Four of us dined at Portal on a Wednesday evening recently. I had high hopes for a great evening, having longingly looked into the beautifully lit restaurant on many occasions as I made the trek home after a long day. All started well with a table in the lovely conservatory, but sadly the service fell down after the delivery of our starters. We had an unexplained 45 minute wait for our mains to appear despite a half full restaurant and no one helping with refilling our glasses. Eventually our mains arrived, but the sides took a further 10 minutes, which by then, they were not really wanted. Apparently there was a mad dash to get some missing ingredients, however, simply advising us of the delay would have helped the situation. We left without dessert (headed to Eastside Inn with service on another level altogether). But enough moaning – the food – it was really stunning when it arrived and the dining space is terrific. I'm hoping we simply got an ‘off night’. I think I'll give Portal another go, in the summer and sit out in the amazing courtyard.