I have just setup the Self Service Portal, and it look fine. But it was empty. Then I found Justin Cook has wrote a nice blog about it.
I will recommend you to have look.
http://systemcentertech.com/2012/06/28/scsm-2012-portal-service-catalog-empty-for-end-users/
And another greate blog from Sandeep Chadda
http://schadda.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-fix-system-center-portal-if-it.html
One more to check out
If you take a look on both blog’s, then you have very good idea solve this issue.