Portobello Road: your local supermarket

Saturday morning

Shopping on Portobello Road.

I love that Portobello Road is my local supermarket. But I’ve now learnt that through the wide array of cheeses, oils, German sausages and discounted crisps it’s a hit and miss situation that requires experience. You have to make a few wrong choices to know what’s oh so right. 

I’ve been stung buying tomatoes (3 for £2) and stale bread.  But I’ve also picked up bargains (12 bananas for £1) and croissants that melt in your mouth.

There are several key buying spots and local hints:

1. There are two discount food stores place selling hugely marked down products. The ham for £2.50 is brilliant. Lots of irregular shapes and off cuts but fresh and juicy off the bone and not reconstituted with water like supermarket ham. I’ve even seen these packs for sale in a reputable butcher at twice the price.  There are other crazy bargains here but always check the ‘Use by’ dates.  The mozzarella balls that expired the day of sale were particularly heinous.
2.  The two bread stalls sell excellent brownies and croissants. The southern one has 3 croissants for £2.50 and these are wonderfully buttery and light. The bread, particularly the French sticks, are disappointing. For the best bread, walk around the corner to the Grocer on Elgin (Elgin Road). Their sourdough bread is divine.
3.  Fruit and vegetables are hit and miss dependent on what’s left and what’s cheap on the wholesale market. I will walk past the stalls twice on a Saturday. One at around 10am to cherry pick the best offers (5 avocados for £1). Then again at around 6pm when traders are packing up and looking to discount. There are bowls of fruit and vegetables at the front of the stands for £1 which can be exceptional.
4. The French cheese shop offers 3 portions for £5 which are always exceptional quality. It’s best to shop there in the morning as once they’re gone they are not replaced and the choice is limited. And if you want to brush up on your French at the same time, go for it!

Oh, one more thing. If you are purchasing on Portobello Road before 10am make sure you have small notes or coins.  The traders will not accept a £20. If you get stuck, pick up the Times from Cafe Nero and break your note there.

The 'notso' Grand Old Duke

Wednesday evening.

A pie and pint at the Duke of Wellington. Or so I’d hoped.

Wednesday afternoon saw the conflux of several brilliant ideas set me up for a great night at the Duke. Firstly, an email arrived from the Duke offering a free mini-pie with your first pint which was so well timed and suggestive that I couldn’t refuse. I mean, why not? Great spring weather, lighter nights, England friendly on Itv (the Duke only has terrestrial TV), board games and Pie Week.

But I’m sad to report that the Duke has slipped.

I was served by two young girls with sullen faces who acted as if my presence had just ruined their night. I asked for an interesting, seasonal beer and they gave me Young’s Bitter. They had no idea about the pies.

The Duke’s board game selection was reduced to about 5 and both games we tried were missing so many pieces we would’ve had more fun playing with the empty boxes.

Oh dear.

We drank our pints, left and watched the game at home.

There are several pubs on Portobello Road that seamlessly transition from catering to tourists on the weekend to locals during the week (Portobello Star for one) but the Duke isn't one. Now it feels as if you’re paying tourist prices for tourist service.

I won’t be hurrying back.

The heart of the city

Wednesday night.

Comedy at the Tabernacle.

What’s the difference between a kangaroo and a kangaroot? A kangaroo is an Australian marsupial. A kangaroot is a Geordie stuck in an elevator.

And so it is with this comedy night. Some jokes fly through the air and cut glass with their acerbic wit, others fall to the ground with a head-scratching ‘what the hell was that about?’

Five acts. Three I’d pay to see again. Two I’d pay not to see again. And a very funny compare.

But that’s not really the point of coming here though. This is as iconically Notting Hill as Portobello Road is but without the tourists. It’s a beautiful Grade II listed building divided into a theatre upstairs, a bar and restaurant downstairs, studios, gallery and a board room. There are nooks and crannies and booths and corners to hide away in. Free WIFI and cans of Red Stripe.

The Tabernacle is multi-purpose- I’m coming back for the street dance classes on Saturday and the mid week yoga- and the heart of the Notting Hill carnival.

The Stones and Pink Floyd rehearsed at the Tabernacle, Lilly Allen debuted here.  If the walls could speak they’d speak of history and racial tension and ultimately of pride and community.

