Oporto: Born in Bondi and now in London
I’m not a fast food hater. Despite being processed, homogenised and generally bad for you, I am more frequently than not quite partial to it. I’d had Hungry Jacks in Australia but I’d heard only recently heard about Oporto from Catty. So when passing through Victoria Train Station, it was convenient to meet up with with a friend for a quick lunch meeting. Victoria Station is London’s busiest railway hub, and with its own shopping centre and food court at Victoria Place, Oporto launched their first international store as part of a two year roll out. The first Oporto restaurant was founded in 1986 by António Cerqueira, a Portuguese immigrant, in Bondi, Sydney, now known as the “mothership”. There are now over 100 stores in Australia and New Zealand and there are plans for one to open this year in Los Angeles.
The most popular burger, and the one that Catty recommended, is the Bondi Burger, a double fillet of chicken breast sandwiched between a white sesame seed bun with lettuce, mayonnaise and their own “famous” chilli sauce. Oporto’s chilli sauce is a Portuguese piri-piri sauce made from chilli, ginger, lemon and garlic with a little bit of a burn. The meal comes with a can of coke and their fries which are not dissimilar to to that thick-cut fries at KFC. Pre seasoned chips at that and pretty good. So, the burger as a whole, whilst fresh seemed to be missing something. Flavour. I’m not a massive fan of chicken breast meat at the best of times and this didn’t taste of much and having been flattened to cook quickly, was a little bit chewy on some of thinner bits of fillet. Perhaps I do like my chicken burgers breaded and deep fried like a reconstituted chicken nugget? Turned out that it was at least missing a slice of processed cheese. It just wasn’t that savoury. It just didn’t hit the mark for me. However with an expanding army of loyal fans, there will most likely be one coming to you soon…
Oporto
Victoria Place Shopping Centre
Mezzanine Level Food Court
London SW1W 9SJ
Tel: 02078283350
Website: www.oporto.co.uk
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4 Responses to “Oporto: Born in Bondi and now in London”
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When I was in Sydney, I went expecting an outstanding burger yet all I got was the average Portuguese chicken burger, no different from anywhere else. I did enjoy the chunky chips though. But overall, nothing special really isn’t it?
I work around Victoria station but I rarely venture into the shopping centre. But I did give this a go before Christmas with an Aussie friend. Did you find the burger a little dry? I found mine a trife dry and a little tasteless too. Probably because they bash the shit out of the chicken breast so it forms that moistureless flat fillet. Great photos on this website by the way.
[...] 11, … about the station please telephone the London Transport Disabled Passenger Unit on 020 …Oporto in London | Food. By Mark. – Passion for food.Oporto in London … Victoria Station is London's busiest railway hub, and with its own shopping [...]
Even in Australia, Oporto is very hit and miss depending on which store you go to, some of them are utterly horrible, and some are tremendous. I tend to get the “Norm” burger though with BBQ sauce rather than the Bondi burger, if they use the same BBQ sauce they use in Australia, then its well worth a try.