Nestled in Notting Hill’s unique charm just a short walk from Portobello Road we were captured by the organic concept that is Tiny Leaf. Summer is just around the corner and healthy eats is the hot topic in the studio right now, so we thought this was the perfect place to start out.
The restaurant’s organic ethos not only helps the local community but also minimizes waste and export emissions by sourcing food locally. They use the ‘wonky’ and ‘irregular’ looking food supermarkets usually throw away despite being perfectly good for use and by composting all organic waste in the restaurant they manage to substantially reduce their carbon footprint while educating others by demonstrating how much they can create from ‘waste’.
A simple, yet easy to spot entrance welcomes you straight into the main dining and bar area of around 35-40 covers, capturing your attention with a beautiful living wall behind the bar, this, combined with this the natural materials, compliment the food. The chalkboard behind the bar easily homes a unique seasonal menu and is surrounded by another beautiful living wall set with 3 large industrial style overhanging lights. The rest of the lighting was quite intimate, along with a candle and potted plant on each table and simple wall lights.
The warm ambience of the place was clear as soon as you walked in, from the shelving omitting a golden glow next to the open kitchen gantry, to the various people dotted around with laptops on cozy banquette seating feeling like you’ve walked straight into a hygge inspired home. The relaxed atmosphere encouraged by the friendly staff makes you feel like you’re having a relaxed evening at a friend’s home, along with incredible food of course.
The menu on paper is slightly vague due to the daily change, however the waitress was more than happy to repeat the options (there was so many it was hard to take in the first time) and offer additional flavoring options for each. The pricing was fair, around £25 per head for 3 large courses.
We started with the courgetti and almond pesto with greek basil. A large portion, wonderfully seasoned with juicy tomatoes dotted around the place adding extra flavor – we savored every bite.
For main we had the ‘market place’, which on this day included aubagine, carrots, courgette, onion, sprouts, beetroot, celeriac.
For such a large meal we didn’t feel at all weighed down, it was the perfect size and for such a large range of veg, it all complimented each other wonderfully.
We also ordered the Yellow and Green Curry made of chickpeas, a range of colourful veg with a hint of cinnamon and it tasted amazing.
We chose the apple and pear crumble with a side of yoghurt and honey for dessert. With crumble, the best part is the main biscuit part (which Tiny Leaf substituted with a seed based top) however it was so sweet and yummy we didn’t feel guilty pigging out!
We think it’s incredible that Tiny Leaf restaurant has taken on the organic idea and are managing to help the environment in a work sector where so much food is wasted daily.
In a city as influential as London and with the growing number of vegetarians and vegans in today’s society we think there is a growing gap in the market for restaurants like Tiny Leaf and I hope they have inspired more restaurants to reconsider their wastage.
