Beach Blanket Babylon

It’s a rare to find a restaurant in London in which Louis XVIIIth, the king at the time of the French Revolution in 1789, would happily feel at ease.

The sumptuous furniture and the gaudy aesthetic of the bar area would have him settling into his seat safe in the knowledge that he would not look out of place.

The Notting Hill restaurant, which has branches in Farringdon and Shoreditch, is a place where the beautiful people of the area come and dine. And with such decadence and finery on show, it is no surprise that the great and good come to a place that matches their own lustre.

The actual dining area is very reminiscent of a French cellar restaurant with stone walls and just enough in the way of lighting. The first course of scallops (£12.50) was a splendid way to start the meal. I was very impressed with the texture of the scallops and they managed to avoid the predicament handed out to so many poor cephalopods in London these days in that they were not tinged with any excessive saltiness.

To accompany both the starter and the main, I went for a La Linda Viognier, delighting the waitress who had been waiting for someone to order the wine that matched her middle name. I went with this in spite of ordering the fillet of beef (£28.50). This piece of meat came with a hefty serving of mashed potato. A Viognier has a luxurious creaminess to it and this complemented the texture and flavour of the potato and meant that it was not overwhelmed by the exceedingly flavoursome piece of beef.

I finished the meal with apple crumble and custard (£7.50). Given the sophistication of the previous courses, I was curious how the restaurant did the simple things. It was served up in a simple dish with a generous allocation of custard. I was in the mood for a little seasonal comfort and the apple crumble did the job perfectly.

The one problem with the restaurant is one you might have picked up by adding up the prices of the courses. A three course meal for two with a bottle of wine will come to around £140. Whilst the food is pretty good, it is very expensively priced. But if you’re from the area, you might not need to worry about that sort of thing.

Beach Blanket Babylon
45 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill
W11 2AA

T: 020 7229 2907