The London Guide: Notting Hill

Portobello Road

One of the main reasons I gave my blog the title of "Kat in London" was because I wanted to write about why I love London so much. My plan was to write a series called "The London Guide" on my favourite spots in the city to help anyone who wanted to discover a little bit more about London. Lo and behold, here we are over a year after I started this blog, and I still haven't started the London Guide - until now.

So here I present to you part one of this series, one of my favourite places in the world, somewhere I've been going regularly since I was twelve years old: Notting Hill. Don't expect this to be a short post whatsoever - brace yourselves for a lot of information coming your way!

The Miro Aidez wall (which is now no longer there </3) 

Notting Hill Quickfire Facts:

Convenient tube stations: Notting Hill Gate (Central & District/Circle lines), Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park (Hammersmith & City/Circle line)

Notable streets: Portobello Road, Westbourne Grove, Pembridge Road
Famous for: Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill Carnival

Portobello Road

1. Portobello Road

Famous for: Portobello Road Market, which is active between Thursday and Sunday during the week.
Why Portobello?: It's the best market in London for antiques. Think vintage tennis rackets, mirrors and prints.
Fun fact: 20th century author George Orwell used to live in one of the colourful houses on this street.
Downsides: Many of the quirkier stores have since closed (Anyone remember 'Oi' accessories? Author shoe shop? The Good Fairy? Those were the days...) and been replaced by bog-standard kitsch souvenir shops. 

Jewellery:

Hirst Antiques, located at the beginning of Portobello Road (on the corner after Pembridge Road) is a haven for beautiful, lavish vintage jewellery. It's not hard to find wonderful kooky pieces, even by the likes of Chanel.

Portobello Gallery - Only a step or two away from Hirst, this jewellery store is a bit more eclectic and modernised in comparison.

Vintage Clothing:

One of a Kind - truly a one of a kind store indeed. A scary haven of clothes dangling above your head as you walk through this well established store filled to the brim with vintage clothing spanning the entire 20th century (the vintage creepers are amazing, and creepy to say the least). The perfect place if you want to rent one-of-a-kind designer suits and outfits without the hefty cost of purchasing.

Goldsmith Vintage - a smaller, newer store and the perfect place to go to if you're looking for cool, quirky vintage pieces. A great selection of vintage jackets (e.g. leather, denim, army), vintage Levi denim and crazy 80's prints.

 Jessie Western - a small cave of incredible vintage Western finds, including accessories, cowboy boots, hats, and amazing leather & suede items.

Hilary Proctor - In my opinion a legendary store in it's own right, this is the place to go to for beautiful, vintage jackets, coats and furs (not that I wear real fur, but they have amazing faux fur as well!) My boyfriend bought an amazing brown velvet blazer here a few years ago, and I'm very keen to go back soon and look at the vintage Burberry's - incredible quality, at an absolute fraction of the original price.

*I may not have any photo's of proof, but the Portobello Road market fashion district towards Ladbroke Grove is SMASHING if you're looking for cool vintage jackets, Barbours and bags.

Food:

'Pop' - Although I'm unsure if this shop is still open, Pop is the place to go to for all your gourmet popcorn needs (and let me tell you, I am a popcorn obsessionist) their flavours are out of this world.

The Hummingbird Bakery - one of the most famous bakery chains in the world, the Notting Hill branch was actually, in fact, the first one. This is also my favourite shop of theirs - classic, American cakes, made with a British touch. I recommend the red velvet cupcake, Black bottom cupcake (decadent chocolate with a dollop of cheesecake baked in the middle), chocolate peanut-butter whoopie pie or their cupcake specials (they're usually pretty spectacular, e.g. speculoos or candyfloss)

The Ginstitute - I am a huge gin lover, and Portobello Road Gin is one of my favourite gin's, so this is by far one of my favourite drinking spots, calling all gin lovers.

 Croquetas, serrano ham on tomato bruscheta, and chorizo with manchego

A churro and chocolate shot

PIX Tapas - I adore Spanish food, and if you're looking for a super tasty, quick meal out, then PIX  is you're best bet. It has a really different system to any tapas restaurant I've ever been to, which makes it unique, and a really fast lunch if you're in a rush (but want great food) - small tapas are £2.25 each, and larger tapas are £3.25 each. Grab a plate, go up to the buffet and pick and choose from a gorgeous selection of tapas, without having to order an obscene amount, it's all about what you want, and boy is their food good. 

