Great views, an interesting location and a varied menu make Portrait Restaurant a great place for an out-of-the-ordinary meal.

The Venue
Located in the National Portrait Gallery, the Portrait Restaurant’s hours are in keeping with its location and as such it’s only open for dinner on Thursdays and Fridays – the rest of the week is lunches only. To get to the restaurant, head up the long escalator and up the lifts to the top floor, where the venue is positioned at the side of the building in order to take advantage of the gorgeous view of Trafalgar Square. From the scattered rooftops to stately Big Ben and Nelson’s Column to the London Eye twirling away happily in the background, the view is one of the prettiest in the capital, especially at night when the skyline is lit up in an array of colours.

A recent refurbishment to the restaurant itself has added some colour to the venue, too, with new red banquette seating and new photographic portraits on each opposite wall. Furniture is clean, simple and modern – the real element of decor here is the view through the big windows and the design is wise not to take away too much from the star of the show. There’s a small bar at the entrance and the room is long and narrow, which is best for maximising viewing opportunities – no matter where you sit, you can see part of the distinctive skyline.

The Atmosphere
The Portrait Restaurant is a bit of a well kept secret, no doubt thanks to its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it opening hours and unusual location in the museum. Those who are in the know crowd the restaurant’s bar at one end of the room whilst those looking for a quieter evening head down to the opposite end. During your meal there may be an occasional camera flash as someone takes a picture out the windows – although they’re obviously not pointing their camera at you, it does feel slightly unnerving. Service is pleasant, attentive but not overly so, and very well organised.

The Food
Head chef Katarina Todosijevic is originally from Sweden, which should come as no surprise after taking a look at the menu, made up of British dishes with a nod to Nordic cuisine – some pickled cucumber here, a herring plate there. Prices are reasonable for Central London, with starters ranging from about £5 to £10 and mains from about £14 to £20.

From the selection of starters, the watercress salad with Conference pear and Blackstick blue cheese (£6) is a good choice if you’d rather start things off light. It’s a fragrant, tantalisingly sweet salad, with chunks of juicy pear and creamy cheese – a good blend of delicate textures and strong flavours. Scallops with cauliflower, cured bacon and pea shoots (£10.50) are perfectly cooked, slightly crisped on the outside and firm and juicy. The accompanying bacon is also nice and meaty, very flavourful without being overly salted.

Main courses include chicken livers with garlic croutons, bacon and figs (£14), which, despite sounding light, is surprisingly hearty, with at least four generous scoops of rich, irony chicken livers and little squares of stripy bacon. A smattering of figs adds colour to the plate and perfectly complements to the savoury chicken livers and bacon. Organic salmon with Pink Fir potatoes, pea and watercress salad and dill and shallot mayonnaise (£16.50) is cooked well throughout. The potatoes are wonderfully soft without falling apart and the mayo has a slight honeyed flavour – a bit sweeter than you may be expecting, but still nice. Sides include buttery, garlicky and well salted green beans and some crisp and sharp new potatoes.

For dessert, redcurrant sorbet with Balfour Brut Rose (£8) is served as a scoop of sorbet in an old fashioned, low Champagne glass. The Champagne is opened at the table and poured over the top of the glass until the bubbles reach the very tip, releasing a wonderfully ripe and sweet scent. Whilst the sorbet is light and refreshing, the best part is drinking the remaining Champagne afterwards. Lemon meringue tart with mint sorbet and strawberries (£6.50) is less theatrical but not any less interesting for it. An intriguing twist on an old fashioned tart, the gooey lemon curd is topped with a fluffy layer of meringue and accompanied by a pale green scoop of sugary mint sorbet.

The Drink
The Portrait Restaurant’s bar features a separate menu of intriguing-looking snacks, from ceviche prawns (£4.50) to root vegetable crisps (£3.50) – although pretzels (£2) are available for the traditionalists. A long list of gin and tonic cocktails starts at £7, whilst a selection of sparkling drinks (Bellinis, Kir Royales) are also on offer, along with a lengthy list of spirits and liqueurs.

The two page wine menu is divided into descriptive categories, with symbols highlighting which choices are biodynamic and organic. Each month a different wine producer is profiled, and there’s also a list of smaller, lesser known producers highlighted on the menu. Prices start at a reasonable £3.95 per glass and £15.95 per bottle, the most expensive topping off at £115 for a Vosne-Romanee 1er cru Les Suchots, Confuron-Cotetidot from Burgundy. Recommended choices include the medium-bodied Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and the crisply floral Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina.

The Last Word
You might come for the views, but you’ll stay for the food. Worth a trip, even if it means breezing past the exhibits to get to the top floor.

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