What: A stylish and contemporary plant-based restaurant, which has just launched on Portobello Road in London’s Notting Hill. Since launching at Urban Retreat in London in 2021, Holy Carrot built a popular following through a series of successful supper clubs. Originally due to launch in the autumn of last year, but delayed due to building work, Portobello Road marks the brands first bricks and mortar restaurant in the capital.
Who: Holy Carrot is the creation of first-time restaurateur Irina Linovich, who hails from Moscow and says she can trace her culinary journey back to childhood when she would join her grandmother on trips to eclectic local food markets. Having relocated permanently to London in 2016 following a stint working in fashion journalism as Vogue Ukraine's international producer, Linovich found herself inspired to embrace a vegan lifestyle after a ‘transformative trip’ to the Himalayas, which eventually led to the creation of Holy Carrot. For the opening in Portobello, Linovich has appointed Acme Fire Cult co-founder Daniel Watkins as executive chef. Watkins launched Acme Fire Cult with fellow Andrew Clarke back in 2022 in Dalston, the pair having previously worked together at the now-closed St Leonards in Shoreditch.
The food: Watkins’s menu is built around the same methods of fire and fermentation he championed at Acme Fire Cult. Working with small-scale producers and foragers, many of whom he shares personal and long-lasting relationships with, as well as notable premium producers such as Shrub, Natoora, Flourish and Primeur, the menu is designed to be free from industrial preservatives, additives and refined sugars where possible. Options are split between small and large plates, and snacks. Dishes include signatures from Holy Carrot’s previous iterations including the ‘sexy tofu’, which sees crispy tofu in a gochujang glaze served with a slow-roasted vegetable and peanut sauce and topped with sesame seeds and radish pickles. Many of the plates, though, are new, including the koji flatbread with chilli ragu and smoked mushroom; grilled watermelon with cucumber, seaweed and togarashi; and crispy celeriac with pickle butter and buffalo hot sauce. Prices are pitched accessibly, with smaller plates ranging from £7 to £12, and larger dishes coming in at £17 each.
To drink: Holy Carrot’s drink offering centres on a low-waste cocktail list created by the team at A Bar With Shapes For A Name in east London. It also features an ever-evolving selection of natural and biodynamic wines from suppliers such as Ellis Wines, Les Caves de Pyrene and Tutto.
The vibe: Overseen by London-based firm Al-Jawad Pike, Holy Carrot’s interiors feature a minimalist design with an earthy colour palette and modern furnishings. It’s a comfortable space, holding around 40 covers in total including a couple of outside tables.
And another thing: Holy Carrot’s kitchen follows a strict low-waste philosophy, utilising each ingredient in its whole form, with vegetable trim and peelings being used in sauces, broths and pickles.
156 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2EB