Marylebone Portman Village is a lovely little quarter with a few shops, restaurants around. So it’s a relief to have The Portman, an unexpected pub, don’t be fooled by the exterior. Even though it looks like your standard gastro pub, hidden on the first floor is an elegant dining restaurant.
Service was prompt; as soon as we were seated drink orders were taken. The servers kindly told us about a few dishes were running low or there was none left. L
I knew already I wanted the poached duck egg, mushrooms and toast for starters. My friend went for the crab toast.
A complimentary basket of assorted bread was offered to us. The beautifully golden brown slices, with a slight crust, soft fluffy middle. Accompanied with an extremely creamy salted butter.
My poached duck egg were super bright white, a little poke and the golden yellow yolk juice flooded around its neighbouring surroundings. The enoki mushrooms were a little on the salty side, but was mopped up quickly by the egg and toast.
The crabmeat toast came perfectly plated up, the mashed avocado, topped with the crabmeat. It was completed with curled toast stacked up high. The meat tasted fresh with light seasoning.
For mains I went after the lemon sole since I had so much meat during the week, I thought I go easy on my stomach. Expertly cooked grilled to perfection, the fish flesh flaked off the bones. The saffron combined the flavour of sea, and grass, a little overpowering for me, trust me the fish was good on it’s on. The clams came with full-bodied pack with flavour, absorbing the fennel broth.
My friend’s steak was a good piece of meat, no sawing required. Even with a butter knife I managed to cut a piece of the fillet with no problem. The baby potato fondant was buttery soft and paired well with the flavoursome beef.
The Portman is a great hidden gem in the Marylebone area. Head there for a quiet piece of mind for lunch or dinner. I recommend checking it out, price wise it’s great value for money for decent food.
http://www.theportmanmarylebone.com/
