I received an email from The Mistress of Festivities, Lalie was her name and she is the female creative half of The Wandering Chef, partner to Jamie who is the chef cooking the French decadence of ‘ The Ultimate Dinner Party’ at The Little Yellow Door Pop-Up in Notting Hill! Their supper club takes place every Friday evening, doors open at 6pm, dinner starts at 7.30pm pronto until later in the evening when the banquet style dining gets a reshuffle, turning into a living room house party with music and cocktails!
As I arrived the tables were set with hungry faced invitees, it was packed with excited ‘It’s a Friday!’ faces of anticipation! Oh by the way, The Ultimate Dinner Party is booked up until January so you better get on their waiting list! It will be worth it!
The Little Yellow Door welcomed me with their House Surprise Punch, everyday a different punch mixed with alcohol brought from the patrons. A bright pink cocktail with a giant swirl of cucumber in the middle, not to sweet and perfectly refreshing! You can order from a bespoke wine menu or choose cocktails from The Little Yellow Door’s drinks list to compliment the fabulously French dining experience! I tried their Libertine cocktail served in a teacup with a biscuit on the side- naughty!
Now first things first! There is a new flatmate called Pierre at The Little Yellow Door Pop-up, so we have to pay homage to him for his involvement towards the epic food consumed. Starters were laid out: Duck and Pork Rillettes served au Tatare, Froie Gras, Roast Chicken and Liver Mousse with a Quince and Raisin Chutney, French Charcuterie with Mustard Sauce, Salted Cucumber and Radish, All served with Green Salad, Crostini and Warm Baguette. Erm, I may have overeaten at this point because well, it was so damn tasty with a complex diversity of flavours and textures! Contain yourself here because there are three more mouth watering courses to munch through!
Second entrée was a Celeriac Veloute with Shredded Duck Breast, Brown Shrimp, and Persillade. Lalie personally walked around with a giant teapot, pouring and filling up everyone’s bowls with this hearty warm veloute, eyes wide open with excitement as she moved around each table with the personal touch! This was my winning dish, creamy, crunchy and meaty!
Feeling rather full? This is a French- inspired menu so don’t come if you want to eat kale and sashimi, this is hearty, wintery decadence. The main meal was a slow cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato Dauphinoise and a warm winter vegetable salad. The salad with extremely tasty, crunchy raw ingredients mixed with roast vegetables.
And breathe…Pudding was a selection of Petit Four sprawled across the bar; Chocolate & Salted Praline Tartines, Pain des Epice and Cherry Crème Brulee, Calvados Fudge. For those who could stand, it was a no brainer, these lovely little treats were the perfect size to try one of each, anymore and I would have gone over the edge. Personally the Pain des Epice were ‘joy’ coated in a crust however everyone seemed to have a favourite!
In summary, c’est magnifique! Merci Le Wandering Chef!! There is no surprise they are fully booked. At £35 a ticket, it’s amazing value! Once the dinner is finished, you can stay for the ‘House Party’. Maybe try one of their Expresso Martini’s to take you all the way through the night. There is a den, which opens at this point! If you are a group of 6 or more and you would like to reserve a bar table for after dinner, please whatsapp the flatmate Kam on 07738 195996- he’s the party one.
68 Notting Hill Gate: The Little Yellow Door
