“Our ambition is to serve food that is light, yet full of robust flavours. Our menus are inspired by the produce delivered to us daily by the small growers and producers that we work with. Our wine list is given just as much attention as our menu and changes almost as frequently. Merlin is a key figure in London for championing the fight against food waste. He, Zach, and their team look at every kitchen process to work out how all leftover produce can be turned into something that is delicious, rather than throwing it away or composting it. Their aim is to be as inventive as possible with all offcuts.”
Wye Valley asparagus with ricotta gnudi, egg yolk, and nettles; St Bride’s chicken with white asparagus, calçots, and mustard; and Kernow monkfish with root vegetables, nasturtium, and smoked beurre blanc.
At a time when the London restaurant scene was disappearing down a monochromatic path of sharing plates, barbecue, and big spicy flavours, Portland had the confidence to to bring refinement back to the kitchen, thrived beyond all expectation, and made a star of the brilliant but modest Merlin Labron-Johnson. That so much of his cooking philosophy comes from best environmental practice shows how a deep commitment to sustainability – they don’t even serve garnishes in their drinks that they know will be thrown away – is the way to take hospitality to the next level.
A modern European restaurant, serving simple but imaginative & refined food in a calm setting