1 Michelin Star Chefs: James Winter at 33 The Homend
1 Michelin Star Chefs: Emily Roux, Caractère
+3 
1 Michelin Star Chefs: Richard Picard-Edwards, Ballyfin
1 Michelin Star Chefs: Ricki Weston, Executive Chef, The Dining Room at Whatley Manor
Caractère is a modern classic from Emily Roux, fusing French elegance with Italian soul.
Located in the heart of Notting Hill, Caractère has established itself as one of London’s most distinctive culinary destinations.
+3
Opened in 2018 by Emily Roux and her husband Diego Ferrari, formerly head chef at Le Gavroche, the restaurant reflects a seamless fusion of French and Italian influences.
About Emily
Emily Roux is the next generation of the UK’s most famous culinary dynasty. The daughter of Michel Roux Jr. and granddaughter of Albert Roux, she has carved out her own name in the world of fine dining.
She trained in France at the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse and top kitchens like Le 39V and Akrame.
In 2018, she and her husband, Diego Ferrari, opened Caractère.
Emily’s cooking is refined but approachable, focusing on deep flavours, seasonal produce, and beautifully balanced plates.
With her fresh take on tradition, she’s quickly become one of the brightest talents in London’s restaurant scene, bringing a new energy to the Roux family legacy.
The menu
At Caractère, the menu is crafted to offer a unique and highly personalised dining experience.
Rather than following the traditional format of starters, mains, and desserts, dishes are thoughtfully organised according to character traits: curious, subtle, delicate, robust, strong, and greedy.
+3
The curious section offers lighter, innovative plates designed to awaken the palate, while subtle and delicate present dishes with refined, nuanced flavours. The robust and strong categories showcase bolder, richer preparations, often featuring hearty meats or intensely flavoured ingredients. Finally, greedy is dedicated to indulgent desserts, highlighting the restaurant’s playful yet sophisticated approach to the conclusion of the meal.
Accolades
Caractère currently holds one Michelin star, which it was awarded in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2024.
The Michelin star recognises Caractère for its high-quality cooking, exceptional ingredients, and skillfully crafted dishes.
Michelin inspectors highlight the restaurant’s relaxed yet refined environment, noting that while the interiors are stylish, with soft, earthy tones and elegant finishes, the overall mood remains comfortable and unpretentious.
Written by Abi Kinsella
Other Michelin Star Chefs
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
There are no comments yet.
You could be commenting on this if you had an account! Click here to sign up.