Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Situated in the modern development of Paddington Central, Massis Lebanese Grill and Bar is following in the footsteps of its successful St Christopher's Place sibling by serving mouth watering Lebanese specialities in a charming atmosphere. The bar offers a range of signature cocktails, wines, champagne, and beer, while the restaurant focuses on serving authentic Lebanese cuisine.

Appetising plates of cold mezze range from tabouleh with parsley, tomato, mint, crushed wheat, lemon juice and olive oil, to a lovely warak inab, vine leaves stuffed with fresh herbs, tomato and rice, and labneh of authentic and soft Lebanese cheese. Hot mezze encompass Lebanese pastries; hummus topped with tender chicken or lamb shawarma; kasbet dajaj of pan-fried chicken liver, and sujuk charcoal-grilled spicy Armenian sausages.

Among mains a selection of grilled kafta and meat is served with salad; and slow-cooked bamia lamb stew appears with okra and tomatoes. Seafood is represented by skewers of salmon, tuna, swordfish, lemon sole, sea bass and prawns.

Evenings of live music add to the overall experience.

There are very few Chinese restaurants that get into the pages of the famed Good Food Guide, but all four branches of Royal China are listed, and with an excellent rating as well.

They have been long renowned for the freshest and best dim sum in London, displaying a delicacy of touch and flavour that sets them apart from those offered elsewhere, however, inconveniently, they are only served at lunchtime.

They both also provide incomparably fine Chinese food at all times, varying from quite normal, mild dishes, to the firiest of Szechuan cooking. Their customers describe them as 'making other Chinese restaurants pale into insignificance', and as quite the most genuine outside of Hong Kong.

You must try to disregard the extremely garish décor, as the whole experience will prove to be surprisingly reasonable on the pocket as well.

It is an especially good place to go with a party of friends, as the Royal China offers a choice of Set Price Menus. Ranging from their House or Vegetarian, up to the Seafood Gourmet at £32, which may sound a lot, but it includes lobster and fantastic imperial seafood hors d'oeuvres. Plus there is no way that you will feel hungry afterwards!

They are also extremely unusual in offering a Vegetarian set meal with delights like Szechuan tofu, and asparagus "Peking style".

12.5 per cent service charge is added to the bills, but you must make sure that the credit card slip is filled in, as they have an infuriating habit of leaving it open.

Richard Bradford

Please note that the E-Mail contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

The prices are good at this Persian eatery. So are the traditional Iranian chello kebabs. You tend to get the feeling that a care has been taken in preparing the dishes which can range from fresh starters of mixed herbs (served with traditional bread) to well proportioned grilled lamb.

Please note that the E-Mail contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Maxim's central location on Craven Road, just a minute away from Paddington station, signals the entry of a whole spectrum of customers who crave for brasserie style dining. The smartly decorated room with light furnishings creates a sense of freshness and the subdued lighting ensures that the atmosphere remains friendly and relaxed.

Falafel, tabbouleh and avocados drizzled with vinaigrette point to Maxim's Mediterranean tendencies and subsequent dishes of roasted lamb shank and fillet of sea bass with fennel, cherry tomatoes and herb salad are equally enticing. Skewered meats are treated with special respect, like the kofta meshwi, grilled skewer of ground lamb, and shish tawouk, marinated chicken cubes with hummus and pita bread. A tuna ciabatta, smoked salmon club and toasted ham and melted cheese are a few things you may appreciate on a day when a sandwich is all you're craving for.

If you fancy something to drink at Maxim's then choose from a selection of spirits, liqueurs, bottled beers, coffee, soft drinks and juices.

Lucky Seven is a 1950s style American diner located in trendy Notting Hill and is owned and run by Tom Conran, owner of Tom's Deli and The Cow, and son of the famed restaurateur of that ilk. It has quickly joined the A-list of 'in' places to eat out in London and the busy, buzzy atmosphere shows that this place has gone down well with the locals.

