Seventeen offers authentic yet inventive Chinese cuisine featuring an eclectic mix of dishes from Chinese local regions including Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghai. The dining and bar area seamlessly combines contemporary design with traditional Chinese elements. There is also a semi-closed private function area suitable for parties or special occasions.
Seventeen
Restaurant & Bar in Notting Hill
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All In London Review
Elegant Chinese restaurant in the heart of Notting Hill
Upon entering the restaurant after walking around in arctic temperatures, a wave of calm washed over me. Not only was I safely away from the slippery roads and hypothermia, but I found the subtle lighting and dark wooden furniture soothing after having had a battle with frostbite. We were seated upstairs, however a trip to the toilets downstairs revealed an even more elegant dining area which retained hints of Chinese décor i.e. lion’s heads engraved into the walls.
The menu is extensive, and features page upon page of delicious sounding seafood, meat and fish dishes, making it difficult to choose. We eventually opted for a tasting menu, which can be made up or chosen from the back of the menu.
To start with we were brought soups, one with chicken and oyster mushrooms and the other a vegetarian option with sweetcorn to cater to my friends’ diet. Pieces of chicken cooked with cumin and chilli on skewers arrived, and were flavoursome without being overly spicy – we had been alerted to the heat of some of the dishes in Sichuan food.
The sole cooked in chilli oil was another matter. Floating in a bowl with chillies, bean sprouts and peppercorns, it was amazingly well cooked and deceptively spicy. The intense heat only set in as an aftertaste, making us gulp down our rice to alleviate its symptoms.
We were brought pieces of pork on the bone were also spicy yet easier to the palate. A dish of asparagus, mushrooms, peppers and gingko nuts as an extremely moreish accompaniment, and the marble tofu was extremely soft and fell apart when picked up with chopsticks – another good choice to accompany the spicier dishes.
To end our meal we were brought a fruit platter with crushed ice which brought our temperatures back down, therefore we felt the need to order two jasmine teas before returning to the cold. The wonderful smell and warmth of the tea awoke our senses once again. We’d certainly felt them heightened this evening.
Seventeen is a far better a restaurant than many of the Chinese in town. Food is of a high standard and service is impeccable; dishes are reasonably priced too. A definite winter warmer.
Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jan 26, 2010
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