Canteen; Notting Hill, London

a new opening in notting hill

Recently, there’s been a restaurant that has appeared on my feed no less than two times per day. Making the rounds on my explore pages, restaurant vlogs, and newspapers- Canteen has taken the Notting Hill food scene by storm.

Headed by the same team as the much-lauded The Pelican in Notting Hill, I had only seen rave review after rave review. It had been on my list for a while, and when me and Anna finally had the same day off (it’s hard being besties in the restaurant industry), we headed over for a mid-week lunch to catch up.

On first look, it’s incredibly aesthetic. Like, almost jaw-droppingly pinterest perfect. They somehow struck that perfect gold of intentionally beautiful while still coming off as casual and unpretentious. It’s a beautiful airy restaurant that comes across as cozy while still feeling spacious- a truly hard thing to strike.

It’s a true open kitchen, with the chefs (mostly female), on full display. The wood-fired ovens flicker away in the background, and the smoky smell of charred bread floats through the restaurant.

In other words, it’s a very appealing place to eat at first glance.

I often have a really hard time convincing myself to go to Italian restaurants because I’m never that impressed. I always feel it’s the same flavor combinations, the same pasta, and the same dishes. I always leave feeling that I could have made this at home for a lot less money.

On to the food!

It’s a small menu and we ordered a few things to share.

Focaccia- which was 1pound per piece

Tomatoes, anchovies, and capers pizza

Duck ragu and gnocchi

Pumpkin and sage risotto

Panna cotta with rhubarb and grappa

The focaccia was unreal. We saw the 1 pound per piece and our eyes literally popped out of our head.

Fluffy but with a really nice chew and bite- it was deliciously salty and saturated with olive oil- a true treat to start the meal with. I was genuinely entranced with the olive oil. You could tell it was high quality, and it had that intense slightly bitter taste that only well-sourced olive oil will give you.

The pizza- which was made right in front of us courtesy of our counter seats- was probably my favorite of the lunch. I got the vibe very quickly that they do bread well and they do it GOOD. The pizza was wonderfully chewy and charred, with a really nice juxtaposition of salty anchovy and acidic tomatoes. The capers added a briny pickly flavor that just brought it all together. I honestly didn’t even miss the stretchy cheese that often accompanies pizza, and I loved it more for that.

On to the pastas!

Gnocchi is not usually my preferred pasta, I often find it stodgy and hard to swallow. If made improperly, they lose any softness afforded by the potato and instead become glue that welds your mouth shut when chewing.

This was delightfully not gluey but instead boasted the fluffy texture that a well-made gnocchi deserves to be. The duck ragu was tender and flavorful but I thought it could do with a bit more acid. I often find ragus too savory and overwhelming- with many of them being better with just a hit of lemon at the end. A pickled element would have done numbers on this one. I also thought a bit of color wouldn’t be remiss on the plate.

The pumpkin risotto was wonderful, and it has the lucious texture that all intellectual and well-educated people want in their risottos. A sort of lava-like flow back in the plate. However, while delicious, I’m not sure if I was getting pumpkin from it. I could have closed my eyes and thought it was any flavored risotto- a very delicious risotto- but not one that screams pumpkin at me. However, that could easily be their play, with subtlety being chased, not overtness the way I prefer sometimes.

Finally, the dessert. In what can make or break the experience. Truly, you either leave on a good or bad note- so I always hope that restaurants put their all into it.

We were not disappointed with the panna coated soaked in rhubarb juice, grappa, and paired with lovely beautifully roasted forced rhubarb. I have a true weakness for rhubarb, and the fact that tis the season for them fills me with joy.

This panna cotta was replete with specks of vanilla bean and beautifully wobbly. A jiggle is a requirement, and this one delivered. It was a humble but perfectly done dessert- making the culmination of our lunch a decidedly positive one.

A very pleasant lunch in a very beautiful place. While there were a few things I thought could change- there’s not much to criticize.

Final rating- 8.1/10

Lots of love,

Laila