Have you had a good meal at Il Portico Kensington?

IAmMerfacus · 2023-08-09T18:59:46+00:00

I shall be visiting next month and hope it will be as enjoyable as I expect. If you have been and enjoyed the restaurant it would be nice if you could leave a 5 star review so that people like me who haven't been before can get an accurate idea of the quality of the food and the restaurant.

IamSarah · 31/03/2024 07:20

I was one of those cringy people that took photos of the food, but I just had to. It was all so delicious.

Have you had a good meal at Il Portico Kensington?

EmpressaurusOfCats · 31/03/2024 04:57

According to the friends I went with, the lamb shank & the calamari were pretty amazing too.

The food is really filling though, so make sure you’re properly hungry.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 31/03/2024 00:42

Ooh that does sound lovely Empress

Original poster

IAmMerfacus · 31/03/2024 00:10

The bastards.

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EmpressaurusOfCats · 30/03/2024 22:40

I was a bit wrong - just checked & Pino hosted a fundraising event for Lumos, JKR’s charity. The owner also had the temerity to stand up for her & Suzanne Moore on Twitter.

ArabellaScott · 30/03/2024 22:37

If I ever venture away from this long vigil in the Scottish wilderness I will try to get a table and eat all that stuff.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 30/03/2024 22:18

J K Rowling hosted a meal at Il Portico’s sister restaurant, Pino, for a group of women including Helen Joyce, Maya Forstater & Angela Wild of Wild Womyn’s Workshop. This led not just to malicious reviews for Il Portico but a brick through their window when they refused to condemn JKR for terfery.

I had the burrata pugliese & aubergine caponata followed by the mushroom risotto & they were bloody gorgeous.

Datun · 30/03/2024 21:59

Iop · 30/03/2024 21:35

There is so much on this board that goes over my head! I'm as GC as they come but it's like reading another language sometimes 😂 A thread a while back was just poster after poster talking about "gardening" - obviously code for something, for those in the know 🤷🏼‍♀️ And now this thread - which I assumed upon opening had been started by a restaurateur hoping to bump up their Google reviews. But actually seems to be about a restaurant that somehow manages to be GC?? I'm baffled!

Gardening is a euphemism for donating to a crowd funder.

We aren't allowed to post links to crowd funders. And even mentioning them seemed a bit dicey a while back.

So we 'gardened' and tossed over turnips and carrots, etc. And it just sort of stuck.

HagoftheNorth · 30/03/2024 21:42

If I remember, when it became known that JKR liked thus restaurant (was that it?) TRA’s started leaving negative reviews presumably, given the speed with which they appeared, without ever eating there. Shame for a good restaurant to suffer because of this, hence…..

Iop · 30/03/2024 21:35

There is so much on this board that goes over my head! I'm as GC as they come but it's like reading another language sometimes 😂 A thread a while back was just poster after poster talking about "gardening" - obviously code for something, for those in the know 🤷🏼‍♀️ And now this thread - which I assumed upon opening had been started by a restaurateur hoping to bump up their Google reviews. But actually seems to be about a restaurant that somehow manages to be GC?? I'm baffled!

FigRollsAlly · 30/03/2024 21:29

I’d forgotten the details of why Il Portico was targeted by TRAs but I read JKR’s latest Strike book last week and when the restaurant featured in it I realised she was giving them a well deserved nod.

IamSarah · 30/03/2024 19:54

It's really outstanding food and James is a delight. So glad that people are supporting it.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 30/03/2024 09:03

I went to Il Portico last weekend and now I can see why it’s JKR’s favourite. The food had an incredible amount of flavour & the staff were lovely.

It was £200 for 3 of us with wine, so not somewhere I’d go every week but brilliant for a special occasion.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 20/12/2023 09:46

Is it the fox killer who’s annoyed with Gail’s for some reason?

Yes, he doesn't approve of its owner. Personally I don't approve of people who batter foxes to death with baseball bats, so horses for courses.

PotteringPondering · 20/12/2023 09:02

The food is great, and James is friendly. I had a good meal there recently with a friend.

Bear in mind that it's more expensive than most Italian restaurants. If you're used to 'average' restaurant prices, you'll find Il Portico quite expensive.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 20/12/2023 08:23

IcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2023 15:44

It's just across the road from a Gail's bakery, which was packed.

Is it the fox killer who’s annoyed with Gail’s for some reason?

1stWorldProblems · 20/12/2023 07:47

Went to lunch on 11th Dec - JKR dead right - the pasta is amazing. Rest of the food was also yummy. Attentive but not annoying service. Not cheap but will definitely be going back next thing we're up the Big Smoke

HagoftheNorth · 17/12/2023 16:30

Sounds amazing, planning to make a point of going there next time I’m in London

IcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2023 15:44

It's just across the road from a Gail's bakery, which was packed.

Mumsnut · 17/12/2023 15:39

We should have a terfy meetup there ...

IcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2023 15:37

Had a meal here yesterday lunchtime, four of us. We all had something different, it was all lovely. The service was attentive without being intrusive. Food didn't sit too heavily in the stomach, which was just as well as partner made for the stairs shortly afterwards at Covent Garden tube 😭 I wasn't quick enough to stop him.

Florissante · 10/08/2023 15:39

It sounds wonderful. I hope the TRAs are chewing their sleeves in a rage at having the false reviews removed.

lanadelgrey · 10/08/2023 15:33

I love it. Old fashioned London Italian restaurant vibe. James always does us an antipasti selection - mozzarella, mushrooms and garlic prawns are lovely.

BlackForestCake · 10/08/2023 00:34

When I looked a few minutes ago all the fake reviews seemed to have been removed.

Original poster

IAmMerfacus · 09/08/2023 22:56

Glad to hear that others have had an enjoyable time. A Google review would be especially helpful, whilst better review sites which require proof of attendance are protected Google reviews, being Google, do tend to be on the first listing.

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