[title]
Please note, Pomona’s has relaunched with a new menu and head chef. This review relates to the venue as it was in 2017. Time Out Food editors, July 2019.
Walking into Pomona’s is like pushing through the wardrobe into Narnia. But instead of a snow-covered forest, you find a slice of sunny California on the other side. Formerly dark, leather-bedecked gastropub The Commander, it’s seen an impressive transformation. There’s a casual SoCal vibe: whitewashed walls, trailing greenery, botanical prints and David Hockney-esque pops of zesty colour.
Ingredients are resoundingly British but the menu is all-American. Buttermilk waffles and soft scrambled eggs for all-day brunchers, sharing plates and bigger dishes in the evenings. There’s a fun cocktail menu and a Californian-heavy wine list too.
The sea bass with saffron pearl couscous was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and delicately flavoured. The Pomona’s cheeseburger with fries and daikon slaw was a little disappointing, and felt overpriced at £16 when you can get a seriously tasty burger and still have change from a tenner lots of places in London. The highlight was smoked mackerel rillettes. Intensely smoky fish, drizzled with jalapeño, ginger and mint pesto, it was punchy, peppery and laced with just the right amount of heat.
Pomona’s is on the pricy side, but it’s a buzzy and unpretentious place to spend an evening in the Notting Hill area. Staff are as smily as they are in California – you’ll definitely leave feeling like you’ve spent a few hours in the sunshine.