I don’t know if you spotted my post on Asia de Cuba a couple of week’s ago but I’ve recently dipped a tentative toe into the world of beauty, booze and restaurant reviews. My second culinary adventure took me back to the familiar territory of High Street Kensington. Having been a die-hard West Londoner until pretty recently, I always feel very much at home whenever I venture back in that direction so naturally I leapt at the chance to review Naga Restaurant, a Pan Asian joint opposite Holland Park.

Since my trip to Naga I haven’t been entirely sure how, or indeed whether to write it up. La Petite Anglaise isn’t about slagging things off but at the same time, I do want to be honest both with you and the places I review. In some ways, Naga is an absolutely lovely restaurant. Intimate, independent and adorably decorated with palms, fans and a darker, bar area by the entrance. As for the service, it was some of best I’ve ever encountered. While I was a smidge dubious at only being given the option of red or white wine, the bottle we were presented with by the charming manager was really rather delicious. Many of the other reviews I’ve read praised the food at Naga so this, like any post, is just one distinctly non-expert opinion on it.

Unable to decide on a starter, my dining companion Tayler and I asked said manager to surprise us. Mere minutes later we were presented with a beautifully arranged platter of crispy coated balls of silken tofu which the Naga chefs make themselves from scratch. Generally speaking I’m not really a fried tofu kind of girl but I have to admit, they were tasty. When it came to mains, I ordered  Tamarind King Prawns with Lemongrass while Tayler opted for the Mongolian Lamb Cutlets. It was at this point where the meal came slightly unstuck when said prawns arrived looking suspiciously tempura like in a thick, dark sauce; no doubt nice but not exactly what I was expecting. Admittedly this probably says more about my own ignorance than the chef and the Naga staff were extremely understanding, returning a few minutes later with a second less saucy version of the prawn dish. I think I might have got the wrong end of the stick with the mixed seasonal veg which was also a little on the gooey side. In the end, I ended up snaffling quite a bit of Tayler’s lamb which came served on the bone with a dollop of plum sauce and was juicy, meaty perfection.

In lieu of pudding we decided to sample the extensive cocktail menu. In the interest of experimentation Tayler ordered a Naga Fizz while I swapped my usual Lychee Martini for a Chilli version. Sour yet sweet, dizzyingly strong and served in novelty glasses both were just about everything you’d want in a cocktail and by time time we left, it’s safe to say neither of us were entirely sober.

While I did enjoy my evening at Naga I couldn’t help but feel the food, or at least what we ordered, would been more accurately described as Chinese than Pan Asian. That said, the service was fantastic, the cocktails imaginative and my reservations were no doubt more down to personal taste than any fault on their part. If you’re a fan of reasonably priced, good quality Chinese food and live in West London then I’d definitely recommend it.

Love Ella. X

Naga Restaurant can be found at 2 Abingdon Road, London, W8 6AF