The Elgin

It is one of Notting Hill’s most recognisable pubs and that’s no surprise because there is something always going on. From food festivals to live music, The Elgin is a very modern venue. Done up in that part grand dining room, part ale house, part old factory style that West London pubs seem to like, The Elgin also throws in some oddball statement pieces to keep you guessing. There is chintz, exposed brickwork, handsome tiling and a gigantic oil painting of a 20th Century musicians Last Supper. So far, so mixed.

On entering you’re faced with the long straight bar that serves the first room before curving round into a small lounge section. It is apt that you can immediately establish that The Elgin is clearly split into different sections because this is a pub that does a lot of different things. The draught beers lined up along the bar represent a good range from the local Camden Brewery to Continental lagers and there is an extensive wine list in relation to the pub’s size. The food menu is adventurous but we stick with the burgers. Served with chips and in a brioche bun, they are juicy, salty and satisfactory but not quite good enough to justify the £13 we pay to have them with bacon and cheese. But worse than an expensive burger is the half pint of prawns we order. Some are pink and warm but the rest are cold, translucent and raw. Not in the mood to make a fuss – although if there is any food worth making a fuss of then it’s uncooked shellfish – we merely ask for them to be cooked again. However, we were surprised to find them left on the bill at the end of the meal.

Once we’re over prawn-gate we watch a live band that play from the permanent stage in The Elgin’s back room. The pub features a proper programme of live music and you can turn up most nights of the week and see a band. In addition, the pub also hosts life drawing classes, quizzes and other events. Despite the prawn mishap we can't be too hard on The Elgin. The music was fun and the service was impeccable.