"At Dove, you can count the amount of cheeseburgers made per service on both your hands. Raoul’s in New York famously does this, and the limited buzz could feel like a gimmick from a Notting Hill restaurant wanting to replicate that kind of noise. Only, the burger is sensationally good. And frankly, knowing you got one of the few makes it tastes even better. Despite being just off Portobello Road and pouring Ruinart by the glass, this European-ish restaurant feels refreshingly unpretentious. Families of six pile onto tables for plate-licking roast chicken (with Café De Paris butter) and moreish fries (duck fat, of course), while at dinner things get sultry, mopping up winter tomatoes in sour cream and chilli crisp. Splitting a gorgonzola burger that glows pink by candlelight is our kind of love language. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch All of those dishes are lovely. With the help of a few west London servers who act like they’ve been mixing martinis since their tweens, Dove shows that a delicious meal with creative ambition can still be relaxed. That isn’t to say that everything on the menu works. There are some off-beat ricotta dumplings flavoured with lime leaf, the soft serve can be so-so in our experience, and a tepid red prawn potato cake has underwhelmed. But like football, the highs are more memorable than the lows. London is full of fussy restaurants. Dove isn’t one of them. In fact, it’s quite a lot of fun. Especially for anyone who enjoys a 6pm dinner. Because here, the early bird gets the burger. Food Rundown photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Deep Fried Taleggio & Wiltshire Truffle Lasagna When the words ‘deep fried’ and ‘lasagna’ appear on a menu, it’s a non-negotiable order. This one lives up to the expectations. The two snack-sized slices are perfect. Rich and nutty, oozing with the cheese and truffle, with a brilliant crunchy exterior. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Winter Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Chilli Crisp This simple but deceptively vibrant plate of winter tomatoes should 100% be on your table. It's creamy, tart, a little sweet, infinitely moppable, and an excellent advert for more adventurous uses of chilli crisp at home. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch 50 Day Dry-Aged Beef Burger With Gorgonzola There are only 10 of these glowing pink burgers made per day at Dove. It's not a gimmick, because the burger is made from the offcuts of the bavette and when it's gone, it's gone. Juicy and thick, but still retaining a certain crust to its edges, this rich creation is topped with onions cooked in champagne and butter, and a melted blanket of gorgonzola. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Duck Fat Fries A restaurant that respects its fries is a restaurant that we respect. These fries are perfectly crisp and fluffy, and won't last long on any table. photo credit: Jake Missing Hake, Pumpkin, Champagne This plate happily arrives with some unannounced cavolo nero which brings some much-needed bitterness to the party. It’s a wonderful, elegantly cooked dish. The hake is improbably tender and the pumpkin purée is as silky as you’d like. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Estate Dairy Fior Di Latte Soft Serve, Early Harvest Olive Oil, Oat Cookies Another menu item that jumps out at you, this soft serve has got even better since swapping madeleines for warm oat cookies. The fior di latte soft serve is luxuriously creamy and the olive oil and salt really works." - Jake Missing
