Portland

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at Portland. The food was absolutely delicious and service was exceptional. The staff went above and beyond giving us a signed card (signed from all of the staff) and some homemade biscuits to celebrate our anniversary. With tasting menus you wonder how much food there will be, but the portion sizes here were very good, you will not leave hungry! Would thoroughly recommend Portland, we will definitely be returning!

Overall experience was brilliant, there were no glaring issues at all and everything was completed meticulously well. In terms of preparation: I’d recommend booking a slot ahead of time, as it may get busy. The OpenTable app is easy to use and you can change your booking easily if you need to adjust your timing to suit your schedule. Their website also displays menus, which is helpful to gauge interest and allows for you to understand what you’re getting yourself into! With the booking, you’re able to select a counter space or a table space. If you were a lone guest like myself, you’re able to select the counter as I had done, where you’re seated right at the front of the building by the entrance with large windows, which allows the pleasure of ‘people watching’ while you wait or eat (maybe this is just something I enjoy). During the visit: Service staff kindly checked if I was still interested with the counter dining, and instead allowed me to have a table if I wanted! I remained with the counter anyways but it was kind of them to let me know that this was possible! They are also incredibly kind to answer any questions I had regarding their items and possible pairings. Food: everything was brilliant, no complaints. I had ordered a hand-dived scallop tartare (photo 2), Guinea fowl agnolotti (photo 4), sirloin of beef (photo 3), and the buttermilk panna cotta (photo 1). They also provided me two little petit fours (photo 5), before I left - I had to catch a train so was in a bit of a rush - which was a lovely surprise. The Panna cotta was definitely one of the highlights of my meal, I’ve never had the chance to try something like it and the rhubarb and pistachio added lovely crunchy textures to the soft experience. For me, this is a must try. Service: No issues here. Perfect. Atmosphere: As a few guests arrived, the atmosphere was warm and charismatic. As intended for a restaurant. The venue was bright and clean, no issues regarding cleanliness or hygiene. Would I return? Absolutely. The experience was excellent from start to finish, and I would happily dine here again. That said, London has such an incredible and diverse restaurant scene that there are still many places on my list to explore before I revisit! If I found myself back here for a meeting, lunch, special occasion, or simply at the suggestion of friends, I wouldn’t hesitate to return, knowing I’d be in for another thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thank you :)

I’ve wanted to visit Portland for a few years, so it was exciting to finally go — especially impressive that they’ve been open since 2015. The interior is stunning, with beautiful artwork that immediately sets an elegant and exciting tone for the meal. We brought our own champagne to celebrate a birthday and bon voyage. The £40 corkage fee felt reasonable for London. We went for the three-course lunch set menu, which was very well priced. We were a bit surprised to be charged an extra £15 for the snacks (essentially an amuse-bouche). While they were good — particularly the macaron and scallop tartare — the chicken wing was fairly average. The bread with hay hollandaise was a standout: creamy and delicious. For starters, the Devon crab was a favourite — a very generous portion, beautifully complemented by peas. The smoked eel, however, was disappointing. It was drowned in a creamy yoghurt sauce that heavily diluted the beautiful smokiness of the eel. A lighter hand with the sauce would have let the eel shine. For mains we had the halibut and the lamb. The halibut was excellent, with a generous fish portion, flavourful scallop mousse, and nicely pan-fried courgettes for crunch. Dessert was the citrus curd with strawberries — very intense and zingy, but the dense sponge cake at the bottom felt like it hindered rather than helped the dish. Service was good, but not exceptional. Overall, a beautiful space with some truly excellent dishes (especially the crab and halibut). A few inconsistencies and the new charges for snacks held it back from feeling like a full top-tier experience, but still worth a visit.

It’s been said I always seem to post positive reviews of the places we’ve eaten in. I like to think it’s down to making great choices…! So here we go again… Another big ‘wow’. An early dinner at Michelin-starred Portland. A four-course set menu showcasing classic dishes from the restaurants first ten years. Each dish was so impressive, the finest produce cooked with precision and a high level of technique. Flavoursome and beautifully presented, this was an awesome meal. Service led by the excellent Cora and the young team was so friendly and personable, really helping to bring each dish to life. At £55 for four courses and two side dishes, with canapés, snacks, a double portion of bread with a hollandaise and butter, and petit fours, this was extremely generous and represented outstanding value. And this menu is available between 5:30-6:30, including Saturdays. Portland has held its star for over 10 years and it’s easy to see why. A superb experience, and so impressive we’ve already booked to go back again in a few weeks to enjoy their next monthly menu. Hugely recommended.