Bar Portillo de Sal y Amor, Nakameguro

Salut! It's Yoko.

On May 10, a new Spanish restaurant (bar) opened in Nakameguro,

Bar Portillo de "sal y amor"
and I went to try it!

A sister restaurant of sal y amor in Daikanyama

The flagship is sal y amor in Daikanyama (the name means "salt and love" in Spanish),

and this new place, Portillo (meaning "small door"), looks to be the third location.

I've been to the flagship two or three times. It was a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick in 2016 and 2017,

with an interior that feels authentic, and dishes like caldero (a soupy style of paella) and fideua (paella made with pasta),

so you can eat things you won't find at other Spanish restaurants. I love it!

Walking from Nakameguro to Bar Portillo de sal y amor

Bar Portillo de sal y amor carries on the concept of sal y amor,

and it's like a bar you might find in a small Spanish country town.

That day I'd already hopped between two places in Kayabacho, so I got there at 9 pm!

It's about a 17-minute walk from Nakameguro Station, so a decent distance.

But inside it was nearly full and buzzing with people happily eating, which raised my expectations!

There are counter seats near the entrance too, so you could just stop in for a quick drink with some tapas.

The interior makes you feel like you've been teleported to Spain, and the ham set out in front of the kitchen got me in the mood.

Here's the menu.

　

There's a good range of both drinks and food!!

The Portillo signature six-tapas platter, "Kombinat," at ¥3,000 (jamón serrano, pan con tomate, ajillo and more) looks good if you come with a big group.

　

For my first drink I had my beloved sangria and pickled green chili peppers.

So light and refreshing!!

I also ordered a tapas-size portion of the chicken fideua (paella made with pasta).

Besides ordering paella in the regular size, there's also a system where large pans come out at set times,

and you can get a small portion of that instead, although you can't choose the type.

The garlic in the aioli is amazing.

This is the fried eggplant. I can't resist eggplant or anything fried.

It goes perfectly with the slightly spicy tomato cream sauce!

Fried sakura shrimp and a fried egg.

Break the yolk, mix it with the sakura shrimp and scoop it onto a spoon...

This... is so simple and so delicious!

My second drink (I think a cocktail of sherry and 7UP, I only half remember) went down very easily.

To finish, cheese pudding with honey from Asturias, Spain.

I often end a restaurant meal with pudding, but this was my first cheese pudding.

It's rich and full-bodied, and my spoon just kept going... The honey works nicely as a sauce too!

I didn't order much, but each dish had its own character and was carefully made, so I was very satisfied!

Also, does anyone else feel that having dessert makes the meal "wrap up" properly? lol

It was our third stop of the night, so I didn't get nearly enough to eat. I'll have to come back...

Many regulars from sal y amor seemed to be there and it was packed, so I'm sure it will become a popular spot.

If you're interested, book early!

Bar Portillo de "sal y amor"
Escenario Aobadai 103, 1-19-10 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0042
03-6455-2536
17:30-22:30 (last order). Closed Mondays

See you next time! Au revoir!