Fire, wine, records and John Javier: Notting Hill’s fire-cooking restaurant is reborn
New executive chef John Javier
I was never going to not like Caia. It’s on Golborne Road, which everyone knows is the cooler, Brooklyn-esque juncture off Portobello Road. Its basement is given over to a huge record collection, which is manned by vinyl-spinning DJs every weekend – an occurrence documented on Caia’s Instagram, which exclusively uses flash photography. And as of October, its executive chef is John Javier – the Aussie-born chef whose last project, The Tent (at the End of the Universe), is up there on my list of London’s all-time greats.
The background
Caia opened in 2022 to a wave of rapturous reviews; praise for its sound system and wine list and flame-licked Ibérico pork ribs. I’d been myself, a few times; drawn back by the open kitchen, sizzling and hissing like a forge, and the signature smokiness imbued into every fire-cooked dish. Even the negroni was smoke kissed, thanks to a touch of mezcal.
And then, in October, Caia signed Aussie-born chef John Javier to revamp the menu. Previously, Javier launched and led The Tent (at the End of the Universe) – that curious, festival-like restaurant on Little Portland Street which served a whole lobster topped with rose petals. His cooking is creative, confident, cool; filled with personality and unexpected flavour combinations. He is the frontman that could rocket-launch Caia into stratospheric acclaim.
Photo by Steven Joyce
The bar and open kitchen at Caia
The space
Caia is not a big restaurant. It has two small floors, a ground floor and a basement, which you could divide by vibe. Downstairs is for audiophiles, with its colossal collection of records and roster of vinyl-spinning DJs. Upstairs is for foodies; the space is mostly taken over by an open kitchen, which you can sit at and watch the plumes of flame engulf glistening ribs.
There are also huge globular speakers suspended from the ceiling, meaning the sound is epic wherever you sit (although we are subjected to 10 minutes of Lord of the Rings-esque pan flutes on our visit. Only in Caia!).
The food
Happily, Javier hasn’t gone for a scorched earth policy with the menu. You can still get beloved Caia staples; namely, the sticky Ibérico ribs (so messy they come with a pair of gloves) and the glorious sweet potato agnolotti with chicken wing butter and caramelised pecans. What’s new is a selection of Asian-inflected bistro dishes – like the red prawn risotto, which is creamy, rich, concealed under a cloud of crab bisque foam and dusted with chilli.
There’s also beef tartare, which is lighter and fresher than your usual beef tartare, scarlet chunks of beef piled with dashi-infused agar and doused in an oyster emulsion. Smaller bites follow the same formula. I devour a few pork-and-prawn-stuffed olives, before being distracted by the flatbread: flame-blistered and with the kind of buttery, stringy pull that influencers would go mad for on Instagram.
My only complaint is the food comes too quickly. Caia is a place that demands lingering; it cannot be rushed.
The bill
£200 for two, including a bottle of wine and a pre-dinner drink.
Photo by Rebecca Dickson
One of the vinyl DJs in Caia's basement
The verdict
When Caia opened, it was like a firework; every dish sizzled and scorched, the open-fire grill working overtime to bathe every ingredient in flame. Now, its menu is more like the glow of a long-burning hearth, the flavours more subtle, freshness sitting alongside flame. Food, wine, records, fire: Caia has all the elements of a longstanding classic. Long may it remain.
46 Golborne Road, London W10 5PR; caia.london
