E&O

When you find yourself in an unfamiliar (not to mention extremely upmarket) borough of London for a friend’s wedding, deciding where to go for dinner without having to remortgage first could have been a challenge.
My preconceptions of Notting Hill were found to be unwarranted however, as we stumbled across E&O. From the front you’d think it was just a bar, as it was noisy and bustling with drinkers. Walk through towards the back and you’ll find their dark, relaxed, modern-​looking restaurant space. It’s rather minimal looking, with wooden slatted walls and uplights.
Service was efficient and friendly throughout the meal; we were asked for drinks and brought menus as soon as we sat down. We had edamame beans to nibble on whilst we had a look (I wish someone had told me beforehand that you’re not supposed to eat the pods — newbie failure!).
My tuna sashimi was very good but the portion size (for me) was a little on the small side. My friend’s crispy pork belly dim sum was the winner. The lamb rendang and sweet potato curry was truly delicious. Accompanied by a bottle of white wine it made for a satisfying, and relatively wallet-​friendly, evening of Asian fusion.

Consistently very high quality food — better black cod than Nobu as an example — and great ambience make we E&o the best trendy restaurant in Notting Hill.
Service can be a bit snotty, and it’s hard to get reservations, but that’s a small price to pay for their rock shrimp tempura with spicy mayo.
Will keep coming back.

Edemame not the best
Not very special
Good sushi the spicy tuna and salmon
Nice mojitos

I would highly recommend booking a table here, just in case. I can vary a lot from day to day how busy or not the restaurant is, so we’ve always found it’s better to be safe than sorry. E&O do a great range of dim sum, but the menu has a range of Asian cuisine from Japan, China, Thai and Korean — so there’s a great selection to pick from.
The pork gyoza are a particular favorite, along with the avocado & sweet potato tempura. It’s worth getting a few dishes to share on the table, as the servings aren’t the biggest but the fresh ingredients and great flavors make up for that.

Really great spot.
It definitely lives up to the hype.
The place has two sides, the relaxed chic restaurant side and the bustling bar at the entrance.
While the menu is pricey, I feel this is justified as they deliver expertly cooked food with an inspired menu and well mixed drinks. Also the waiting staff were very helpful and made some great food recommendations while making us not feel rushed.
The pork gyoza recommended was mind blowing.
In London it feels like a lot of hyped places rest on their laurels and massively disappoint, but after my evening at E&O i’m just excited to go back and try the rest of the menu,

Brilliant, fantastic, clever fresh food. Sometimes I’m a bit weary of fusion restaurants, but this place was just spot on.
From the moment we walked in, I was overwhelmed with plate after plate of gorgeous looking food racing out of the kitchen. The menu is an eclectic mix of various Asian cuisines ranging from Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese, classic dishes and flavours given a modern makeover.
I also love sharing small plates, and among our top dishes were the black cod shu mai, the sea bass carpaccio with truffle and fresh tomato, and the king prawn tempura. All beautifully presented and just fantastic.
And dessert– I’ll admit a banoffee pie was the last thing I expected the see on the menu, but if you like this dessert, order it! Presented in a jar, it was loaded with lush caramel, cream and fresh bananas. Oh… em. gee
The only thing stopping this place from earning a full 5 starts from me was the service– it started out well, but the rotating servers and lack of attention was a bit disappointing. Won’t stop be coming back for the delicious food!

I had been dieing to go here for the longest time and am so glad I finally did! I went here with a gf tonight and started out with a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. We started with edamame, which was unique with with soy/​mirin. We then went for the pumpkin miso gyoza, sea bass sashimi, duck and watermelon salad and the rock shrimp tempura.
Every dish was an explosion of flavour in my mouth just delicious! We ended the night with the hazelnut and praline mochi which was an amazing end to our night. The cool atmosphere plus the delicious food makes me want to go here every single night! :) love this place!

This place is cool. It’s atmosphere is
Informal and relaxed but equally feels a special place to eat. The food was amazing but particularly the starters consisting of sushi, sashimi, dim sum and dumplings. The sea bass and tuna were particularly good, yummy! If booking a table id ask for a side banquette as the central round tables are poorly lit. The black cod at £33 had to be tried (it was a treat after all) but not sure the hype justifies the price.
Will definitely go back.

Great asian fusion menu with a hip atmosphere on Portobello Road. Nice bar if you just want drinks and small plates. Dim Sum, sushi and sides are all delish. One of our favorite dishes was the sea bass. Good desserts too. Perfect for date night, girls night, something with a little sophistication!

Unilocal gives this $$, but I would say it is more like $$$. Fun food, very cool vibe and delish. It’s easy to find the wrong places in touristy areas like Portobello Road, but this is not one of them. I would highly recommend making a reservation. The dumplings are great. I went with my husband but this is a great singles hang out. Very chic and fun and the food menu is unique and delish!

Excellent atmosphere and terrific food (dumplings, ribs, calamari, etc). Staff was helpful with recommendations and overall the service was good.

We had lunch here recently and the food was delicious, unfortunately I cannot say the same about the service. The staff were quite rude and we couldn’t pay with card so my husband had to go and get some cash around the corner.

