Palate Portfolio: Geales, Notting Hill

Notting Hill has been known for years as an exciting and vibrant cultural hotspot, so of course we had to visit. From multicoloured buildings to bustling street markets and quirky music venues, Notting Hill is truly an experience in itself. With a number of charming little cafes and independent restaurants it’s the perfect spot for a number of baby foodies like ourselves.

Located in the heart of Notting Hill just a 2 minute walk from Notting Hill Gate station and nestled along one of the tiniest alleyways is Geales. Established in 1939, Geales has continued to be a neighbourhood favourite for its quality fish and chips and seafood-based menu. Although its success has led to the opening of a new branch in Chelsea Garden in 2010, our team wanted to pay a visit to their OG restaurant to track down what the sudden fuss on social media was about. Considering it was fish and chip day, it was a great excuse to hit up Geales and tuck into some crunchy, crispy and fresh fish and chips.

On arrival we felt as though we’d been teleported to a charismatic little seaside town, but alas! The smell of smoke and exhaust fumes were a huge reminder of the industrial revolution. The lack of salty air was disappointing. Nonetheless, Geales’ pale white exterior was so simplistically beautiful and so aesthetically pleasing, and since we went on such a warm sunny day, the summer vibes were so real. Upon entering, we encountered an old, rusty anchor propping the door open, which tempted a member of our team to attempt to pick it up, but mind you he was extremely unsuccessful (weakling). The interior was warm and rustic, where the wooden tables and floors made us feel as though we were inside a pirate ship – you know on the black pearl or something. Everything was so in tune with the vibe of the restaurant, considering it specialises in fresh fish.

Considering the team had just finished with our second-year university exams, the past few weeks consisted of pret, meal deals and wasabi just outside LSE, which was honestly getting so fucking boring. Sleep deprived and hangry we browsed through the menu and genuinely were so excited by what we saw. From an array of fish and chips to grilled lobster and smoked haddock, the choices were absolutely endless and painful decisions needed to be made. In the end, we settled for the grilled whole native lobster with chips and spring onion butter, the virgin mary lobster linguine and of course the classic peterhead haddock fish and chips with sides of creamy spinach – yeah we went all out, we’ve had a tough year, let us be. We also ordered G&T’s, because how else do you celebrate the end of exams? WITH ALCOHOL of course!

The waft of food from the kitchen was just too much for our exhausted, hungry souls and left us drooling at our table. When the food came out, we almost cried of happiness. The fish and chips looked so golden and crispy, whilst the lobster/lobster linguine looked so fresh. We sacrificed a good 5 minutes trying to get the perfect shot of everything for you guys so we hope you appreciate it (an agonizing 5 minutes because we were so hungry). We immediately tucked into all our delicious goodies and were completely gobsmacked. The fish and chips were so crunchy and their homemade tartar sauce was SO rich, exquisitely exceeding all expectations. Of course while the grilled whole lobster was so sweet and fresh and warmed us up real good, our MVP of the night was undeniably the lobster linguine. The fresh tomato-based and caper pasta was accompanied by large chunks of lush lobster which was infused into the sauce; it was heavenly recipe for success.

It was time. for. dessert. Our top buttons were popping off and our food babies were now quite clearly due, but the call of the warm apple crumble (baked fresh to order) was loud. The gooey-berry-appley base was topped with buttery crumble, which we then drizzled with warm custard. This homey dessert was a sweet, zesty treat which melted in our mouths and was the perfect end to a yummy meal.

Overall, Geales is such a delectable and beautiful hidden gem in a such a fun, vibrant and free area and we will 100% be back.

– OUR MVPS –