My Beautiful Notting Hill

I got ahead with work yesterday so I could take a long walk today.

Following my nose I meandered through the bit of Notting Hill between Portobello Road and Westbourne Park.

In the 1950's these buildings were slums properties of notorious landlord Peter Rachman. Today they are beautifully restored and occupied mostly by people in the film industry.

It's a bit of the world you only visit if you have good reason or live there. A good reason might be to visit The Ledbury (one of the best restaurants in the world) or Caractère, the newly opened restaurant by Michele Roux Junior's daughter Emily. Both very appropriate neighbourhood restaurants.

As both of these restaurants were closed on a Monday lunchtime I carried on to Kensington Park Road where I found Luna Rossa open (and very busy). Everyone in there was speaking in Italian, which I took to be a good start. 

I wasn't disappointed. The calzone I chose was the best I have ever eaten in the UK. The dough was thin, crisp and flavoursome, the filling unctuous and well balanced. 

I only managed to eat a quarter of it, bringing the rest home as a takeaway. Normally my doggie bags get given to a homeless person I find on the way to the bus stop. Today I was happy not to find one as I get to eat the remainders myself.