The move at Ladbroke Hall in Notting Hill is to go for the jazz. Every Friday, in the Sunbeam Theatre at the rear of the building, an ensemble will gather on the stage at around 8pm; music may be enjoyed with a set menu and wine, or just drinks. I went not so long ago and the band was made up of a skinny bassist from Bulgaria, a pianist from Brighton, a drummer from Spain and a lady singer from Romania. She was special — husky tones, arms moving elegantly like candles, singing a mix of classics and her own folky numbers from home.
We’d eaten in the restaurant before. Sheets of mortadella, a warm octopus salad, a decent vittello tonnato and an artichoke risotto. Negronis gave way to wine, the room buzzed among big mad plants, and after all that it could only have been jazz. Italian food and jazz go hand-in-hand. Like Harry Kane and scoring goals or Noel Edmonds and daytime TV.
