Champagne and Cocktails at ULI London

Set only a stones throw from Notting Hill Gate tube station in the leafy residential location of W11.

For those loving Asian cuisine then the menu at ULI offers a fine selection of fresh and vibrant dishes, innovation in the wide selection to choose from with a focus on clean and healthy options. Their focus is on traditional Chinese, Thai, Malay and Singaporean disciplines so to produce a unique menu that enables you to tour the delights of curries, fish and seafood, stir fried meats, wok fried shrimp and much more.

A relaxing yet vibrant restaurant, busy though calming and on the evening I visited it was full yet you felt embraced within the atmosphere so you were as one. The design of the interior is a calming mixture of modern art and pastel colours with half the floor area inside and half within the fixed and covered terrace. Their location is on a residential road within touching distance of other bars, restaurants and the likes of estate agencies whom windows boast multi million pound listings.

Along with art trader and enthusiast Umberto DiZenzo, we tried a selection of dishes from the small bites to main meal and each were clean and fresh, tempting and more’ish though none were over filling or left you feeling bloated, each led you on nicely to the other. The wok-fried daikon cakes with bean sprouts was presented well and nicely sized rectangular portions of daikon – Soft shell crab with a deep fried style coating though were savoury yet not oily – Thai sea bass fillet, steamed with chilli and lemongrass was a delicate dish with a fresh tasting sea base with plenty of flavours contained within the moisture of the dish – Beef with chilli and garlic was another non too heavy dish that contained plenty of flavours for the palate to enjoy.

So what about the fizz? Well fo a smaller outlet with constraints on storage area undoubtedly, their wine menu was of fair size with a selection of white and red with Lebanon, New Zealand, Chile and USA outside of the usual detailed options from France, Italy and Spain. The Champagne / Sparkling Wine list showed DOC Prosecco, Grower Champagne along with house label of Laurent -Perrier and Dom Perignon for those wishing to make it a very memorable occasion.

Stelle d’Itlaia Prosecco NV DOC: “Softer peach, pear and yellow apple aromas. Sweeter flavours of yellow apples and green pears.” £8 per glass

Champagne Claude Renoux Blanc de Noirs Brut NV: “Crisp and clean that paired well with many of the dishes to cleanse the palate between courses. A drier red berry, citrus and mineral taste sensation with subtle toast / brioche in the background.” £12 per glass

Cocktails anyone? Certainly a fine location to enjoy one or two from their list of which there were fizzy options:

Japanese Bellini – Jasmin tea & Prosecco

Rising Sun – woki sake vodka, Prosecco, raspberries & blackberries