North Kensington, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: Thomas Straker (who grew up on a smallholding in Herefordshire) has stints at Elystan Street and Casa Cruz on his CV and – after a residency at Carousel refining his menu – is set to launch this Queen’s Park newcomer in the last quarter of 2021. Produce from Britain and inspiration from the Mediterranean are the guiding principles for cooking – from an open kitchen and with much of it wood-fired – that’s ‘more simple than fine dining’.

Well into its third decade as a Notting Hill stalwart, this “buzzy neighbourhood Italian” provides “a friendly welcome” and “reliably consistent” if pretty “standard” cooking from a wide menu that incorporates a broad selection of pasta dishes as well as more substantial meaty and fishy options. It has two stablemates on the same street, Essenza and Osteria Basilico.