Veering off Westbourne Grove, you hope you’re going to find a pub that’s not uppity and full of snooty posers. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong as another pub in Notting Hill has turned into a wretched gastropub.

The Venue
The Commander looks quite sophisticated and warming from the outside. However, to your disappointment it is just another featureless and uncharacteristic gastropub. The bar is huge but only operates from one side, and looking around you’d expect there to be more space and definitely more chairs. The red leather sofas and posh seating are very comfortable but these get taken up very quickly - even by the dogs!

To the right of the bar is a small conservatory area, which is simply wonderful in the summer months. It’s very quiet in there and ideal if you want to have a chat amongst friends without the loud booming music of the main bar area. Through the doors in the conservatory is the modest and very pretty beer garden, which again gets used a lot when the sun is out. At the back of the venue is a dining area, which should be used as an additional seating area, as it was previously.

The Atmosphere
Unfortunately, it is quite stuffy and pompous at The Commander. There are lots of families here during the day, but as the evening draws near it becomes packed with snotty Kensington types who love to show off their array of bags from all the shopping they have done and think that Notting Hill is the place to be seen.

Even the bar staff are hoity-toity and can be grating after a while. Their superior nature is not only annoying, it makes you want to scream, “Lighten up!”.

The Food
The food is overpriced at The Commander and, frankly, not that great. At first glance, it looks quite appetising and appealing so you dive in and order the tasty dishes on offer. However, it can be poorly done. For instance, their daily selection of sausages and mash served with onion gravy (£8.95) sounds great, but when it’s put in front of you and you try it, it’s just disappointing. The sausages are average, the gravy is watery and the mash nothing special.

To be fair, the pan roasted duck breast with parsnip mash, orange and green peppercorn jus at £12.95 is pretty decent and worth a try.

The Drink
The selection of drinks at The Commander is extensive and very good quality. One of their specials is any jug of house cocktail for £13.50 and you can choose from Long Island Ice Tea, Sex on the Beach, Killer Zombie, Pimms and Tequila Sunrise. This goes down well with the clucky girls with their designer shopping bags.

Beers consist of San Miguel, Guinness, John Smiths, Stella, Fosters, Old Speckled Hen, Hoegarden, Strongbow and Kronenberg Cold. Stella, the cheapest, is £3.20 and the others are slightly more expensive.

The wines are expensive for a pub but top notch. For a bottle of house red or white it will set you back £14.25, or £3.60 for a 175ml glass of San Rafael Merlot 2006 or a San Rafael Sauvignon Blanc. For a splurge, a Domaine Michelot Meursault at £45 a bottle or the Sauvigny les Beaune Vielles Vignes 2002 at £40 might tempt you.

The Last Word
Notting Hill is suffering in the popularity and ridiculous influx of identi-kit gastropubs, and this establishment is one of them. Go down to Portobello Road and find a real pub and remember the good times and you’ll realise what you’re missing.

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