Portland had been on my radar ever since I moved to the area. Having celebrated the end of lockdown in the most satisfying way – with a very enjoyable lunch at the sister restaurant, Clipstone, I was keen to see what the more sophisticated relative, Portland, had to offer. Portland does not overstate itself – to the contrary, my dining partner and I almost walked past by accident. The dining room is small and intimate – with window-facing bar seats at it’s head, and a compact open kitchen at it’s tail. The menu is similarly direct and to the point – with just 4 options per course, or tasting menu to pick from. We started with the fig negronis, which were the perfect way to kick off the meal.
Soon arrived a pretty and tasty Amuse Bouche, and freshly made breads with both seaweed and salted butters. Afterwards, we tried:
Quail, sweetcorn, girolles, cobnuts and apricot. I’m a big fan of British game, and when in season, I try to eat all available game. This was excellent, and the sauce was so rich and delicious I had it by the spoonful. The quail was everything you want from a game bird – hearty and bold, and even more delicious when generously smothered in the most deliciously silky jus. The plate is a deli of woodland flavours, with the quail complimented well by the corn, nuts, and girolles.
Squid ink Linguine, trout roe, cockle sauce. An explosion of potent seafood flavours garnished delicately with chives. Very moreish (this dish eas finished particularly quickly) and a massive salty, fishy, flavour punch. The only tradgedy was that by this point we had run out of bread to enjoy the delicious pool of sauce that was left.
Roasted duck, confit leg, beetroot, cherry, radicchio. Game bird number two was equally good and this time one of my favourite pairings (fatty meat with fruit). A gorgeous plate of treats – I particularly enjoyed the confit duck, with the cherry, and the breat was cooked to perfection.
Brioche pain perdu, stone fruits, lemon verbena & yoghurt sorbet (three course lunch plus two glasses of wine, a dessert wine, and a cocktail; gluttonous I know, but I’m eating out to help out, remember!) Deliciously sticky pain perdu, cool and refreshing yoghurt sorbet. Too small to share, luckily for me!
I had a fantastic Eva Fricke Rheingau Reisling with my starter and main, and a ’13 Chateau Laville Sauternes with my dessert.
Portland is the New School of Michelin restaurant: food that is proud but not boastful, elegant but with substance, in an unpretentious, welcoming atmosphere. My expectations were more than exceeded, I’m already planning my return.
Sabrina Goodlife