Blue’s Eatery is a recent addition to our fabulous indie Southsea food scene and promises to bring “a taste of home” to the area – home in Albania that is!
It’s a family-run restaurant in Osborne Road, owned by two sisters Laila and Kaltrina who have been in Portsmouth for 24 and ten years respectively. Laila explained to me that there’s a large Albanian community here in Portsmouth and the sisters have long had a dream to open their own business – which became reality this March.
They seem very genuine and personable people and we felt both warmly welcomed and well looked after on our visit. They’re also happy to chat about the food and make recommendations, and they realise that some may be nervous about trying Albanian food for the first time, and will offer a taster if you need one before committing.
From Breakfast until Evening
Blues is an all-day venue, and they also host occasional events with music – from nostalgia to soul and jazz – which you can find out more about on Instagram.
For breakfast, there are both Albanian and English dishes on the menu. If you do fancy trying something different, I’m told the Albanian version includes Albanian sausage as well as olives, fresh tomatoes, creamy peppers, feta and an Albanian-style bread.
We decided to visit on a Tuesday evening for the full dinner experience, and we really enjoyed it! The venue isn’t fancy but we found it smart, clean and comfortable (and we liked the attractive items of Albanian pottery and art on the walls).
Depending on your mood, you can opt to share a number of small plates for more of a tapas vibe, or go for a full meal experience. Being greedy, we decided to do a bit of both!
Our Dinner Experience
As a first course, we shared three small plates – the suxhuk, saganaki and goats cheese poppers (£5.50 – £6.95 each).
Suxhuk is a pleasant and mildly spicy small sausage which reminds me in terms of texture and flavour of the sort you’ll find in Turkey or North Africa. The saganaki is stunning – a thick slice of good-quality feta drizzled in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Though a simple dish, the sweetness of the honey together with the salty cheese was a bit of a revelation. We also loved the goats cheese balls, perfectly creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
For mains, I chose jani on Leila’s advice – a tender beef stew in a tasty sauce made with tomato and onion (£18.95). It felt nicely warming with a subtle, welcome sweetness to it and it was served with fluffy rice and salad. The Dining Companion opted for vine leaves stuffed with minced meat, rice and herbs and served with bread and yoghurt (£15.95) – this is apparently another traditional favourite.
In case you have any room left (we didn’t, unfortunately) I’m told Blue’s pudding menu also features several Albanian treats, such as trileque (a kind of milk sponge) and sugar money (lemon cookies).
We thought it would be rude not to try some of the Albanian wine on offer, so we ordered a large glass of chardonnay each which was very enjoyable (£11).
With several non-meat dishes on the menu, I think most veggies and vegans will be satisfied here. I was comfortable with the gluten free options too: the kitchen has a good understanding of its ingredients and happy to make any necessary adaptations (for example to the fluffy rice). If you’re a bread lover, it’s best check if they have gluten free bread when booking or else bring your own (they didn’t have any on my visit, which didn’t bother me).
So What’s Albanian Food Really Like?
Based on my experience, I’d say Albanian food is quite unpretentious and most people should enjoy it. It makes great use of fresh ingredients and feels like a bit of a mix of Greek and Turkish – with some Balkan influences and perhaps a hint of North Africa or the Middle East thrown in too. I found it hard to put a finger on exactly what makes it different, but after chatting to Laila I think it’s probably the spices and the use of smoked paprika in particular.
In conclusion, I’d certainly recommend getting yourself down to Blue’s if you fancy trying something different – and it’s an absolute must if you enjoy Greek or Turkish food like me. The prices feel fair, the service is attentive and owners are lovely and deserve to succeed. I’ll certainly be back to try more from the menu soon. You can find Blue’s at 59 Osborne Road and reach them on 020 3325 5177. It’s open daily apart from Monday from 9am (10am on Sundays) to 10.30pm.
