Clare Smyth's Notting Hill London dining room, opened 2017, was the first three-Michelin-starred restaurant run by a British female chef. Quiet, classical, ingredient-led cooking.
Order: The Core potato dish, kept on the menu since opening night, plus the seasonal lamb course.
Tip: Book the kitchen counter for the Chef's Table service; same kitchen, fewer covers, eight weeks instead of twelve.
Brett Graham's Notting Hill London tasting-menu kitchen, re-opened 2022 after a refurbishment, holds three Michelin stars and runs ingredient-first British cooking with serious game.
Order: Whatever wild-game course is on the autumn menu, and the Sika deer if it appears.
Tip: Tuesday lunch is the easiest slot to book and the kitchen runs the same menu. Wine pairings start at £180.
Bill Granger's Australian breakfast room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and an all-day brunch menu with serious flat white.
Signature drink: Workshop coffee
Tip: No bookings. The 09:00 queue runs 30 minutes on Saturdays; weekday breakfast walks in by 08:00.
Notting Hill Carnival in west London, trading since 1966 over the August bank holiday weekend, fills 50 blocks with Caribbean street food, sound systems and steel bands.
Tip: Sunday is family day, Monday is the main parade. Jerk chicken counters line every block; expect £10-15 per plate.
Leiths School of Food and Wine in west London, founded 1975 by Prue Leith, runs day, evening and short courses on professional cooking technique, the gold-standard British cookery school.
Tip: Day-long Saturday courses are the most popular; book six weeks ahead. The diploma programme runs over ten months for full professional training.
Bill Granger's Australian brunch room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and brown rice porridge from breakfast through dinner.
Order: Ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter
Tip: Walk-in only. Sunday queue runs 60 minutes; weekday breakfast walks in. Closed half an hour 16:00-16:30 for staff service change.