We’d like to start things off with a brief little flirtation with philosophy – Jackson Boxer has reinvented his esteemed Notting Hill restaurant Orasay into something slightly more accessible & affordable, called Dove. The space is the same. The chef is the same. But the menu is different, and the concept has changed.
So is it a new restaurant?
The answer: no one cares, nerd, because it’s great. And when you’re elbow-deep in a burrata pizzette, philosophy suddenly gets lost somewhere between the creamy pillow of cheese and its moreishly crisp mattress. Boxer has a knockout on his hands, adding another notch to his ever-fattening culinary belt, where Henri and Brunswick House are already buckled into place.
You’ll find Dove perched on the extremely likeable Kensington Park Road, lingering in the cinematic glow directly behind The Electric, and anyone passing by wouldn’t notice much of a change from its previous incarnation. Inside, it’s still a charmingly light-sleeved space filled with wood & wicker, opening out into a skylight-illuminated alcove at the back. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and this place already has atmosphere in buckets – from the soft jazzy & afrobeat tunes spilling out like a warm hug, to the candles nestled into antique holders casting flickering pools of light across the tables, it’s relaxed but still has got Date-with-a-capital-D written all over it.
The main thing that has changed is the menu. Now, it’s something a lot more accessible, with less emphasis on challenging flavours or intimidating ingredients that you literally need to google. The first thing you should opt for is that pizzette, it’s honestly amazing. The burrata some wrapped in a scarf of pliantly soft mortadella, and the base is fried to a satisfyingly golden crackle. The black tomatoes are delicately arranged on a bed of sour cream, which cuts easily through the acid and the gently smoky chilli sauce on top. But the real star of the show is the roast chicken, which is tender, moist, and comes armed with a Bezos-level-rich red wine sauce.
To finish, you can’t go wrong with the chocolate cake, which is sweetened up with a quince jelly that tastes almost like floral honey. All told, after reinventing Below Stone Nest, he’s done it again here. Does that make him unstoppable..?
…we’ll leave that to the philosophers.
NOTE: Dove is open now, Tuesday to Saturday. You can find out more, and make a booking at the Dove website.
PREVIOUS PERK: Nudge Members +1 enjoyed an exclusive soft launch dinner on 13th January 2025, with 50% of the food. Don’t miss the next perk – sign up for a week’s free trial.
Dove | 31 Kensington Park Road, W11 2EU
While you’re in the area… check out Notting Hill’s best bars