Their organic beef burgers merit exploration, with Kalifornian, bacon cheese and green chilli cheese, all made from Single Estate Prime Aberdeen Angus beef. In addition, there are plenty of American offerings like clam chowder, crab cakes, an American full breakfast, and the more usual salads, fries and milkshakes. The charros steak is accompanied by onion rings, black beans, guacamole, salsa and sour cream, while triple chocolate brownie and warm homemade apple pie à la mode make indulgent desserts.

In Westbourne Grove, El Pirata de Tapas presents a stylish contemporary appearance with a Spanish touch, in tune with its surroundings in the heart of Notting Hill. If they please, guests can nibble away through the tapas selection or choose from the à la carte menu.

For a quick lunch, consider mixed leaf salad with Manchego cheese, pine nuts and beetroot, piquillo peppers and idiazabal cheese croquettes, and fricassee of squid with roasted peppers and chorizo. In the evening, El Piratas tapas menu offers a selection of Iberian cured meats, seared scallops with artichokes, octopus carpaccio with Mandarin caviar, prawns in olive oil, garlic and chilli, Serrano ham croquettes and wood pigeon with fig purée. Alternatively, consider the degustation menu. Chef's specialities include endives and Valdeon cheese foam, black rice and squid, pork cheeks with carrot purée, pan fried cod with braised Savoy cabbage and chocolate truffles with chocolate mousse and saffron toffee. Refresh the palate with a Cava, Rioja or sangria.

Rich yellow walls and plenty of ethnic artefacts give this Persian-Middle Eastern restaurant on the Edgware Road a cheerful disposition, and in summer time the appeal of dining at Kandoo Restaurant is further enhanced by the opportunity to eat al fresco, in the very pleasant garden area.

The standard starters are both fresh and delicious from the thick vegetable soup with Persian noodles, to fried aubergines and onions in yogurt puree. This could be followed by a good selection of grilled dishes like minced lamb fillet and whole sea bass that benefit in both flavour and texture from their long slow marinating process. 'Special of the day' section charts out your culinary course for the week, so on Monday it could be sliced lamb with okra cooked in tomato sauce and garlic or a breast of duck or chicken simmered in Persian walnut and pomegranate sauce.

Just in case you thought it was a joke, the name Kandoo is taken from the restaurant's namesake clay oven, which ensures that bread and naan are baked fresh everyday.

Commander Porterhouse and Oyster Bar opened on the site of a former pub and is now transformed to a charming restaurant in the Notting Hill area of London. The restaurant is outfitted with dark wood furniture and warm lighting, and in the evening this place teems with regulars bonding over a seafood parade piled high or glasses of cocktails at the bar.

The menu brings out starters of crawfish cocktail, dressed crab, springbok carpaccio and seared foie gras. Main courses of fish pie with saffron, leeks and vermouth, and roast corn-fed chicken breast with black eye bean and chorizo cassoulet are wonderfully satisfying, and the daily market grills show promise as well with plaice fillets, 10 oz T-bone steak and pork and leek sausages. Banana and walnut spring rolls and 73% Weiss chocolate tart lend a sweet finish to the meal.

Commander Porterhouse offers al fresco dining and private meeting rooms ideal for business meetings.

The legendary Chepstow Road drinking den The Prince Bonaparte, an eclectic mix of classic London boozer and Regency finery, is bound to draw everyone, from Notting Hill's ladies-who-lunch to the more arty down-to-earth crowd. In keeping with the traditional design of the pub, the horse-shoe shaped wood-panelled bar, plus wooden tables, chairs and floors, lends a homely feel while the striped Regency-style sofas and upholstered armchairs are almost palatial.

The kitchen brings some serious modern British food to its diners; take brisket hash cake with poached egg, smoked mackerel pâté and ham hock terrine for starters. Main courses are a bit more ambitious with a 28 day hung Scottish rib-eye and barramundi with mango, pepper and tomatoes.

The Prince Bonaparte boasts an extensive range of cask ales and specialist beers to rival that of any pub the local area. The wine list offers many New and Old World specialities by the glass, and the cocktail menu is not to be missed either.