The Fat Badger is a rare thing: a secret you’ll want to keep, but probably won’t.
It’s a verrrry under-the-radar new bar & restaurant in Notting Hill, and you’ll find it just above Canteen – and find it you shall have to, because there is no website, no social media page. And when you do arrive at the address, there’s no sign either, nor even a velvet rope or surly doorman with a clipboard. There’s just a small picture of a badger (who, it should be noted, isn’t even conspicuously overweight). It’s been open for a few short weeks, but it’s developing an aura of in-the-know mystique typically reserved for speakeasies, Members’ Clubs, and the MI6 staff canteen.
And the most surprising thing? Is that it’s all completely unsurprising – the team behind it are the same ones responsible for the achingly cool Canteen itself, as well as the rejuvenated Pelican, and the maddeningly good grill at The Hero, and at this point they just seem to have hospitality sorcery hardcoded into their collective DNA.
So, once you’ve located that eponymous body-shamed mammal, just head up the stairs next to it, and you’ll find yourself at the bar. It’s all dark woods, flickering kerosene lamps, and silver tankards lining the shelves, and it feels atmospheric even if it’s empty – which it most assuredly won’t be. There’s a live band every Friday & Saturday night, who start early and end late, and you’re not unlikely to see a celebrity of some ilk in there (Noel Gallagher and Ariana Grande were both in the day before we visited, according to the band-member we chatted to). A lot of the tables will be booked – you’ll need to ask staff for the WhatsApp number if you want to reserve your own table next time.
After a pre-dinner drink, another flight of stairs takes you to the restaurant, where things feel like a cross between an Alpine lodge and a Scandinavian hunting cabin. The walls are wood-panelled, dried flowers hang above the tables, and a massive open kitchen at the back glows with the heat of a live fire. The candles on every table aren’t just there for mood either, they drip with beeswax, filling the air with the heady scent of warm honey on toast.
The man in charge of that open kitchen is head man George Williams, who recently commanded the stoves at The Bull at Charlbury. His hyper-seasonal, Anglo-centric set menu changes with the breeze, and is a total surprise each day. You’ll find out what you’re getting when as it hits the table – but will probably include the likes of oysters from Carlingford, a scallop dish with celeriac purée and an absurdly good wild garlic sauce poured tableside, and a hearty fillet of beef with bearnaise and Hasselback potatoes. Oh, and there are ice cream sandwiches for dessert. And after it’s all done, then you get a menu, handwritten and personalised to you.
The drinks hold their own too – aside from the day’s wine, there’s an Apple & Sorrel Sour so velvety and smooth it almost drinks like double cream.
Word to the wise, with the lack of an online menu, and no other way of finding out, it’s worth noting that the set menu currently costs £80 per head. So it’s not insane, but not insanely cheap either. But whatever you need the Fat Badger to be, whether it’s a quick drink & a dance, or a lazy candlelit dinner, the chances are it can probably be that place.
NOTE: The Fat Badger is open now – there are no online bookings, so just show up and take your chances. Once inside, you can ask staff for the WhatsApp number you can officially book under.
The Fat Badger | Above Canteen, 310 Portobello Road, W10 5TA
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