Food and wine are celebrated in this elegant City restaurant which is a favourite haunt of Chelsea FC footballers and high flying city slickers alike.

The Venue
Portal has a unique claim to fame as the only restaurant in the world to employ counter surveillance measures in response to a listening device being discovered in the restaurant. As a result this could well be the safest place in London to discuss confidential matters over dinner.

Owner Antonio Correia has worked closely with a well-known architect to create an incredible open space, which encompasses Portal’s bar and dining area, and culminates in a spectacular conservatory looking onto a beautifully lit thicket of swaying bamboo.

Sleek, modern furniture and an exposed air-conditioning system give the restaurant a contemporary, urban feel and the private dining room, which seats 12-16 people is a glorious homage to the owner’s love of the fine wines lining its walls.

The Atmosphere
A sophisticated crowd of lawyers, stockbrokers, media moguls, footballers and local residents come here to pay their respects to the exceptional food and fine wines. Staff are highly trained, can be relied upon for inspired suggestions from the food and drink menus and, as half of them helped builders to complete the place, have a genuine pride and devotion towards their place of work, which is evident in the service.

The Food
Modern European food with a strong Portugese influence is toe-curlingly exquisite with melt-in-the-mouth dishes such as the Carpaccio of cod and prawns with lemon and truffle oil and the braised Bisaro (half pig, half wild boar), which is marinated in red wine for a whole day, before being cooked for the same time again.

Even vegetables, which are so often overlooked, are given the five-star treatment and hold their own, a noteworthy example being the puree of broad beans and chorizo. Desserts such as the gazpacho of summer fruits are also delicious and beautifully light, which means that gluttons can happily leave the table at the end of the meal almost entirely without waistline repercussions.

The Drink
The name Portal comes from a family-run wine maker in the Douro Valley, who incidentally provide a large number of the wines here, including the house red and white. The wine menu has been carefully compiled to ensure that there is something to suit every dish, taste and pocket, and a small budget doesn’t mean that you can’t drink a good wine here.

Several delicious offerings from the frequently overlooked Iberian region are stocked, so don’t be afraid to try something new and staff are more than willing to offer advice to those who are unsure of their selection.

The Last Word
An absolute delight, Portal Restaurant will change the way Londoners think about Portugese food forever. Highly recommended.

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