Unfortunately, Cheesecake Boy couldn't get my birthday off this year, so I decided to go to work too. Luckily, I was working in Surry Hills and Cheesecake Boy was able to finish work early and pick me up, so off we went to queue up at Porteno. I had been salivating over the suckling pig for a while, so Cheesecake Boy thought this was the best place my dinner on my special day.
We arrived at 5.45pm and people were queuing up on a Wednesday night already before us, but as long as we got a serving of the suckling pig, I was going to be a happy girl that night.
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| Love the decor of this place |
Cheesecake Boy is obsessed with olives and we have to order them every time he sees them on a menu. I am not an olive fiend, so to me they are just olives but Cheesecake Boy devoured these.
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| Marinated olives |
Pate is a different story though, I love this stuff especially when its as good as this one, definitely one of the better pates I've had in a while. Cheesecake Boy, on the other hand doesn't understand my liking for pate though, he generally thinks pate has a funny aftertaste, but he still gives it a go.
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| House baked bread with olive oil and pork pate |
The sauce and salsa go really nicely with the suckling pig and really gives the pork a lift. Cheesecake Boy is smearing the green sauce all over his bread instead of the pate. The sauce is was very garlicky, just right up Cheesecake Boy's alley and we both prefer this to the salsa.
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| The salsa and other sauce for the suckling pig |
The cider went down easily as it was beautifully sweet, and my cocktail came with one of those hybrid spoon straws, so I could slurp my cocktail and scoop out the real stone fruit pieces inside.
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| Sidra escancidor (cider) |
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| Fruit cobbler |
The pastry on these were flaky, I loved the ricotta one more, not as keen on the beef but it was still nice. However, being the boy that Cheesecake Boy is, he preferred the beef.
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| Beef and broccoli and ricotta empanada |
There were actually four pieces of suckling pig but due to my long awaited anticipation, I started eating before I realised I forgot to take a photo. This pork is so succulent, tender and it is incredibly rich. I would say if you want to order this, to come in a group of 4 to share a piece each, as for a couple this really is a struggle to finish.
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| Woodfired suckling pig |
If it wasn't for the acidity and bitterness of the slaw, I would of definitely have struggled to even finish the first slice of suckling pig. This really went down well with the suckling pig.
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| Red cabbage slaw, look close this has grapes in it |
We were really struggling at this rate but we had to order dessert. It's not a birthday without dessert as far as I'm concern, and the only way I was going to charge through to dessert was sloshing down some tea. Now the only tea on the menu, is a South American tea and it tasted like spearmint. It was just what we needed to prepare us for dessert.
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| Tea |
I ordered the South American pavlova and this is huge, it seem reminiscent of a trifle to me except better, with chunks of meringue, roasted peanuts, dulce de leche minus the jelly. Between the two desserts we ordered, I preferred this one, it was a nice combination and as it was not too rich or sweet and the fruit made this dessert easy to go down.
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| South American pavlova |
Cheesecake Boy went for the pudding and he was grinning from ear to ear when he saw the dulce de leche ooze its way out. Cheesecake Boy loved the gooeyness of this pudding but I had one bite of this and I was done.
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| Chocolate pudding with dulce de leche |
We were so full we literally waddle out of there. As we left, the nice door guy asked how our meal went, and we were both like so full. He laughed and said that they had done their job. They sure did their job if that is their aim. Make sure you are super hungry before you come here, they will literally make you feel stuffed like a pig.
Thank you again to Cheesecake Boy for another great birthday meal and for always trying to fulfill my every restaurant whim.
We dedicate this post and its porky content to our fellow reader Cathy, you know who you are, this is where to go for your suckling pig.
Happy eating, Dumpling Girl.
Porteno Restaurant & Bar
358 Cleveland Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: 02 8399 1440
http://www.porteno.com.au/
2 comments:
Wow that suckling pig sure looks great. I will definitely check this place out when I have the time. Great posting by the way!
Thanks Dumpling Girl. The baboy looks amazing. I definitely have to take my special someone there. It will have to be after April though, you know why.
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