Inside the most famous West London restaurant you’ve never heard of

Beloved by celebrities from Kate Moss to David Hockney, Clarke’s celebrates its 35th anniversary
Sally Clarke's entrance
Clara Strunck27 December 2019

Sally Clarke never expected her business to take off quite as it did.

‘I thought I’d run a little restaurant for a few years, then move to the country and have a restaurant with rooms there, cooking from the garden,’ she says. ‘But the whole thing snowballed a bit.’

This is a bit of an understatement. But of course, anyone who has visited Clarke’s will know that understatement is part of the charm. Classic, notoriously simple British menus plus discrete interiors (and staff to match) have ensured the restaurant, which opened on Kensington Church Street in 1984, is still going strong after decades – this week, it celebrates its 35th birthday.

Clarke took a hotel and catering operations course at Croydon Technical College before progressing to the Cordon Bleu School in Paris, and had stints working for Prue Leith and in America. She has published two books, opened a shop and launched a bakery that now supplies big names from Selfridge’s to Fortnum & Mason. ‘It’s a little more than half my life,’ she says, sounding somewhat astonished. ‘It’s been a lovely, happy evolution really.’

Notting Hill’s smart set and famous faces alike love the restaurant for its unobtrusive, understated approach. Artist Lucian Freud was a fan - he was said to eat breakfast and lunch here nearly every day – as DOES his memoirist, editor of the Daily Mail, Geordie Greig. Kate Moss, David Hockney, Roman Abramovich and Bono have also been known to take a seat at the white-clothed tables. ‘I think one of the reasons Freud was so comfortable here is that we never make a fuss about people, whoever they are,’ says Clarke. ‘We don’t bang our drum about who comes; we’ve never been that sort of restaurant. We treat duchesses in the same way as dustmen.’

The interior at Clarke's

Those duchesses, dustmen and everyone in between are, when not in the restaurant, usually to be found in the shop opposite – which sells everything from sandwiches to soups, sausage rolls to soufflés and, of course, the famous pre-prepared chicken pies, which Kensington locals regularly pass off as their own creations. In 2020, the shop will expand to nearly double its current size and ‘we’re really excited about that will bring,’ says Clarke.

In terms of the restaurant, Clarke simply hopes to make the next 35 years as good as the first. ‘We’re blessed with a lot of regular customers, whether they’re from California and visit us once a year, or Notting Hill residents who come to us three times a week. We like to think of them all as regulars – we keep our standards up for them.’ In 35 years’ time, we’d hazard a guess they’ll all still be coming back for more.

Sally Clarke's favourite recipes

Roasted Gem Squash with Ceps, Cream, Rosemary & White Truffle

Roasted gem squash

6 gem squash, the size of tennis balls

100ml olive oil, plus a little extra for frying

3 cloves garlic, crushed to a cream with salt

Salt and pepper

2 tsp chopped rosemary leaves

300ml double cream

500g fresh ceps, brushed of sand and sliced, or other wild mushrooms, or brown cap field mushrooms

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Approximately 30g white truffle (optional)

6 sprigs of rosemary and 6 sprigs of parsley

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Scrub the gem squash thoroughly and cook in pan of boiling salted water for 3–5 minutes, depending on their size. They should not crack or burst open. Remove and allow to cool naturally. With a firm sharp knife, slice off the top quarter and retain it, scoop out the seeds and discard them, and place the squash on a baking sheet. Mix the olive oil, a third of the garlic, salt, pepper and half the rosemary together, spoon this into the cavities and replace the tops. Roast for 30–35 minutes or until the flesh has softened.

Meanwhile, simmer the cream with half the remaining garlic and the remaining rosemary on a very low heat. Season to taste. In a heavy-based frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and the remaining garlic until sizzling and add the mushrooms. Toss over a high heat until golden, season and add the parsley. To serve place the gem squash in 6 soup bowls and divide the cream between them. Scoop the mushrooms on top, shave truffle over the mushrooms if using, and garnish with rosemary and parsley sprigs, the ‘lid’ decoratively leaning on one side of the squash.

Shrimp & Courgette Blossom Risotto

Shrimp and courgette blossom risotto

3 tbsp good olive oil

125g butter, at room temperature

2 medium onions, finely diced

350g Arborio or Carnaroli rice

250ml dry white wine

800ml Vegetable or Fish Stock, warm

250g courgette, cut into small dice

Salt and pepper

600g shrimp, cooked, in the shell or 300g shrimp, cooked and peeled

6 courgette blossoms, chopped

1 tsp chopped tarragon

In a heavy-based pan warm the olive oil with 75g butter until melted. Over a gentle heat stir in the onion and cook until transparent. Add the rice and continue to cook until the grains of rice are thoroughly coated in the oil. Turn up the heat a little and stir in the wine. When the wine has almost completely evaporated, gradually start adding the broth, a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously to prevent the rice catching on the base of the pan, and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next ladle. This will take 12-15 minutes, during which time the grains will start to soften and the liquid will begin to take on a creamy consistency. Halfway through the cooking add the dice of courgette and salt and pepper and stir well into the rice.

From time to time test a gain of rice by biting into it. If the centre is still at all raw, continue to cook gently. The rice should retain a very slight bite but if it is left too al dente it will be indigestible. As soon as the rice is cooked remove it from the heat. Immediately stir in the shrimps, courgette blossom and finally the remaining butter and tarragon. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Soup of Pumpkin Baked Whole with Parmesan, Gruyère, Cream & Rosemary

Pumpkin soup

1 pumpkin weighing approximately 2 kg, preferably round, not oval

250ml double cream

100ml single cream

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves

80g Gruyère cheese or mature Cheddar, grated

120g Parmesan shaved with sharp knife or potato peeler

Rosemary sprigs and parsley sprigs

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Wash the pumpkin well, slice off the stalk end approximately a quarter of the way from the top, and retain it. With a strong-handled spoon scoop out the seeds. Place the pumpkin in an ovenproof serving dish just large and deep enough to hold it and to support its lower half. In a pan heat the double and single cream with the garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary.

Pour into the cavity and replace the lid. Bake it in the oven for 1–1½ hours, depending on the density of the flesh. Take it out of the oven and carefully remove the lid. The flesh should feel tender enough to scoop with a spoon. Sprinkle the Gruyère or Cheddar cheese into the cavity and reduce the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Return to the oven with the lid half covering the top and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Serve at the table in 6 flat soup plates, giving each portion a scoop of the flesh and a ladleful of cream. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and sprigs of rosemary and parsley

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