New London bar to offer flat-share dinner-party experience

A new bar concept based on a fictional flat-share between friends from different walks of life is set to open in west London.

The Little Yellow Door, in Notting Hill, involves five pretend flatmates hosting weekly dinner and drinks parties for paying customers.

The friends will be continuously searching for a new flatmate to bring into their house, which will be filled with a mix-match of “colourful, quirky possessions” belonging to the residents.

Regular visitors will be given a key to the door so they can come and leave whenever they like.

They will also be encouraged to bring a quirky bottle of something upon arrival, in return for a personalised mug, which will filled with free punch each time they visit.

Evening opening

The brainchild of chefs Jamie Hazeel and Lalie Jacout, plus three other friends, the bar will be open three nights a week – from Thursday to Saturday.

Every Friday, the venue will play host to Hazeel and Jacout’s pop-up concept The Wandering Chef, which will provide a set meal for £35.

The dinner menu will change on a quarterly basis and be influenced by the nationality of the latest flatmate to move in.

The opening menu includes: a board of French charcuterie; homemade terrines and tartars; Pierre’s pimped soupe de grand’mere; a dish of the day with a selection of sharing-based side dishes; and petit fours.

Bar snacks

On Saturdays and Thursdays, the venue will serve bar snacks such as The Fridge Raider.

Based on a Sunday roast, The Fridge Raider features roast chicken wings, potatoes, stuffing, sausages, bread sauce, gravy and a horseradish & Coleman’s Mayonnaise sauce for dipping.

For the more health conscious there will be The Yoga Bunny, which includes a selection of dips such as a lentil hummus with sumac; mint pesto and toasted pine nuts; and squashed avocado with pink pickled onions, cured tomatoes and sticky chipotle.

A cheese on toast, made with roast Camembert and egg yolk, porcini, chestnut mushroom and truffle, will also be available.

The menus are handwritten on magazines lying around the house, and by way of a further personal touch, the Little Yellow Door will also take bookings via the WhatsApp messaging service.

Drinks list

The drinks list is influenced by the flatmates’ favourite TV shows, and drinks may be served in jars, blenders, and teapots – or even the odd eggcup for shots.

Cocktails include My Name Is Earl, an Earl Grey-infused gin, citrus, egg white and sugar short drink served in a tea cup and saucer with biscuits on the side, and sprinkled with Earl Grey leaves.

Sharing cocktails also feature. Topped with jelly babies and scooped out lemon halves filled with overproof rum, The Towering Inferno is set alight before being served in a blender with ice.