![\"portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1779.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nHosted on the Patio has been rebranded as Portico, “porch” in Italian.\u00a0If you sit in the al fresco portico, just pluck any leaf from the garden and chew on it: the garden has edible herbs and plants that are used in the food.<\/p>\n
\nHosted on the Patio has been rebranded as Portico, “porch” in Italian.\u00a0If you sit in the al fresco portico, just pluck any leaf from the garden and chew on it: the garden has edible herbs and plants that are used in the food.<\/p>\n
To complement the homely decor<\/strong>,\u00a0Executive<\/strong> Chef Leandros Stagogiannis<\/strong> (formerly from one of the best restaurants in the world, UK’s Fat Duck, and Singapore’s FiftyThree and Saint Pierre<\/a>) presents rich, hearty home-style creations because to him, home-cooked food is about indulgence. Seasonal and fresh ingredients are sourced locally when\u00a0possible. Everything, including the ice cream, is made in-house. Helping him are two talented young (muscular) chefs: Head Chef Nixon Low<\/strong> and Sous Chef Kelvin Tan<\/strong> (both formerly from Petite Menu<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The desserts<\/strong> were imaginative, beautifully plated, and delicious. I highly recommend\u00a0lychee shaved ice<\/strong> ($13), invigorating after a full meal. It came with dragon-fruit, mango, pink guava and sugar snap pea. Some around the table said raw sugar snap pea didn’t go with shaved ice, but I liked it–the slight bitterness added a dimension to the sweet-sour dessert.<\/p>\n Portico is somewhere I would hang out often. The ambience\u00a0was unpretentious and\u00a0easy like Sunday morning; the food was sincere, delicious, and reasonably priced. A place I would recommend for big groups<\/strong>,\u00a0dates<\/strong>, and\u00a0brunch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 991B Alexandra Road, #01-01 Singapore 119970 Written by\u00a0A. Nathanael Ho.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1790.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nThere were some okay dishes, some good ones, and some creative ones. Skip the so-so\u00a0snacks<\/strong>–we had chicken wings\u00a0<\/strong>($7) and soft shell crab<\/strong> ($9.50)–and go straight to the mains. The\u00a0grape and quinoa salad<\/strong> ($14, pic shows tasting portion) was\u00a0refreshing, great for a light lunch or brunch. When not cooked properly, high-protein quinoa, the only grain my trainer approves me of eating, has a bitterness, but not here. Here, quinoa was\u00a0mixed with grape, sugar snap peas, fresh raspberries, and slivers\u00a0of cooked watermelon. This was\u00a0a balanced diet my trainer would approve: vegetarian<\/strong>, carbs, proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, fibre, low fat – and revitalizing\u00a0too.<\/p>\n![\"Portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1831.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nThe creative dishes weren’t as good as the familiar, comfort food. Both the\u00a0crispy sweetbread, onion puree and heart of palm salad<\/strong> ($17 starter\/ $29 to share) and Hungarian pork collar kebab<\/strong> ($13 starter pictured above\/ $24 main)\u00a0were tough; and the\u00a0kombu soba noodles, truffle, and crispy brown shrimp<\/strong> ($16), salty without truffle aroma.<\/p>\n![\"Portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1812.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nBut the comfort food was as good as it could get. Fish from\u00a0seabass fish and chips<\/strong> ($19) is delivered\u00a0from\u00a0Pulau Ubin daily<\/strong>, and guaranteed to reach Portico from Ubin in two hours<\/strong>. How much fresher can it get? The beer batter was\u00a0siphoned onto the fish so the crust was\u00a0thinner than an anorexic model on Vogue<\/em>. Super thin, crispy crust, thick chunk of fresh seabass still swimming two hours ago, very refreshing crushed peas with intense mint oil that could clear Fran Drescher’s nasal accent: the only thing that could improve was the curly fries, addictive, but mismatched.<\/p>\n![\"Portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1839.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nThe\u00a0red wine-braised wagyu beef cheek and bourguignon sauce<\/strong> ($27) was extremely tender and so intensely rich it could afford a car in Singapore. The accompanying mash was\u00a0mixed with cream. To undercut the richness, there were spheres of Chinese pears. This was one of the best beef cheeks I had, but also the richest, and may get\u00a0jerlat<\/em>\u00a0or heart-attack after three bites, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n![\"Portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1865.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nTart aux citron (lemon tart)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"portico](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/img_1856.jpg?resize=388%2C258&ssl=1\")
\nThe\u00a0tart aux citron<\/strong> ($14) was gorgeous and tart enough, sprinkled creatively with fried shallots! The onion ice cream<\/strong> was pure onion with cream, and went surprisingly well with the lemon tart. The 60% dark chocolate\u00a0manjari H20 ganache and sweet corn sorbet, with roasted hazelnuts and cashew praline<\/strong> ($16, above) was fun too, and each component was delicious on its own, but did nothing as a whole.<\/p>\nPortico Singapore<\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\n
\nT: 6276 7337
\nM-F: 8am-11.30pm
\nSat: 11am-11.30pm
\nPortico Singapore Menu Page 1<\/a> & Page 2<\/a>
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\n<\/a>Rating: 3.313\/5 stars
\n![\"chope-reservations\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/booknow-new.png?resize=220%2C77&ssl=1\")
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