The Prince Albert (Bar)

Top 10 things to know about The Prince Albert Pub:
 
1) Now that BoJo has decided that ruling London is no longer challenging enough, we need a new sheriff to attract those American tourist dollars. Little me perhaps?

2) Half the job has already been done for a certain part of town, thanks to the Hollywood film “Notting Hill” and the biggest global actress at the time romanticising every cobbled pathway and every English garden.

3) The Prince Albert would certainly complete the rest of the job. It’s a pub almost impossible to ignore if you are walking from the high street to Portobello Market. I suspect millions of tourists and revellers pass by its famous doors every year.

4) The décor can only be described as a one-of-a-kind beachshack luxe chic. It’s definitely beguiling with weathered colourful shutters mixed with more formal leather booths. Think House of Common seats staring into beach shutters at Santa Monica.

5) OK, we don’t quite have Californian weather here in London, so the proprietors have cleverly spruced up their secret outdoor garden with heaters and painted the walls with a jungle mosaic so you won’t be lacking in greenness.

6) There is no confusion in terms of the food; it is staunchly an American Diner. Run by Ruby Jean, the kitchen’s fried chicken is undoubtedly one of the highlights. It’s crunchy without being so oily that you think they might have accidentally dropped the chicken in a Texan oil barrel. Then again, Ruby does soak her chicken overnight in milk.

7) How else to win the hearts and minds of American tourists or, for that matter, locals? Offer them burger heaven. There are 28 different toppings to choose from and 8 dips. Peanut butter topping with your beef patty, anyone?

8) With a tremendous selection of beers and wines, including London success stories like Camden Hells and London Pale Ale, there’s no excuse not to imbibe.

9) In case the Notting Hill film connection is not evident, they do have a giant neon sign saying “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

10) As evidenced at the Prince Albert, clearly Notting Hill has been a huge success story. Now I just need to convince Mrs Pitt to sign up to the sequel “Tower Hill”....read more