Portobello Lounge

Portobello Road’s modish Muse Gallery provides the low-key, white-toned backdrop to this casual eatery (formerly the Drawing Room), where visitors eat surrounded by regularly changing art exhibitions. The lunch menu has strong Mediterranean leanings & majors in affordable staples – favourites such as spaghetti carbonara, tagliatelle al salmone & pollo al limone never stray above £8. Note that dinner is no longer a casual drop-in affair: it’s only served to pre-booked groups of 10 or more who have pre-ordered from a set menu – perhaps smoked mackerel with potato salad followed by roast salmon on Puy lentils with crispy pancetta or medallions of beef with red wine sauce. Free Wi-Fi, occasional DJ sets, live music, regular screenings & a chic bar looking onto Portobello Road add to the attraction of this mixed-use space, which is a magnet for the neighbourhood’s arty set.