Lisa’s, Portobello Road

You know when you really want to like a place? This was what I felt about recently opened Swedish restaurant Lisa’s.

I’d wondered past the new addition to Portobello Road one Saturday afternoon and instantly fell in love with the feeling of the place – all white washed walls, pretty flowers and distressed French vintage looking furniture…

So. I instantly emailed Lisa to get my place at a table and headed along this weekend with the boy and one of our favourite couples, one of whom happened to be Swedish – a perfect companion for the evening to test out the authenticity of the place.

We headed there for a 7.30pm sitting and were greeted on arrival with smiles and friendliness from all of the staff, being shown to our table in the small back part of the narrow restaurant. Lisa even came over and introduced herself to say ‘Hej!’! Exploring the menu, we were presented with a small offering but none the less varied. As you can see, there is everything from a Beef Burger special (done the Swedish way), to new takes on Swedish classics such as meatballs, Skagen Rora and Herring…

D wanted to experiment and so asked the waitress for a traditional cocktail to surprise him – this Dill infused number came back which was actually a surprisingly delicious concoction of vodka, egg whites, lemon juice and dill.

After a couple of drinks we were ready for the main event and ordered under the guidance of the lovely manageress Sara. We were advised to tuck into the Swedish Fish Gratin, along with two tapas portions and a couple of plates of the meatballs and a side of potatoes for the 4 of us. Here’s the result…

(Above: This was my favourite dish of the night – smoked salmon with an elderflower and apple salad)

(Above: It’s hard to make a fish pie look appetizing but the Fish Gratin was delicious with creamy mash potato, cod, salmon and shrimp all swimming in a rich Lobster sauce. Although the main dishes are at the pricier end, it’s worth it for the homecooked touch – although if you’re a big eater I would recommend having one of the tapas dishes too).

The lovely Hannah (above) enjoying her Skagen Rora, who was suitably impressed with the food of her home country and gave it a firm thumbs up when asked by Lisa herself what she thought of the food…It turns out the two Swedish beauties were from the same teeny tiny town and so bonded instantly – what are the chances!

Following dinner, we were treated to a traditional digestif called Punsh – very sweet and utterly delicious, which finished off the night on a real high. We left Lisa’s happy, full and with the definite urge to come back again – you don’t even need to come for food if you don’t fancy it either as the bar had an amazing atmosphere by the time we left around 10.30pm. I really recommend if you fancy a lovely slice of local friendliness with good food and drink in an astoundingly pretty setting. You know when you really want to like a place? Well…I certainly did.

If you pop along would love to know your thoughts too. You can find all the details here:

Lisa’s, 305 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5TD. Bookings: 07445 261 778, bookings@lisasportobello.com

LMNH XX