At 1pm on a roasting Thursday afternoon, nearly all the wooden picnic tables on the corner of Bexley Square are occupied by the sun-seeking Salford lunch crowd. They have seen the sense in swapping out the supermarket meal deal, or leftovers from last night’s tea, for a spot of tapas in one of the city’s favourite Spanish restaurants.
As visitors to Porta nibble on hand-rolled croquettes, jamon and cheese, their thoughts drifting to holidays abroad rather than the afternoon’s work ahead, they’re enjoying the rewards of a long-running gamble on one of the city’s ever-developing regions.
Shaded from the baking heat, drinking a coffee while facing the old Salford Town Hall, owner-brothers Ben and Joe Wright shed light on their decision to bring Porta to the city, branching out from their sites in Chester, Altrincham and West Didsbury.
“The building is owned by the council, and when we first started talking to them in 2017, none of the developments had been built yet – it was all wasteland,” Ben said, explaining the council was keen to avoid giving the keys to the Portland stone bank to a bog-standard coffee shop or a flat developer. The brothers behind Porta pitched their vision for a bustling tapas bar serving small bites and were drawn to the promise of “mind-blowing apartment numbers within a kilometre radius of here.”
Seven and a half years after the brothers opened the restaurant on a drizzly Wednesday in December, their plan for Porta Salford is slowly being realised. Joe said the wave of new residents moving into the area, coupled with the arrival of warm weather, means he can now see the vision in action. “On a sunny day when there’s a bit of outside seating, there is a real atmosphere,” explained the chef, whose involvement in the industry began at the age of 13 as a kitchen porter. That said, both brothers conceded that momentum has been slowed by the “horrific” Covid-19 pandemic, while the lingering effects of the Brexit vote are keenly felt a decade on.
“We import from some of, genuinely, the best producers in Spain. We’re not just using rubbish suppliers,” said Ben. “It’s hard work getting stuff at the right price, but that’s part of the challenge.” He added that the restaurant is working to maintain its quality but said they are feeling the squeeze: “We think the level of cooking sets us apart from the competition; every sauce and stock is handmade, and we are hand-cutting potatoes for patatas bravas in a certain way. But Brexit and the cost of import and export are not making things easier, never mind the government and their pernicious taxing,” he lamented.
With Andy Burnham set to become the new Prime Minister on Monday, Ben welcomed his manifesto pledge to increase the amount of money independent businesses can make before paying business rates. “There’s definitely hope,” the Salford restaurant owner said, “But you can’t shout loud enough about the problems the industry is facing; it’s very hard, and for the first time in 20 years we are focused on survival, not expansion.”
The pair said they have always been eager to hire students as bar staff, waiters or junior kitchen staff, yet admitted the bleak financial situation means they’re cutting their cloth accordingly.
“We have always taken on Uni of Salford students or people from the area, the industry is full of young people,” Ben said. “But you get to a point where you can’t afford it anymore, and we are literally not hiring now. Ten years ago, we had a kitchen porter on most shifts; now we can’t afford it.”
Despite facing rising costs and running a business in an industry that feels the brunt of each economic downturn, in the Salford sunshine, there’s still room for optimism. Looking around at diners snacking on Porta’s small plates, Joe relived his journey as a chef and waxed lyrical about the kitchen operation he has built.
“I began working in some local pubs in Cheshire before starting as a porter when I was 13,” he remembered, smiling. “I then went to college and studied to be a chef, stayed in the industry and moved around some really good pub restaurants in the area. The brothers pooled their expertise to open Joseph Benjamin, a high-end deli awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction by the Michelin Guide for its moderately priced menus that offer good value for money and serve carefully prepared meals.
“Here we want to make the food as good as it can be. Whether it’s charcuterie, cheese or our wild king prawns from the Atlantic, there is a limit to what you can do with cheap produce.”
However, Ben and Joe said they are conscious that Porta is not on King Street and are thankful for their cheaper Chapel Street rents. “We want people in Salford to come here all the time, and that is how we have always approached it from a price perspective, Ben explained. Pricing is getting harder with the cost of stuff, but all we can do is do our best to buy well.
“Our aim is for it all to be the sort of accessible end of pricing, that yes, we’re using the best ingredients we can get our hands on. We are trying to make it so it’s easy to decide to pop in and have a few plates on a Tuesday night, rather than it just being a special-occasion, high-ticket thing.”
Many of the diners filling the courtyard outside Porta had opted for the restaurant’s £15 lunch deal, pairing the sandwich of the day with patatas bravas, a half pint, wine or soft drink, and a coffee. A pint of Estrella Dam will set you back £6.50, 500ml of Sangria costs a tenner and tapas dishes range from a £5 bowl of olives to £14.50 Galician-style octopus and potatoes.
Joe’s recommendation? “We’ve got really nice rabbit, which is fried with garlic and white wine” – that comes in at £11.75. More information about Porta can be found here.
