Dedicated to the winners and the losers (dedicated to all Jeeps and Land Cruisers)
Fitzrovia - February 2017
The world in 2017 is a complex and confusing place. Brexit.
Trump. Climate Change. The enduring popularity of The Big Bang Theory. There’s a lot of strange stuff going on.
So in these times of tumult, finding somewhere as simply
brilliant as Portland is refreshing.
Set up in a pared-back but appealing wood-panelled dining
room halfway up Great Portland Street (hardly the middle of nowhere, but also
not a noted culinary hotspot), Portland offers fine dining without the
frippery. There is no reliance on excessive technique and theatre, just well
cooked dishes delivering huge flavour.
Both our snacks were incredible; a light-as-a-feather
chicken skin crisp that melted on your tongue, and an earthy, nutty, fluffy cep
muffin – served with truffled butter for that added touch of decadence.
The beef tartare was also a thing of rare (if you’ll pardon
the pun) beauty. In an unusual twist, the silky meat appeared lightly seared
and there was no runny yolk; a dusting of egg shavings replaced it. An
exceptional onion ketchup that added a real tang, brought the whole dish
together.
Next up the ewe main. The fillet was cooked a deep pink
medium that allowed the intense flavour of the meat to outweigh any toughness
from the age of the sheep. It was accompanied by a croquette of shoulder, two
days in the making, and a salsa verde that packed a tasty garlic kick that
could take out half the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
If there was one off-note, it was the chocolate and crème
anglaise dessert that didn’t add up to the sum of its parts, with the custard
being little unsatisfying. But that wasn't going to distract from the rest of
the meal.
With confident service, classic flavours, reasonable prices
(including an extensive wine list with a number of sub-£30 options), little
fuss and no pretention, Portland's massive success isn't at all strange.
Portland
113 Great Portland Street,
London,
W1W 6QQ
