Pomona’s Notting Hill

Pomona’s got a fairly scathing review last year in the guardian and a decent chunk of the article was dedicated to the author’s hatred of ‘yummy mummies in nappy valley ghetto squads’ & ‘a flotilla of designer buggies’ (Direct quotes). Before I was a Mum I might have sneered at this too but now I am one, the realisation is that if you write like this then you hate women. ‘How dare women with children want to socialise together?!’ is effectively what is being said here. It got my back up. I respect and support people who choose not to have children but I often feel that I’m not afforded the same support in reverse when I’d just like to have brunch without having to leave my kid at home.

The guardian review wasn’t overly keen on the food either so Pomona’s of Notting Hill have just had a big revamp. New menu and no more Hartbeeps classes in their upstairs space. The first change a triumph, the second a disappointment. Pomona’s used to be a pub and has the kind of space that a pub would have except they’ve brought in a light colour scheme with pops of colour and a vast array of potted plants. The guardian sneered at this too. I thought it was lovely and spacious and made me feel at ease. The service was very friendly and helpful in terms of managing Max who is teething like a mofo right now. I had to take him out of the main restaurant to pin him down and calpol him during the meal and no one minded.

Overall there were some hits and misses with the menu, some of the starters were disappointing. A portion of croquettes was very, very salty but the mains and desserts were wonderful. On first glance the menu reads very safely, the desserts especially, but the dishes are mostly executed very well. Max was also deeply invested in the butternut squash and mozzarella arancini.

What’s good? The space is easy with kids. The lamb was wonderful. The rhubarb Eaton mess absolutely delicious and the sticky toffee pudding sundae pretty decent too.

Kid friendly? Very much so but I get the feeling the restaurant are trying to make a slight U turn on this. There was mention of a problem with a large number of buggies and also you know, that horrible guardian review.

✓baby change facilities

✓highchairs available

✓cool with breastfeeding

✓loads of other parents

✓space for buggies

✗children’s menu

✗toys/play area

Rating ????

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