Annette Cunningham returns to a favourite old haunt

Portabello restaurant, bar and grill, tucked down South Parade, has been a favourite of mine for a number of years. It’s always had a curiously rustic sophistication and a fabulous menu.

Recently the restaurant had a refurbishment and is back looking fresh and sexy. It’s retained all of its former charm and boasts an impressive set of dishes to glide it through its extended opening hours. It also boasts some pretty fantastic staff.

My breakfast buddy and I received a warm reception from the wonderfully friendly and charismatic Will, early on a Saturday morning. We were soon sipping knock-your-socks-off Bloody Marys and deliberating over the extensive breakfast menu.

I was torn. If I’m dining out for breakfast I always want something I can really sink my teeth into, something that’s a million miles away from my daily bowl of bran flakes.

However, there was something about the Bircher muesli with fresh fruits, yoghurt and honey (£5.50) that had my name on it. It was exactly the same with the Eggs Florentine (£8). I couldn’t decide which way to go – so I ordered both.

Meanwhile my buddy was experiencing a similar dilemma. I’d have put money on him ordering the Portabello breakfast (a Full English at £9), but he couldn’t resist the decadence of ordering steak, eggs and chips (£13) at 10am.

The restaurant was rapidly filling up and there was a damn good buzz going on. Our plates arrived promptly and looked impressive. The 6oz, flash-grilled rump was hammered thin, filled most of the plate and came with a generous bowl of hand-cut chips and egg sunny side up (you can choose your style).

The verdict from my companion was that the steak was beautifully tender and that the chips were to die for (I know that’s true because I put my life on the line and nicked some).

My Bircher muesli was better than I could have imagined, it was tasty, refreshing and filling – so filling that I left some to make room for my Eggs Florentine.

Both eggs, nestling on soft muffins, were cooked to perfection and yep, you’ve guessed it, they were also delicious. We were very happy diners.

By now, Portabello was in full swing. The waiting team were all efficiently handling their busy tables with ease and gentle charm. We asked to see their other menus and were surprised to be given a handful. Portabello opens every day from 9.30am for breakfast, serves lunch from noon until dinner service begins at 5pm and has a new additional weekend brunch menu available from noon until 5pm – and there’s a menu for each.

There’s also a private dining option, at £27 for three courses and £21 for two, which offers the likes of salmon tartare, slow roast Barbary duck leg and spinach and pine nut cakes.

So, would we go there again? You bet. We were planning our next trip back before we’d put our coats on to leave.

GO TO
Portabello, 7 South Parade, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7LJ
info@portabellorestaurant.co.uk
www.portabellorestaurant.co.uk
01865 559653
Open every day from 9.30am