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This month our anonymous (and unpaid) food reviewer Harry grabbed lunch from Porto Gallo.
Yet another new eatery has opened its doors in St Peter Port, and with it comes mouth-watering excitement and a requirement to probe into what’s on offer.
Porto Gallo is a family business that’s popped up on Fountain Street promising hearty dishes from Portugal.
I arrived right on the cusp of opening and was welcomed in by a rainbow of regional soft drinks in the fridge and the rambles of authentic music coming from the speaker.
It gives the impression of a late-night takeaway, and there was some inertia that my blood wasn’t diluted with alcohol while taking in the aluminium surroundings and pouring over the hot counter items by the till.
There was a joyful welcome from staff, made even more so by the surprising offer of a free coffee during the wait. They insisted I should try it on the house. Free consumables make the best sauce, but the espresso stood on its own. Strong, fruity, and delicious. A big tick for service here all round.
The storefront quickly filled with patrons, which so close to the lunch opening time indicates the grub has quickly won hearts and minds among town office-dwellers.
Pictured: The Porto Gallo menu included many mouth watering items....
Attention, as always, turned to the funky-looking menu.
My eyes struck the burger section instantly and the House Special version seemed a perfect icebreaker. It was basically a mix of pretty much every farm animal you can find with a fried egg to boot. Perfectly cooked but the bread became soggy halfway through chomping. If toasted, I would consider grazing away once again.
Then there was a regional centerpiece, beef Espetada. I feared my eyes may have been larger than my gut when I saw the chef skewering chunk and after chunk of substantial meat onto a stick. When I eventually sat down to eat with my piping hot tray, I lifted the lid to find they had thankfully shrunk over the coals and were now browned, half submerged in a parsley, garlic, and oil bath. It smelled divine.
I requested medium rare and got just what I asked for. Perfectly tender and juicy with a light background taste that didn’t outperform the meat. It did require more salt though. It came with a tub of simple salad which did help cut through the richness and resulted in a rounded main.
Pictured: Porto Gallo sells many traditional Portuguese foods.
Then came another staple. The great pioneer of TV cooking shows, James Beard, once said that “good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods” and never has a truer word been spoken. While a steak sandwich could be considered a pretty solid bet, it has been elevated above the usual here.
Biting into the soft, lightly dusted bun and discovering a well-seasoned, pliable steak within, was nothing short of heavenly. And the butter! James ended his quote by suggesting that “good bread with fresh butter is the greatest of feasts”. Add this steak and you’ll feel like you’re flying.
The bread love continued as I tucked into a roast chicken sandwich. Salad usually makes the bread a soggy and disgusting mess but this one struck the right balance of succulence and crisp. It was a good feed.
You’d expect that though at the prices we pay for lunch out these days.
Overall, it was great and I'm looking forward to trying other items on their menu.
Be warned, the beef may be too heavy for a single person’s lunch!
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