A new menu at The Portman, Marylebone
A new menu at The Portman, Marylebone
Oysters, venison pies, glorious sticky toffee puddings!
I’ve been to The Portman a few times in the past, and loved its simple menu of British classics, and its prime location in Marylebone’s pretty back streets. So, when I got an invitation to come in and experience the new menu, the decision to do so was easy.
Spoiler alert – they do a wonderful sticky toffee pudding. More below :)
The Portman is made up of two distinct areas. Downstairs is a traditional pub, with tables arranged around a central, circular bar. Upstairs is the formal dining room, with its pretty Edwardian windows and tables laid with pressed white linens.
Today there is an event going on upstairs, which is fine by us as we get to experience the more informal melee of the pub. Quick tangent – why do so many lush pubs close in London? Gah.
Diving in to the menu at The Portman
Anyway, back to the new menu. To start we share half a dozen oysters, served on a raised plate of fresh-cut ice. I’ll be honest and say that this one is hubbys choice – however – I think I am now an oyster fan. I know, its mad.
Hubby shows me how to enjoy them – first, scrap them off the shell, then douse them with a good amount of lemon juice. Finally, spritz with tabasco and then pop in your mouth. And the result? Juicy, refreshing, icy cold and (delightfully) slippery. Yum.
We also share a plate of cured salmon, which is twirled into a roll and served with crushed pistachio and wasabi cream. Hubby accidently eats too much wasabi (lolz), but all in all this is another accomplished dish.
Next up we move on to the mains menu, from which the venison pie demands to be ordered. It arrives in all of its glory: glistening, thick pastry that has been carefully self-raised, and under which hide chunks of beautiful venison. If you come to The Portman and eat one thing only, make it this amazing pie.
We also love polenta fries on the side, shaped into thick trunks and fried golden. Om nom.
Finally, we come to desserts. They all sound lovely, but the winner has to be the sticky toffee pudding, all syrupy and rich, served hot and with a lush vanilla ice cream. Mmm.
Because all of that isn’t rich enough already, we also dig our forks in to a slice of dark chocolate and salted caramel tart. Again, this is another lovely option.
All in all I’ve been quietly impressed by the new menu at The Portman, and can’t wait to see what they do next!
Is the food at The Portman Halal?
The Portman don’t serve halal meat. But they do have halal fish and vegetarian options if you’d like to visit.
Have you eaten at The Portman? Let us know your thoughts on our Instagram.
The Details
The Portman, Marylebone
Address – 51 Upper Berkeley St, Marylebone, London W1H 7QW
Website – Plateau, Canary Wharf
Phone – 020 7723 8996
Nearest Tube – Marble Arch
Disclaimer – the halal food status note for The Portman is true at the time of writing. Please phone or email the restaurant before you make a booking to double check the halal food status and anything around cross contamination.
We dined as guests of The Portman.
