Kensington Hot Spots

[Wes Davidson]

I'm going to London in May and I am staying in Kensington. What are the good spots for dining in the mid price range. And what are the good live music venues? I like all food and music, just looking for quality.
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[laz]

A few questions.... and a few suggestions....

What do you consider mid-price range? Eating out in London can be very expensive or (reasonably) cheap, and somewhere in the middle tends to be on the expensive side! (If that makes any sense). You'll do well to have dinner with a couple of drinks in a mid-range restaurant in London for under £30--a-head, although if you look hard enough you can eat in a proper restaurant for about £20-a-head (although typically these are one of the many ethnic cuisines available). But mostly, for really good food you're looking at £40-50 (ignoring some of the ridiculously priced places that serve fabulous food but require a re-mortgage to go to...)

Where in Kensington are you planning to stay? This makes a difference to recommendations, as the Hyde Park end of South Kensington is just a short hop from Soho and the West End, while Kensington High Street is more suited for Notting Hill, and West Kensington is further out still. On the other hand, if you're willing to explore a bit on the Tube, nowhere is really out of reach....

Some good places in the Kensiington area in the £30-50 range are:

- Whits - off Kensington High Street. Modern Fusion/British style
- Kitchen W8: just off Kensington High Street and down the same street as Whits - gets good reviews, but I have not been to there yet as it's quite new! Also Modern British
- Clarke's: near Notting Hill gate Tube. Another serving eclectic British
- Zaika - fantastic (but quite expensive) modern-style Indian
- Karma - cheaper Indian option near Olympia (I remember it being hard to find...)

A couple of cheaper otions:
- Addies Thai Cafe: incredible (and cheap!) Thai cafe...near to Earl's Court (one of my favourites!)
- Leong's Legends: Taiwanese and dim sum (have only been to the Chinatown branch, but believe there is another in Notting Hill)

Hope this helps....
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[Wes Davidson]

We're staying at the K West Hotel, which is in West Kensington. £30-£50 is in the realm of possibility. I don't drink, so that cuts out a major expense. Any recommendations for dancing?
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Fine art photographer in Maine

http://zwickerhillphotography.com

[laz]

[Wes Davidson]

I love Chinese. One of my favorite dining experiences was in Seattle's Chinatown at one of the massive dim sum halls. We had a Chinese speaking guide though, which made it that much better.
_________________
Fine art photographer in Maine

http://zwickerhillphotography.com

[Wes Davidson]

Just returned from my trip. Ate some great food in Chinatown and Brick Lane. As far as dancing I went to the Notting Hill Arts Club for their Thursday night YoYo event. Pretty awesome, straight hip-hop and jam packed. Efficient bar staff, so there was barely a wait for drinks. Very interesting mix of people.
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Fine art photographer in Maine

http://zwickerhillphotography.com

[karamba]