Garcia's Food & Wine of Spain - As a young teenager, I used to love going to Cafe Garcia's on Portobello Road for churros and patatas bravas. Unfortunately, the Cafe has since closed, but luckily Garcia's Spanish supermarket and deli is still up and running, and it is the perfect place to shop at if you love authentic Spanish food, and good quality Spanish food at that. (hehem serrano ham, manchego and olive oil crisps, perfect lunch I would say...)

The Spice Shop - Located on Blenheim Crescent (just off Portobello Road, by the Travel Bookshop) this is a world famous shop specialising in an amazing array of spices. It's not hard to find due to the smells, let's leave it at that.

Stalls, Furniture, Antiques:

The famous 'plaque' shop

 Chloe Alberry, antique knick-knacks and replica's

 Alice's - Antique porcelains, and crazy finds galore

 Jonathan Adler  - the King of modern art-deco furniture, this store is like a sweet shop of furniture.

Admiral Vernon - jewellary, hats and plenty of vinyl, this is a classic Portobello Road arcade.

Plenty of posters, prints, watches and brooches.

2. Pembridge Road

The road just before and adjoining with Portobello, Pembridge Road is small but packs a punch!

Food:

Pubs:

 Prince Albert - This pub has been around for ages and serving up some of the best drinks and burgers in West London.

The Sun in Splendour - a beautiful, eclectic pub on the corner of Pembridge & Portobello. Serves up probably the best chicken Sunday roast I've ever had!

Other food:

Arancina - the infamous Italian restaurant with the Fiat 500 in the window. Serves up incredible pizzas, pasta dishes and amazing arancini (rice balls) for a really decent price.

Bubbleology - The most popular bubble tea chain in the city, I've been a bubbleology fan (and former addict) for years. This branch is the one I frequent in most often. If you've never tried bubble tea before, it's a Taiwanese speciality, and I recommend starting with this place - there is so much variety and choice to suit everyone's requests. I recommend going for the fruit teas, and if you've been before, try my mix out - Mango & White Peach with Grape Jelly (you won't regret it, I promise)

Fashion/Other:

The Retro Stores - Pembridge Road is known for having a variety of 'Retro' stores, including Retro Man, Retro Woman (which may have since closed down, if it has then UGH), Retro Home & Jewellery and more. They have an incredible selection of eclectic vintage pieces, including some amazing vintage designer shoes at really reasonable prices.

Backstage Originals - This store used to be called B Famous. After it closed down, another kitsch store was opened *sigh*, but when that failed, it was replaced by a store almost identical to B Famous, titled 'Backstage Originals'. They specialise in music and band t-shirts, and have an incredible selection to choose from, along with other collectables.

Army Classics - One of my all time favourite stores for badges, patches, knick-knacks and cool army jackets. I'm also friends with the owners, they're a barrel of laughs :)

3. Westbourne Grove
Turn right off Portobello Road past the massive All Saints, and there begins the beautiful Westbourne Grove. The slightly more up-market section of Notting Hill gives the impression of a quieter, and more refined, High Street.

Food:

 Daylesford (Farm-shop & Cafe) - This is the best place to go to if you want super tasty, organic food. They do some of the best juices I have ever tried, and are a great shop to have a little wander through and find some hidden gems for your kitchen.

 Ottolenghi - The cafe of famous Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, they serve up some of the tastiest and most versatile salads I have ever seen, as well as boating some of the best cakes I've ever tried (try the smores - you won't regret it)

Granger & Co. - I've never actually been, but I hear they serve up one of the best brunch menu's in London. Gonna have to do my research and get back to you...

Misc.:

 Wild at Heart - An adorable little flower 'boutique'.

 Bodyism and the Clean & Lean Cafe - the place to go to if you're looking for a holistic approach to life. Gym classes, acai bowls, and all about creating the perfect lifestyle for you.

 Maje - I couldn't resist as the window display was perfect. Fashion at your fingertips.

 Diptyque - I wish I'd taken some photo's inside! Diptyque are the pioneers for all things scent. They're one of the most popular, and exquisite, candle companies around. They're not cheap, but their scents are so intoxicatingly gorgeous that a candle from them is the perfect once-in-a-while pick-me-up treat. (p.s. my favourite is the 34 boulevard saint germain candle - it smells so nostalgic for me, like summer times in the countryside and the sea. Don't ask why - that's just what it evokes for me!)

Cute little set up outside Wolf & Badger.

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So, I hope you enjoyed part one of my London guide! I know it was probably painstakingly long, but I hope it was worth it for anyone who wanted an idea for what to do in and around this part of the city. Let me know what you'd like to see next - and hopefully this segment will become a regular. :)