And that is what I got when I came here on Wednesday. A little piece of the fiercely independent and proud Notting Hill I love.

The Tabernacle

Gorillas in the mist

Sunday afternoon.

I walked past the giant gorilla today. Nope, not a euphamism. A straight-up gorilla.

This is what I love about this great neighbourhood. There are a lot of seriously wealthy families who can afford the spare cash and the space in the garden for a giant gorilla and instead of hiding in their backyard they share it with us.

Apparently, they don’t mind kids entering their garden and saying hello to it. Not sure how they’d feel about adults.

The giant gorilla is on Rosmead Road.

Rosmead Road

Chicken or beef?

Saturday afternoon. I’ve finally found a pub playing the football, that allows kids, is not a sports bar and is close to home. The holy grail!!

Welcome to the Earl Percy.
I’ve walked past this pub a million times and to be honest, it’s not the most of inviting of pubs but web research showed that it broadcast the football. So off I went with the family in tow and low expectations.

Kids allowed. Tick.

Premier League on TV. Tick.

Pub not sports bar. Tick.

Close to home. Tick.

And then there were the extra unexpected bits: deep leather couches next to the fire, all day Thai menu (£4.50), bottles of wine on the cheap (£14 for our Peter Lehmann Shiraz), not too crowded, friendly staff.

Ah, the joys of losing an afternoon to the football.

The only gripe I have for the Earl Percy (which sounds like it should be rhyming slang) is the food. Like all the questionable culinary experiences, ie  weddings, economy class aeroplane food etc, when faced with question, “Chicken or beef?” the answer is always chicken. I chose poorly with the beef in oyster sauce, the other chicken curry choices (green and yellow) were excellent.

The Earl Percy

Walking on a dream

Monday night. Celebrity Tour of Notting Hill.

Not that I’m a celebrity stalker but this colourful neighbourhood is well, colourful. I loved the stories of Sir Richard Branson running down Portobello Road in his pants being chased by his lover’s husband and where he launched Virgin Records; of the Tabernacle where Lilly Allen first performed as a 6 year old; of the mews location for the Italian Job; of the church hall where Pink Floyd rocked out; of the studio where Radiohead recorded OK Computer and Lady Gaga, Pokerface. 

I had to cut the already truncated tour short and only managed 45 minutes- the full tour is around 2 and a half hours- but I’m signing up for the full version in spring or summer.

You can keep your celebrity ‘Jason Donovan lives here’ and ‘Elle lives here’, quite frankly they’re entitled to their privacy, but when you start unravelling the fabric of this neighbourhood you get the feeling that anything is possible.

There’s a great sense of anti-establishment, creativity, freedom, hedonism, inclusiveness and endless possibilities. It’s a heady cocktail, which the tour pointed out, several have overdosed on but for me, it’s invigorating.

I walked home with a spring in my step and the feeling that perhaps anything really is possible.

And I understood why Richard Curtis so desperately wanted to share Notting Hill with the world. After all, aren’t I doing exactly the same thing?

Celebrity Tour of Notting Hill

Working from home at the pub

Monday afternoon and I didn’t quite make it into work today. 

Not that I’m not working. I’ve got so much to do and follow-up on from last week that I started at 7am at the kitchen table and when I looked up it was 10am. Oh well. Best to work from home today.

But one can’t spend all day inside the house in pyjamas so where to?

WIFI is a pre requisite and there seems to be an abundance of cafes that offer internet with BT Openzone or similar. But why pay when you can get it for free?

1. Duke of Wellington. Free wireless internet, just ask for the wireless key. A touch on the expensive side for food and non-alcoholic drinks but on the plus side you can be in the heart of Portobello Rd enjoying the buzz while catching up emails. Music is quite loud for taking phonecalls- you’ll definitely need to step outside.
2. Progresso. Across the road from the Duke, Progresso offers really good coffees and lighter and cheaper lunch options.  Pay by the hour wireless internet or for the savvy, log onto the Dukes’.
3. The Elgin. Huge windows overlooking the busy Ladbroke Grove but a sleepier pace due to fewer tourists. Free wireless, just ask for the wireless key. Music is hit and miss and will pick you up, make you groove, or have you crawling the walls with the musac but you won’t need to go outside for phonecalls.

The best thing about working from the pub is the seamless transition into after work drinks.

I think it just turned beer o’clock. Cheers!