Every neighbourhood needs a restaurant like Six Portland Road. It is the sort of place where you can – as your reviewer and his two dining comrades did – go for lunch and easily end up staying for the rest of the day. The team behind the venue have created a wonderfully relaxed vibe with thoughtful British food supported by a few quirky twists. It combines charm and sophistication..
Think of Six Portland Road as the grown-up sibling to Kensal Rise’s Parlour (which your reviewer also highly rated). Both restaurants play very much to the zeitgeist of their respective areas. Think decadent and confident in the case of the former rather versus slightly wacky and eclectic for the latter. At Six Portland Road, then, the story is of white starched table clothes and a drinks menu that suggests one begins with Pimm’s. Ladies who like to lunch will enjoy this place. This is far from the restaurant’s sole target market, however, as a Nott-in-Hill vodka cocktail or a (Holland) Park Americano drinks offering would attest. All are welcome. A sun trap of a patio perfect for people watching is an added bonus.
Our trio comfortably settled into our sunny seats and enjoyed a handful of the venue’s snacks while perusing the menu. It was a delight to see Parlour’s famous ‘back door’ smoked salmon appear on the menu at Six Portland Road too. Chefs apparently rotate between the two venues. A three-course set menu for £28 constitutes a wonderful bargain, but a la carte options are also reasonably priced at sub-£20 for starters and a bit more than double this for mains. The emphasis is on seasonal British dishes with a splash of French and Mediterranean thrown in. With asparagus still in season, it seemed like a no-brainer to Six Portland Road’s interpretation. The same culinary verve and tongue-in-cheek humour of Parlour was on display here, with the vegetable successfully paired with ‘some famous Irish stout’ (read, Guinness) and hazelnuts. Your reviewer had slight envy of one of his comrade’s opening choices, a beautifully looking – and apparently tasting – nettle and broccoli soup. For mains, two of our group opted for the fillet of brill pictured. It was cooked almost perfectly and paired with a salty samphire – a favourite ingredient of this reviewer – and a colourful range of heritage tomatoes. Other options included pan-fried duck, guinea fowl Kiev and Jerusalem Artichoke ravioli. There was room later to share cheese platters, adorned with a very novel pine cone jam. Yes, the said pine cones peaked out from a brown goo not dissimilar to Branston, but received much favourable discussion among our group.
Another bonus at Six Portland Road is the wonderfully curated wine list with gems from Germany and regional France as well as some more mainstream offerings. BYO is another possibility. Regardless, sit back, enjoy the vibe, and the top-notch service. Even if Six Portland Road is not in your reviewer’s immediate neighbourhood, it’s still just a short cab ride away. Expect a return visit.