bit whiffy. Perhaps bring a nose peg if you visit.
I joke, of course. I can attest that Notting Hill residents are a very well-washed lot. They probably just don't buy their toiletries from Ocado.
So they may be a healthy lot...but a bit whiffy. Perhaps bring a nose peg if you visit.
I joke, of course. I can attest that Notting Hill residents are a very well-washed lot. They probably just don't buy their toiletries from Ocado.
- This is London: Notting Hill, a seed-eating hippy enclave
Labels: News
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