Portrait Restaurant, Trafalgar Square
Posted on: October 5, 2013
PORTRAIT RESTAURANT
National Portrait Gallery Restaurant
St Martin’s Pl,
London WC2H 0HE
PRICING: 2 courses: £25, 3 courses: £30
RATING: 10
WEB: http://www.npg.org.uk/visit/shop-eat-drink/restaurant.php
The National Gallery is definitely one of London’s pride and joys, and it is so large and impressive that I have to admit to never really making the time to browse the National Portrait Gallery, which is located on the side entrance. It is little wonder that I ended up there for the first time, with the primary intention of trying their restaurant.
A section of this beautiful building is cordoned off for a diverse selection of portraits, displaying everyone from Edward VI to Emmeline Pankhurst to Nelson Mandela and ending with an impressive collection of current celebrities by Jonathon Yeo. The walls are adorned with familiar faces, all painted with oil on canvas and some displaying such an amazing combination of textures to achieve the skin tone, that they looked like they had been painted in water colour.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2013/jonathan-yeo-portraits.php
Most diners visit The Portrait Restaurant for its panoramic view of London, but this is very quickly forgotten when an elegantly crafted meal is placed before you. The service could not be faulted, it could only be described as seamless and well timed. In fact it seems that food imitates art at this restaurant, as the only thing missing from each plate was a frame to celebrate it’s achievement.
My starter was Smoked Gressingham Duck; now I have no clue where Gressingham is, but I did get the impression that it’s the equivalent of living in Bath and being rather pampered as the duck was smooth and lean. The combination of sweet, nutty and the unique noodle like texture of the celeriac went together so well that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I was especially eager to try the Cornish Bream with gem and mussel vinaigrette. This is an absolutely beautiful dish entirely reminiscent of a summer or spring day, when all you desire is something light and so fresh that it tastes like the fish was caught in front of your eyes. They certainly are not kidding when they claim that they use seasonal ingredients sourced from the most esteemed suppliers.
My compadres were all impressed with their choices. They appeared to be the most impressed with the coconut and mango pavlova with passion fruit and fennel herb. The mango draped across the meringue did not show a hint of being out of season, which of course it is and we could identify it as being one from Pakistan (the most strong in flavour).
The Portrait was most definitely a hit with my party of diners, and I will be going back for their afternoon tea which was designed by world-renowned pastry chef Claire Clark. It sounds like the perfect end to a day wandering around the main part of the National Gallery, and most certainly well deserved.
Excited About Lunch 
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