Dorian

Dorian opened on Talbot Road in October 2022, chef Max Coen’s self-described neighbourhood joint for those who suck the marrow out of life, and the swagger in that description mostly holds up in the room itself. It’s a modern British bistro with genuine attitude, built around wood fired cooking and seasonal British ingredients rather than trend chasing, and the open kitchen at one end keeps the fire and the smoke very much part of the room.

Small plates carry the menu: a crab topped rosti, pigeon served with meaty morels, and carrots finished with a tangy whipped curd are the dishes that come up most in write ups, alongside a wine list running to around a thousand bins, an unusually serious cellar for a restaurant this size and this unpretentious in tone. Sharing several small plates across a table tends to work better than each diner ordering a full sequence individually.

It picked up a Michelin star, which sits a little oddly against the deliberately loose, rebellious framing of the room itself, proof that a genuine neighbourhood bistro attitude and Michelin recognition aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s a five minute walk from Notting Hill Gate, easy enough to find once you know Talbot Road, tucked among a run of otherwise fairly ordinary shopfronts.

The wine list, while a genuine strength, can also be intimidating in its size, and getting good recommendations depends heavily on how engaged the staff serving you happen to be on a given night, which varies. Portions on the small plates also mean the bill can climb faster than the format initially suggests once you’ve ordered enough to feel full, so it’s worth pacing the order rather than requesting everything at once.

A strong, characterful choice for Notting Hill, particularly for anyone who wants serious wine alongside cooking that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and one of the better arguments for booking ahead in this part of west London.