Portico Prime

I first knew Chef Nixon back in 2013 when he was the head chef of Petite Menu and have loved what he can whip up in the kitchen since then. He soon became my favourite local chef (and K’s too) and always have a sixth sense of what my palate likes best. Even his CNY fusion menu (which can be tricky and hard to nail) was a delight! When Petite Menu closed the following year, I lamented its loss. Then came along Portico not long after and I had my one of best meals there. I guess it’s telling how much K and I like Portico and the team when we chose to spend Christmas eve there last year (and maybe this year) 🙂

Fast forward one year, and Portico has a new sister restaurant – Portico Prime. Taking over what used to be Prime Society at Dempsey, Portico Prime is (not surprisingly) upmarket, and the tasteful design, classy ambiance and menu prices reflect that change in status. While I didn’t expect cheap prices, I feel that some of the dishes can be more reasonably priced. Honestly, $22++ for a soup (that was served cold in my case, ouch) or salad can be hard to stomach.

That aside, we were pretty impressed by the quality of most of the other dishes. The seared Hokkaido scallop with sous vide egg, pan-seared barramundi (extremely fresh as Portico works with Tiberias Harvest, which offers fish delivered within hours from its sea farm located off the north-eastern coast of Pulau Ubin) and the signature heirloom tomatoes with frozen honey melon dressing were excellent! K was all raves for his succulent wagyu steak from Tochigi Perfecture, exclusive to Portico Prime and cannot be found anywhere else in Singapore. And of course, desserts by Chef Charlene never fail to satisfy our sweet tooth! Her deconstructed blackforest is our must-order; the creme brulee and refreshing basil parfait are worth a try too!

Seared Hokkaido Scallop ($28++)
cos lettuce, sous vide 63°C egg, dehydrated bacon, brown anchovy mayo, freshly shaved pecorino cheese

Collection of Heirloom Tomatoes ($24++)
jamon serrano slices, organic quinoa, marinated hijiki seaweed, frozen honey melon dressing

Caramelised Leek and Potato Soup ($22++)
lightly charred smoked eel, brown butter toasted brioche

Pan-Seared Pulau Ubin Barramundi ($38++)
ratte potatoes, carrot ginger puree, trout roe buerre blanc sauce

Miso Risotto (off the menu)
pan seared hokkaido scallop, mini crispy prawns

Tochigi Perfecture Wagyu Ribcap A4 ($58++ per 100g, minimum 200g)
roasted ratte potatoes, vine cherry tomatoes, truffle beef jus

Deconstructed Blackforest ($17++)
70% dark chocolate mousse, edible hazelnut soil, cherry coulis, caramel ice cream

“Naphung” Honey and Thyme Crème Brulee Coconut Tart ($15++)
grapefruit segments, cranberry biscotti

Our thanks to Chef Nixon for having us over!

Portico Prime
10 Dempsey Road, #01-20
6474 7427