Restaurant Hotspot: Portico Prime

Portico, at Alexandra Road in Singapore, was voted “Best New Restaurant 2014” by both Chope’s Diners’ Choice Award and Openrice. It looks set to continue making its mark on the Singapore food scene with the new Portico Prime, located at Block 10 at Dempsey Hills, Singapore.

Interior of Portico Prime, located in Block 10 Dempsey Hill. Photo © Justin Teo.

Photo © Justin Teo.

Old Charms of Dempsey Hill

Nested in the former military ground at Dempsey Hill, Portico Prime offers the same sense of airiness as its tranquil surroundings with its interior.  As I sat down, my eyes tracked its exposed brick pillars that reach up to the high open ceiling and roof rafters. Besides the afternoon light streaming in all around from the windowed doors, the interior was also partly lit warmly by the chandeliers and spotlights on the pillars.

High ceiling and exposed roof rafters of Portico Prime. Photo © Justin Teo.

Signature Menu

The four-course Signature Menu (S$78++) offers a starter, a soup, a choice of three main courses, and a dessert. I think the this set menu offers an exceptional value as it features the more popular dishes, and offers a significant discount compared sum of the individual dishes. The Collection of Heirloom Tomatoes (S$24) set the bar high as it got my salivary glands pumping for the meal. A tantalising mix of fruity sharpness and sweetness from the seasoned tomatoes and frozen honey melon dressing was lifted with the salty jamon slices. I also relished the layered texture from the quinoa and the crunchy aged jamon.

Tasting Menu. Photo © Justin Teo.

Collection of Heirloom Tomatoes (S$24), with quinoa and two types of jamon. Photo © Justin Teo.

The star in the Caramelised Leek and Potato Soup (S$22) was the brown butter toasted brioche served with a lightly charred eel on top.  Not only did it provide some crusty goodness for the soup, the bread brought all the elements together as a centerpiece for all their light background flavours.

Caramelised Leek and Potato Soup (S$22), served with a torched eel on top of a brown butter toasted brioche. Photo © Justin Teo.

Portico Prime continues its mission to support local fresh produce with the Pan-Seared Pulau Ubin Barramundi (S$38), served with carrot ginger puree, trout roe white butter sauce and roasted potatoes.  Sourced from a family-owned kelong off Pulau Ubin, the Tiberias Harvest floating fish-farm delivers fresh seafood within hours from farm to restaurants and homes and boasts no antibiotics or growth chemicals in their farming.  The barramundi skin was seared to perfection with a characteristic hollow sound coming from the skin as it was raked with my fork, and snapped part when put under pressure.

Pan-Seared Pulau Ubin Barramundi (S$38), with carrot ginger puree, trout roe white butter sauce and roasted ratte potatoes. Photo © Justin Teo.

Tochigi Prefecture Wagyu A4 Ribcap, with signature truffle beef sauce. Photo © Justin Teo.

With so many stellar dishes, my decision to pick a favourite dish for this meal would have been quite difficult if not for the magnificent Tochigi Prefecture Wagyu A4 Ribcap steak (additional S$40 top-up with Signature Menu). Portico Prime has exclusive rights for the Tochigi Prefecture Wagyu and they don’t shy away from displaying that fact with a wooden plaque stating so as I entered the restaurant.

I’m not certain if it’s because it’s Tochigi Prefecture wagyu, or if it was a special cut – the ribcap is the special bit that surrounds a ribeye cut that’s supposed to be even more marbled and tender than the ribeye, but the steak was divine. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t cooked to the doneness I prefer (we weren’t asked), the steak with its astonishing marbling was juicy, soft and tender beyond what my words could do justice to. The signature truffle sauce and crunchy garlic bits on the potato were just cherry on top of an outstanding steak.

Amazing marbling on the wagyu steak. Photo © Justin Teo.

Tochigi Prefecture Wagyu, exclusively at Portico Prime. Photo © Justin Teo.

The satisfying Deconstructed Blackforest (S$17) tasted as good as it looked, and provided a fitting end to a fabulous lunch affair. The airy chocolate mousse was made with premium 70 per cent Valrhona dark chocolate, and was served with fresh blackberry, crunchy hazelnut soil, caramel ice-cream with cherry sauce. Spoiler alert: I love the playful addition of popping rock candy in the dessert, which added the little extra to make this dessert stand out from the rest of the forest.

Deconstructed Blackforest (S$17), with 70% Valrhona dark chocolate mousse, edible hazelnut soil, cherry coulis, caramel ice-cream. Photo © Justin Teo.

Portico Prime
10 Dempsey Rd, #01-20
Singapore 247700.
Tel: +65 6474 7427

Operating hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 11.30 am to 11.30 pm.