Porada

Bury New Road, Whitefield

Porada is my favourite local Italian restaurant. Since it opened, in the building of the old Barclays bank, in December 2013, I’ve been a regular visitor. It’s modern, stylish, chic and sophisticated and, like many of Whitefield’s establishments, brings a city centre vibe to the suburbs.

I met up with some school friends at this local delight on Sunday evening, and I was taken aback when I discovered how busy it was. Granted, it’s always been popular, and there are always tables occupied no matter what time of the day or week you stroll past, but I’ve never seen it so positively heaving on a Sunday night. Unfortunately, this meant we had to wait twenty five minutes for a table that I’d reserved for 7.00 pm. I appreciate that, as a paying customer, you should never be rushed out once you’ve finished your meal, but I begrudge having to stand at the bar for so long when we’ve made a reservation. 

Once we sat down, the service didn’t look promising. We gazed over the menus for almost half an hour, after which I still had to ask twice if we could order. It doesn’t exactly set you up for a relaxing evening, but granted, once we ordered, our food arrived swiftly and there was nothing else we could possibly have complained about.

To start, I had ‘Gamberoni Tempura’. It’s a starter I’ve had several times before when dining at Porada, and it’s one of my absolute favourites. Never mind king prawns, I think ‘emperor’ would be a better description; they really are enormous. Three mammoth sized, juicy prawns were lightly coated in perfectly crispy batter and served on a charcuterie board with bistro salad and a sweet chilli sauce for dipping. As I removed the tail, I was scraping any excess scraps of batter from around them, not wanting the first course to end as I savoured every mouthful. 

Gamberoni Tempura

Sunday was one of those days when I knew exactly what I wanted. I try to avoid eating the same dishes over and over again when I go out, but on this occasion I was having exactly what I fancied.  So I opted for one of my favourite pasta dishes, ‘Fusilli Pesto E Pollo’, spiral pasta with chicken, pine kernals, sun-blushed tomatoes and chilli coated in basil pesto sauce and topped with shavings of parmesan cheese. The ingredients married together incredibly well, resulting in an exquisite pasta dish, rich in all my favourite flavours and textures. I’ve previously had the same dish cooked with red, tomato based pesto. The difference is astounding; it makes for a totally different meal, tasting more like it’s cooked in a bog-standard tomato sauce. I’m loath to criticise such a gorgeous dish, but they could be slightly more generous with their portion sizes. A few more mouthfuls would have left me feeling much more satisfied with my meal.

Fusilli Pesto E Pollo

As my friends were all indulging in dessert, I had to join them. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m abstaining from chocolate and cakes during Lent, so I’m currently extremely limited when it comes to dessert choice. In this case, Creme Brûlée Flambé was my one and only option. Alright, confession time: I’d never before eaten a Creme Brûlée. I’m not entirely sure why. It’s probably because there is a gargantuan list of other desserts I’d rather eat than a glorified pot of hot custard.

At this point, I’ll hold my hands up and admit that my glorified custard was absolutely gorgeous. The rich, silky and comforting custard was warm and gooey in the middle, hidden under a crispy caramelised top. The ‘Flambé’ was produced from Grand Marnier liqueur, which was doused over the top of the brûlée and set alight, which took me by surprise and almost resulted in singed eyebrows, but was effective all the same. Meanwhile, I had to sit and watch my friend eat Forerro Rocher cheesecake, my mouth salivating and my eyes becoming moist at the sight. 

                               Creme Brûlee Flambé

Whilst the portions could do with upsizing, the quality of the food at Porada is of exceptional quality. The surroundings are stunning, and could rival those of an upmarket Italian in the centre of town. Despite an initially long and irritating wait for our table, once we ordered and noticed that I was visibly irked, they upped their game and the rest of the evening moved along swiftly. 

The full menu, including the Sunday Special, is available to view at:

http://www.porada.co.uk/