Caractère

Notting Hill isn't exactly short of fine restaurants these days but Caractère, which sits on a handsome corner plot, has the distinction of being the only remaining restaurant in London to be run by a member of the Roux family. Emily Roux (daughter of Michel Jr) and her husband Diego Ferrari (former head chef at Le Gavroche) opened this casually elegant restaurant in 2018. It's a destination that exudes a quiet self-confidence.

The menu draws influences from the couple’s French and Italian backgrounds, and the results are far from ordinary. Dishes are categorised by character traits such as ‘curious’ or ‘greedy’, and you can build your own five-course tasting menu around these traits. There’s also an à la carte and a good-value lunch menu (available Friday and Saturday). We were intrigued right from the off. A dish of aged risotto Acquarello infused with saffron, topped with roasted bone marrow and gremolata and finished with veal jus was simply delicious, while perfectly pink, perfectly tender Cornish rack of lamb, served with piquillo peppers, black olives, capers and lamb jus, impressed with its precision and clarity.

And to finish, we thoroughly enjoyed a dessert of warm 75% Peruvian chocolate teamed with hazelnut, gianduja and salted caramel, which tasted like posh Nutella. To drink, there's a treasure trove of French and Italian wines (from around £60), but the majority are over three figures. However, there is plenty of choice by the glass. Good service is a given.