A Clerkenwell Reunion

NINE YEARS AGO, when Antonio Correia opened his fine dining establishment, Portal, in St John Street, his kitchen was headed by the rising young star, Ricardo Costa, now executive chef at the Yeatman Hotel, the only Michelin starred restaurant in Porto, and considered to be one of the most creative chefs in Portugal. For this very special TASTE PORTUGAL event, Costa will be returning to London to work alongside Correia and his team and create a menu themed around an emblematic and indigenous Portuguese product, Bísaro pork.

Less well known than the Iberian black pig (porco preto), the Bísaro pig was, until recently, close to extinction, but has been brought back from the brink, thanks to a National Association for Bísaro Pig Farmers, established in 1994, and the focus being taken away from cross-breeding. Allowed to roam wild for much of the time, the pigs are nevertheless fed on agricultural produce, including cereal mixes, tubers, fruits, vegetables and chestnuts. Their meat is low in fat – much like the porco preto – and thus highly rated in gastronomic circles.

The Portal menu will comprise five courses, created to showcase this traditional and delicious product in a variety of guises including in sausages, in stew and as ham. As with all TASTE PORTUGAL events, there will be a carefully selected wine-flight to accompany the menu.

The wine list at Portal has about 70 different Portuguese wines on it. ‘I’ve got wines from all the regions – north to south – here to offer,’ says Correia. ‘I cannot have it all, because then I’d have 10,000 wines on the wine list, but most of them, yes.’ And they’re all sourced by Correia himself, who has been collecting wines privately since 1994. ‘I did some time training in wineries in Bordeaux and Portugal. I love drinking wine and I read about it a lot. Most customers are keen to try Portuguese wines when they come to Portal. I try to get them to taste the French as well, to compare and see the difference, but I am keen to get people to taste the very best of Portuguese wines too. Feedback is always that the Portuguese wines are as good as or better then the French.’

Costa, who comes from a family of good cooks, has worked in many hotels and restaurants in mainland Portugal, Madeira, Spain and England. In 2009, he received both the annual Chef of the Year award from the Portuguese magazine Wine and his first Michelin star for the Hotel Casa da Calçada in Amarante. This latter award was repeated the following year. At the Yeatman, Costa is responsible for two kitchens and, under his lead, the Gastronomic Restaurant has earned a Michelin star in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Guides.

Correia is excited to be involved with TASTE PORTUGAL London 2014/15 and to be welcoming Costa back to his roots. He firmly believes that it is a good idea to be promoting other cuisines here in London. ‘London is the capital of food now – believe it or not and want it or not! I know the French don’t like to know that, but it’s reality. This is where everything is happening. All types of cuisine are available. We [the Portuguese] need to play a good role in the town to show what we can do and what wonderful chefs we have.’