Portobello

9 Stauntons St, Soho, Central, HK
Visited 31st March

The Hong Kong 7s were absolute, undeniable, craziness. Saturday afternoon we watched Australia beat France, we clapped, we cheered, and then we snuck away to Soho. Tucked away just around the top of the mid-levels escalator and across the road from the bright lights of the Staunton's Wine Bar is Portobello; where we searched for sanity and cafe late.

On entering Portobello you are greeted by a bulging cake display and slick bar. The cafe's narrow, intimate seating and cosy, but refined atmosphere gives it a slight European feel. The menu consists of sandwiches, snacks and a splurge of cakes. The choice of tea was impressive and the wine list contained a couple of interesting options. I was however a little sceptical about how long some of the bottles had been sitting there half full.

Keen for a snack Naomi ordered a toasted mozzarella, tomato panini and a hot chocolate. I was content with a sobering coffee. The drinks were both fine, with the hot chocolate gaining some very positive praise. The panini was OK, but totally under cooked, though the staff were happy to make it "more crispy". Though nothing screamed excellence, everything about Portobello was satisfactory; the service was fine, the food fine and the prices fair (for Soho). Perhaps the best thing about Portobello was its tranquil atmosphere. It really was an oasis of sanity amongst the seething crowds of drunk and disorderly.

Visit cafe Website