Nearby highlights Notting Hill is a film lover's paradise with a choice of beautiful cinemas. Our favourite is the atmospheric Coronet (103 Notting Hill Gate, coronet.org), where Hugh Grant wears his prescription scuba diving mask in the film of the locale. Alternatively, go to the Electric (191 Portobello Road, electriccinema.co.uk) and recline on a leather sofa for two; they also have a great American diner. If you're there, pop into the Museum of Brands (2 Colville Mews, Lonsdale Road, museumofbrands.com) nearby, which manages to be charming, amusing and nostalgic at the same time.
For a memorable drink, your best bet is the Churchill Arms (119 Kensington Church Street, churchillarmskensington.co.uk). Completely covered with riotous greenery, this Fuller's pub has a surprisingly excellent Thai kitchen that serves cheap green curry amid quirky decor.
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Did you know? Notting Hill Gate was one of the stars – along with its staff, passengers and carnival-goers – of the BBC2 documentary The Tube. The toll gate from which it takes its name was actually removed four years before the station opened in 1868. Refurbishments to the station two years ago revealed lift passageways abandoned since 1959. Contemporary posters preserved in the forgotten tunnels can be seen here.
