The New Angel, Notting Hill
The New Angel in Notting Hill is based on the original New Angel in Padstow (which we all is know is a very foody place) and is the creation of Michelin starred-chef-cum-reality-TV-star, John Burton-Race. As I walked to the restaurant through the unfamiliar leafy neighborhood surrounding Chepstow Place I was struck by how starkly different West London is to my home borough Lambeth. Walking through wide roads with large white columned houses we past a number of Aston Martins and Ferraris, and commented that if our dining spot was anything like its setting then we were in for a hell of a meal.
Set in an old Victorian pub and refurbished with understated elegance, the New Angel is an utter treat. Before I comment on the delicious cuisine, it is first necessary to highlight how absolutely charming the New Angel waiting team are. The welcoming and service we received throughout the whole meal was simply wonderful. The impeccable staff anticipated our every move and made the entire dining experience.
Having turned down the champagne trolley, enjoyed some blue cheese and guava amuse bouches, with our smiling waiter’s assistance we selected our starters. I opted for a crab salad, but not just any crab salad: this one came with all the frills and was a stunning construction of shapes, colours and flavours. Served in a crab shell and topped with a few small flowers, I enjoyed a salad of tangy pink grapefruit, sweet spider crab jelly, perfectly seasoned crab flesh and shaves of fennel and apple. The dish truly spoke of culinary excellence, creativity and intelligence. My companion was also delighted with his Isle of Skye scallop and foie gras, which was served with a potent mushroomy consume and quinoa.
If my companion was delighted with the scallops, then he was in rapture over his veal main, accompanied by coppa ham, artickhoke, hazelnut and rosemary cream. The meat was executed perfectly to his taste and complemented by soft artichokes, the sweetness of rosemary cream and the salty crunch of cooked ham. He drew particular enjoyment from the crunchy ham. I opted for the roasted monkfish in a Japanese seven spiced aromatic jus, surrounded by pak choi, shitake mushrooms, clams and tempura tiger prawns. The light broth was refreshing and cleansing. Just at the point where I thought I could fault the chef on the arguably blandness of the broth, I received a kick of chilli from the tempura, which completely satisfied my obsessively heat-seeking pallet.
We closed our meal with some fabulous deserts. My pistachio soufflé was light, fluffy and suitably green. My companion though received a real show. He was offered six cheeses from a large selection, which the waiter appeared to take great pleasure in explaining to us and answering increasingly excited questions. However, what was most remarkable was the way he prepared the accompaniment to the cheese. First he very nonchalantly grated a fresh truffle – the largest fresh truffle I have ever seen with my naked eye – and then poured from a height a flow of sticky honey into the truffled glass. Once mixed, we were able to taste it. It was fantastic. I do not know how or why it worked but it suited all the cheeses perfectly, and was a real credit to the ingenuity of the chef behind the menu.
So I have established that the food at the New Angel Inn in Notting Hill is excellent and the service impeccable. Towards the end of the meal it became apparent that there was slight confusion over the booking and the staff had not realised I was from thetastemaker. Actually they thought thetastemaker writer had not shown and they had phoned out of concern of my whereabouts. So one cannot suspect that the fabulous treatment and attention we received is reserved for reviewers. In fact it is for every guest that dines at the New Angel and I highly recommend everyone to book a table and experience it.
39 Chepstow Place
Notting Hill
London W2 4TS
Phone: +44 (0)20 7221 7620
Email: info@thenewangel-nh.co.uk
http://www.thenewangel-nh.co.uk/
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