Comments on: Portal: prime Portuguese

By: The Grubworm

The Grubworm — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:44:37 +0000

@Kang It is a gem – and the more i talk/read/tweet about Portal, the more i realise that it is one BIG open secret – one of those, “it’s great but i don;t understand why no-one talks about it” kind of places. Everyone’s talking, no-one’s writing in the press about it.

And if you go – i thought the pork was better than the squid – it really was very good indeed, and the custard tarts are fantastic.

By: Kang

Kang — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:35:32 +0000

Ah… a gem! It’s always nice to read about restaurants that don’t yet get their deserved attention. Great review, the toothsome, silky-smooth squid sounds like my kind of dish. I will be making my way to this place very soon.

By: The Grubworm

The Grubworm — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:13:06 +0000

It’s definitely worth a try, although given the large tables of business folk we saw there, Thursday or Friday might not be the best nights.

Interesting about the Azeitao – the waiter (I think) said it meant almond which is interesting if it means big olive in Brazil. Maybe it was a nickname that turned into a label?

The wine we had was very good as well. They had a great selection of Portuguese bottles and once again, knowing little about Portuguese wines, I asked the waiter to recommend one – and he was spot on. It was a fruity Sauvignon Blanc type wine: “2008 Quinta da Lagoalva, ‘Talhão 1’”.

Bacalhau is something I would quite like to get my chops around sometime, but it’s a little way down the queue as I’m not a massive salty person. Be interesting to have it well prepared though.

By: The London Foodie

The London Foodie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:36:06 +0000

This is the second very good review of this place that I read, I should be trying it soon.

I would have been just as lost as you looking at the menu, in Brazilian Portuguese “Azeitao” means “big olive” so I would have expected an olive cake (not almond).

I love bacalhau though and make it at home sometimes, although it is a bit of a lottery as you never know how long to soak the fish for – if you soak it for too long, it becomes completely tasteless or too little, it is then too salty to eat! Pasteis de nata are my favourite little cakes, and perfect with coffee.

By: The Grubworm

The Grubworm — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:54:40 +0000

It’s that kind of place i think – no-one I’ve spoken to (you and Mr Noodles excepted) seems to know about it. Still, if it keeps a low profile, it won’t bother me too much, greedy sod that I am.

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:55:16 +0000

It’s strange that even though I have been there and really rate it I always “forget” to go and end up elsewhere instead… thanks for the reminder.

By: The Grubworm

The Grubworm — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:29:06 +0000

Ooooh – intrigue! I love a bit of intrigue with my supper – spices everything up in a whole new way… I didn’t realise it had been going that long, it might explain why i missed any fuss in the papers. But no paper reviews can sometimes be a good thing.

By: Mr Noodles

Mr Noodles — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:48:23 +0000

Portal is indeed a belting place – I went before Xmas. I wrote about it briefly but as it was a business lunch, I didn’t do the give it the full blog treatment ! I also had the suckling pig and the pasteis de nata and they were superb.

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of it when I went but apparently there was a bit of fuss about Portal about 5 years ago when a ‘listening device’ was found in the restaurant. The rumour was that it was to listen in on then Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho who ate there regularly.