Saturday night and my full party was 30 minutes late for our reservation. Would they still honor it? Yes they did.
Nice crowd. From the folks waiting outside, the people seated inside and out, and the full bar area (completely packed). Good looking people.
Service was pretty good, a bit inconsistent in the beginning but better as the night wore on. Dish explanations were quite helpful.
I highly recommend the lychee & tomato cherry curry. Rice is not included — charged as a side. Large enough portion for one person’s full meal. The cod is very good but also pricey at £33! The sashimi was fresh and the sushi rolls ok (nothing to to talk about though). The chili salt squid and edamame are fine starters for the table. And the banoffee pie for dessert is delightful.
Being in London less than a week by this time, I hadn’t found a meal I enjoyed until this one. And I know it wasn’t the wine talking! Good food. Good quality. Pricey but won’t break the bank if you steer clear of the expensive mains.
Little early for lunch right now but thinking of that curry has me hungry…

Notting Hill’s own meat market, extraordinaire.
If there aren’t singles mingling at the bar its probably dead in Notting Hill.
Well made cocktails and a deep selection of wines by the glass (Kirin on draught).
The pan Asian cuisine is very good. Try the cod Shu Mai!

I’ve wanted to come here for a very long time, but it’s always completely booked.
Advice:
–book days/​weeks in advance
–show up announced at 10pm on a Sunday night
I did the latter.
Ambiance was great: chic, nice décor, swanky but still casual
Drinks were excellent — put lychees in anything and I’m generally happy.
Food was scrumptious.
Big ups to dim sum:
–the pork & ginger gyoza was maybe the best gyoza I’ve had in my entire life
–spare ribs were soft and tasty
Okay, I get why it’s always completely booked.

I’ve been to E & O now probably 4 times. I don’t love it here, but I don’t dislike it, and I will probably go back. I can’t exactly pinpoint it — maybe I just think the menu could use a bit more direction. For instance, it has Spicy Tuna rolls, Pad Thai, curry and watermelon duck salad — Japanase, Thai, Indian and Chinese (hopefully I got that right…). There’s just really no need for all the variety unless it’s all really good. Don’t get me wrong, its not bad at all. It’s just A-​OK, as my 3 star rating suggests. If you like celeb spotting, not a bad idea to check it out. I’ve seen Emma Thompson, and the Slumdog Millionaire couple here.

I came here to duck out of the rain in the mid afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to find great food, interesting drinks and accommodating staff.
We tried the Gyzoza, Pork Belly, Pork Ribs, Watermelon and Duck salad and had non-​alcoholic drinks spiked with booze. When you don’t want to feel guilty about drinking in the mid-​afternoon one must hide it in a ginger smoothie.
The food was really tasty and the drinks were great. There was a mix of hipsters with crazy mustaches and hand tattoos and mums with toddlers. Odd mix, but then again, it was 3 in the afternoon.
The coffee was delicious but it was had a ton of chocolate powder when it was supposed to be a non-​chocolate drink. Whatevers, a little bit of cacao didn’t hurt anybody.
I think the statement that its a cheaper Nobu really hit it on the head.

Guys! Great food, fun atmosphere and bearable prices … worth a visit

Style over substance — that’s how I would summarize this review.
E & O is where to go if you want to impress someone… maybe 3^rd or 4^th date worthy. The crowd is always stylish, and the cocktails are among the best in the area. The food however is a bit underwhelming considering you’ll spend a week’s salary before you leave. It’s not bad, it’s just that I’m usually skeptical of «Asian Fusion» and they seem to pull if off to a meet a minimum grade. I find it ridiculous that they would have pad thai on the menu and charge twice what you could get from anywhere else.
Pros: excellent service, great bar, cocktails
Cons: small portions, very expensive, must book in advance

Great drinks and friendly bar staff. Some of the best espresso martinis ever.
Used to come here quite a bit when I lived nearby, which explains why I was always broke!

Beliebt bei den Anwohnern, ist das E&O ein guter Platz für Drinks, aber auch zum Essen.
Der Bar-​Bereich ist ein Treffpunkt für junge, trendy Londoner und Ex-​Pats aus der ganzen Welt. Die Leute hier sind vorwiegend «posh», das heißt mit Geld und auf ihr Aussehen bedacht, aber die Atmosphäre dafür nicht übertrieben gekünstelt.
Das Essen ist sehr gut, allerdings nicht für einen schmalen Geldbeutel geeignet, somit dem gehobenen Londoner Niveau entsprechend — wobei es sicherlich nicht zu den teuersten Plätzen gehört.
Wer nicht gleich ca. 50 EUR pro Essen ausgeben möchte, sollte doch einfach auf einen Drink dorthin und dann in eines der umliegenden Lokale (die Straßen rund herum sind voll damit, da es um die Ecke der Portobello Road liegt) weiterziehen.
Leider macht es schon um 1 Uhr morgens zu, sonst wäre es sicher noch ein Ort für den späten Drink.

I came here with a friend for his birthday since he really had a hankering for some Thai and we thought this pan-​Asian restaurant would give us some high-​quality options and variety.
Firstly, the service was absolutely flawless… courteous, swift, pleasant — I give an outright five stars to our waiter — he was incredible at making us feel welcome and obligingly answered all of our questions and requests.
We started with cocktails and a starter. I ordered the edamame, which I thought could have used a longer soak in some sea salt, but my friend was in love with his prawn dumplings. We both ordered the Pad Thai (since we were in a Thai mood, after all) — mine was veggie and he went for the prawns. This was perhaps the most «fresh» pad thai I’ve ever had; lots of veggies and not blatantly greasy (which I liked). I also thought the prices were pretty reasonable given the high quality of the food and service.
One note on the level of «hipness» that this place is notorious for — I just didn’t get that vibe… I mean, it had a modernist twist, lots of black white, yes… but «hip»? I would say not-​quite. It was really really crowded, and all the tables are shoved so close together that you’re practically dining with the table next to you… plus, the noise level was more than a few decibels above what I consider imperative for a very chic or refined dining experience. Not that I didn’t like it — I did. I’d come back on a casual nothing of a Thursday night — but I *do* wish we’d chosen elsewhere for his birthday dinner — and would not recommend it to others for semi-​special occasions.