Dining Review: Globe-trotting pepper settles in the Valley
PortuCal Peri Peri, the new fast-casual eatery on San Fernando Road, has a name as peculiar as the circuitous route that brought this spicy chicken to Burbank.
It all started, they say, with a chili pepper brought over from the Americas to the Iberian peninsula by none other than Christopher Columbus. Portuguese traders brought the peppers to their colonies in Mozambique and Angola where they cross-pollinated with native flora and were given a new Swahili name, peri peri (literally pepper-pepper). The pepper finally made its way back to Portugal where it was incorporated into local foods, most triumphantly in marinades for chicken and fish. Recently, some folks on North American shores were craving that Peri Peri Chicken flavor so they perfected a recipe and opened the first of what may become a chain right here in Burbank.
Nestled between storefronts, PortuCal Peri Peri, with its distinctive hanging pendant lights, casts a warm, orange-y glow on the tree-lined street. Indoor and outdoor seating beckons. So does a large fiery chicken painted on the wall. Counter service is respectably fast making it a good spot for a quick meal as you walk the boulevard. Parking can be a hassle though so have a friend circle the block if you’re doing takeout.
Don’t expect the ambience or food of a Lisbon cafe. This is more like a casual restaurant a few notches above El Pollo Loco. The flavor profiles are a departure from your everyday chicken place. The secret is in the peri peri, a.k.a African Bird’s Eye chili. This dried red chili is not like a jalapeno or a serrano, which hover in the 10,000 to 23,000 range of Scoville Heat Units. Nor is it as spicy as a habanero or Scotch Bonnet (350,000 SHU). The African Bird’s Eye chili can be somewhere between 100,000 to 225,000 SHU, but it is not so demanding a heat that it overpowers other flavors. When mixed with lemon, oil, garlic and other “secret” ingredients, it makes for a uniquely flavorful marinade. And when blended into their delicious sauces or sprinkled on their coleslaw or corn, it’s a fun, new experience for this chili-loving girl.
One can get the chicken plain at PortuCal but it’s strongly advised to choose one of their five sauces. Once the chicken is thrown on the grill, they baste it with your choice of lemon-pepper, mango-lime, mild, hot or extra hot sauce. A sixth, unadvertised sauce is available for the truly brave. Even the hot and extra hot are not to be toyed with, inducing sweat on the coolest of days. The lemon-herb is a solid choice for the more faint of heart. The mango-lime is too sweet for me but delicious mixed with one of the hot red sauces. They serve quarter, half or full chickens, regular or all-white meat, for $4 to $18. Sides, like basmati rice, red cabbage slaw, fries and fresh-baked naan, come separately for $2.75 each.
You may want to go for my favorite preparation, the hand-held. Maybe it’s the addition of the Peri Peri Mayo but the Chicken Wrap on spinach (or plain or wheat) tortilla is really tasty. Thick chunks of white breast meat are wrapped with romaine lettuce, red tomato and red onion. Pour on the hot sauce mixed with mango-lime and you’ve got it made. Same goes for the Chicken Breast Sandwich on ciabatta ($7.50 each).
They also serve green salads topped with their trademark chicken. I took the sizable Cal Chicken Salad with lettuce, broccoli, avocado, carrots, peppers and feta to the Hollywood Bowl (along with cheese and crackers, of course) and it fed four of us for $10.50.
Thank you Christopher Columbus for mixing up the world’s chili peppers. Now Californians know that the peri peri is very, very good.
--
What: PortuCal Peri Peri
Where: 130 N. San Fernando Road, Burbank
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.
Prices: quarter to full chicken, $4 to $18; sides, $2.75; hand-helds, bowls and salads, $7.50 to $10.50
More info: (818) 861-7673, www.portucalperperi.com
--
LISA DUPUY welcomes suggestions and comments at LDupuy@aol.com.