Tucked away within the northern suburb of Albany Creek is a hidden gem. This hidden gem as my husband and I discovered last week is Portabella Restaurant.
I have driven past this restaurant many times but haven't had the opportunity to dine here. We were very glad that the opportunity arose as the experience was well worth the wait.
Portabella is open for lunch daily from 11.30 - 2.30pm and for dinner, Monday to Saturday, from 5.30pm. We decided to eat here for lunch. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Large glass doors open right up giving it an 'alfresco' feel.
Portabella licensed restaurant
It also boasts a lounge area for the bar. They offer an good list of wine, beer and cocktails. They also promote speciality craft beers and the specials board near the kitchen display what craft beers are on offer daily.
The lunch menu was varied and had a lot of promise. We especially liked the idea of the choices of either 1 course for $15, 2 courses for $22 or 3 courses for $29. They also have a selection of tapas for sharing with your dining companions.
We choose 2 courses each, starting with the garlic, herb and cheese bread (with Heidi farm gruyere and Kenilworth cheddar) and stuffed mushrooms of cream cheese, bacon, reggiano, garlic, shallots and parsley. Nice starters to whet the appetite.
Garlic, herb and cheese bread and stuffed mushrooms
For mains, my husband couldn't go past the salt n pepper calamari with chips, salad and aloli. I choose the chicken tenderloin salad with honey roast pumpkin, green beans, feta, almonds and herb vinaigrette. The meals which arriving promptly, looked good with flavour to match.
Chicken salad
The lunch meals were of generous portions and with 2 courses we didn't have room for dessert. Oh well, maybe another time...
The staff were friendly, yet professional. They cater well for vegetarians and had a large selection of gluten free meals as well on offer. The restaurant is fully licensed and lots of parking available. I would recommend calling to reserve a table as it was quite busy when we dined here.
This restaurant will definitely be added to our list of "must do again restaurants"!
