The move at Ladbroke Hall in Notting Hill is to go for the jazz. Every Friday, in the Sunbeam Theatre at the rear of the building, an ensemble will gather on the stage at around 8pm; music may be enjoyed with a set menu and wine, or just drinks. I went not so long ago and the band was made up of a skinny bassist from Bulgaria, a pianist from Brighton, a drummer from Spain and a lady singer from Romania. She was special — husky tones, arms moving elegantly like candles, singing a mix of classics and her own folky numbers from home.
We’d eaten in the restaurant before. Sheets of mortadella, a warm octopus salad, a decent vittello tonnato and an artichoke risotto. Negronis gave way to wine, the room buzzed among big mad plants, and after all that it could only have been jazz. Italian food and jazz go hand-in-hand. Like Harry Kane and scoring goals or Noel Edmonds and daytime TV.
They kept it simple in the theatre, a little splashy. Jerry — probably not his name — took the baseline for a walk. We reverted back to negronis and sat a little mesmerised, a little transfixed. This singer held the room with muster. The lights were dim; white linen tablecloths soon became stained with barolo. Couples and friends gazed and sipped and sunk low into their seats as Friday evening rolled by. This is what Notting Hill is for, I thought, before remembering I couldn’t afford to live anywhere near it. I am not a princess-enjoying chef nor a bookshop owner with floppy hair. My hair is gone, for the most part. Thankfully nobody needs hair for jazz. Only ears. If anything, my ears are ideal in that they’re unobstructed.
Ladbroke Hall is a big, bold, fairly expensive place in west London, yet the jazz is far away from being intimidating or exclusive. Two courses over music cost £54, three are £60. Bottles of wine — vermentino, salentino — start at £50. Really not bad for these environs. Take the baseline for a walk, why don’t you?
79 Barlby Road, W10 6AZ ladbrokehall.com/
Bar snacks
Bar Crispin
Throughout July, Bar Crispin in Soho will welcome restaurants from all over Europe, from Barcelona tapas joints to hyper-chic Belgian bistros. Kicking off with Mesa Lobo, the Catalan specialists arrive on July 12, and the team will import its Barcelona flair with dishes such as squid with romesco sauce and crispy pork belly with gribiche and a side of homemade crisps. Wine will be flowing.
Cremer
A new bakery and canteen serving breakfast and lunch has opened opposite Hoxton Overground, where Molly’s used to be. The daytime venture is from the team behind listening bar Space Talk while the menu is the work of chefs formerly of Primeur and Polentina, which brings promise. Most interesting is the fact they’ve put kouign-amann on the menu, a laminated sweet Breton pastry-cum-bread. I hope they make a savoury version — as they do at the Troplong Mondot chateau in Saint-Emellion — because there might be no better vehicle for ham and cheese toasties.