Guest Review: Valentine Warner

INAHO

NOTTING HILL

One of my favourite Japanese places in London. It’s very small & looks like a Swedish sauna room with a rather out-of-place cuckoo clock on the wall. There are very few tables & it can be a little awkward if you’re tall, but the sushi is excellent. My staples are clear soup, grilled aubergine with soya paste, seaweed salad & the eel hand roll.

NUMBER ONE CAFE

NOTTING HILL

1 DALGARNO GARDENS, W10 5LL; 020 8968 0558

It’s full of large Thai families getting on with their food, which is delicious, punchy & fragrant. The fried grey mullet with tamarind, garlic & lemongrass is exceptional. Watch out, as chilli violence levels are high.

TERROIRS

COVENT GARDEN

Everything about this place is modest on entry – like a bistro you’d find in any French city. However, the cooking is immaculate. It’s very reasonable as there are few things more expensive than £14.

TV cook Valentine Warner grew up on a farm in Dorset. After a brief career as a portrait painter, he worked in numerous London restaurant kitchens, later co-launching Mexican restaurant Taqueria in Notting Hill. His TV series, What To Eat Now, first aired in 2008. What To Eat Now – More Please is published by Mitchell Beazley (£20).