Dorian’s owner Chris D’Sylva said he wanted his Notting Hill restaurant “to feel like it’s been there forever” when he launched it in 2022. Mission accomplished, then, for the owner of Notting Hill Fish + Meat Shop and Supermarket of Dreams with The Talbot Street restaurant having risen to institutional status pretty much overnight.
Billed as a bistro for locals 'that want to suck the marrow out of life', the venture personifies the mini revolution that has occurred in Notting Hill pairing and easy-going vibe with very high quality food. The restaurant is run by a crack team of young industry pros that include head chef Max Coen, formerly of Kitchen Table; bar manager Ale Villa, who led the drinks offering at Core by Clare Smyth; and former Corbin & King operator Ben Whitfield.
The menu is accessibly priced given the restaurant’s postcode and who is involved with little snacks from £3.50, starters from £10 and mains averaging out at about £25. Must-order dishes from the first few sections of the menu include a selection of röstis with various toppings including freshly-picked crab; beef tartare; and veal sweetbreads with sauce Gribiche. The majority of the mains are cooked over open flame with roughly equal billing given to meat and fish. All of it is exceptionally high quality, with Coen using his contacts from his time at far fancier places to great effect.
Villa’s cocktail list includes his famed fig leaf negroni; while the predominantly French and Italian wine list is supplied by Noble Rot’s Keeling Andrew & Co. The elegant dining room features banquette seating along three of its sides, marble tables with wrought-iron stands, wood panelling, brass lighting and smoked mirrors but the real action is to be found at the counter that looks onto Dorian’s open kitchen.
Billed as a bistro for locals 'that want to suck the marrow out of life', the venture personifies the mini revolution that has occurred in Notting Hill pairing and easy-going vibe with very high quality food. The restaurant is run by a crack team of young industry pros that include head chef Max Coen, formerly of Kitchen Table; bar manager Ale Villa, who led the drinks offering at Core by Clare Smyth; and former Corbin & King operator Ben Whitfield.
The menu is accessibly priced given the restaurant’s postcode and who is involved with little snacks from £3.50, starters from £10 and mains averaging out at about £25. Must-order dishes from the first few sections of the menu include a selection of röstis with various toppings including freshly-picked crab; beef tartare; and veal sweetbreads with sauce Gribiche. The majority of the mains are cooked over open flame with roughly equal billing given to meat and fish. All of it is exceptionally high quality, with Coen using his contacts from his time at far fancier places to great effect.
Villa’s cocktail list includes his famed fig leaf negroni; while the predominantly French and Italian wine list is supplied by Noble Rot’s Keeling Andrew & Co. The elegant dining room features banquette seating along three of its sides, marble tables with wrought-iron stands, wood panelling, brass lighting and smoked mirrors but the real action is to be found at the counter that looks onto Dorian’s open kitchen.
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