The team behind Peruvian restaurant Pachamama has chosen Portobello Road as the location for its newest Greek-inspired venture, Zephyr. As soon as you step inside the white tablecloth-lined dining room, it’s clear that this is Greek dining with creative licence. Ok, it might not ooze the authentic rusticity of a traditional taverna, but it is utterly beautiful. Everything from the green-stemmed wine glasses and an impressive vase collection, to a single wax-engulfed candlestick that burns majestically at our table, speaks of curated, stylish details. The effect is feeling like we’re dining in an affluent Greek home.
The menu is a similarly fashionable blend of classic ideas (bread, dips, salads, meats) spruced up with modern flavours and techniques. At times it’s confusing – such as a raw dish of yellowtail paired with yuzu, citrus and jalapeno - but it’s never not delicious. Zephyr’s tomato salad, for example, is a feat of beauty in simplicity, with fleshy chunks of beef tomatoes steeped in their own sweet, olive oil-enhanced juices. A generous bread basket comprising garlicky pitta breads, charred sourdough and bread crisps was a superior vessel for its side of smoky aubergine dip, heady with cumin and finished with crispy onions. One of its signatures - crispy potato terrine - is a must-order: two golden cubes of layered potato with creamy-soft centres and topped with a generous dollop of cheesy truffle custard. Elsewhere, a humble chicken breast was cooked to juicy perfection and swimming in a lemon butter sauce. This is undoubtedly highly competent cooking.
An erratic price list means that dinner could cost anything between £50-100 per head before drinks. That tomato salad, for example, is £16, while the most expensive sharing plates go for £50. Still, that doesn’t stop a mass of Notting Hill locals vying for a seat at 9pm on a Thursday (we passed queues of hopefuls on our way out). Besides, we can see the appeal. Zephyr is fun, glamorous and gorgeous – who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?