Portland (Marylebone)

• Will Lander (Quality Chop House) and Daniel Morgenthau (previously at 10 Greek Street) were all smiles on the restaurant floor
• I got Dad The List along with the promise of Portland's Lardy Cakes for afters
• Fresh bread arrived from the Little Bread Pedlar with the now customary whipped butter on the side
• We followed this with a few snacks and starters
• Scallops and Jerusalem Artichoke were concealed in an unattractive sludge never judge a book by its cover
• An Ox Tongue Sandwich and the Pigs Head Croquettes were perfect for sharing
• We couldn't resist the Wild Game Pithivier with Black Truffle and Game Sauce for Two
• I have seen some enticing photos of the Chocolate Bar with Peanut Butter Praline and Peanut Ice Cream
• Some staff are finding their feet
• Who was previously connected with 10 Greek Street
• The young head chef is Merlin Labron Johnson
• Whose for the last two years was sous chef at Michelin starred In de Wulf in Belgium
• The noise levels were reasonable despite the all hard surfaces of the room
• Example labels were Montravel Domaine de Perreau 2013 at £
• A starter of charred brassicas came with smoked egg emulsion
• Mackerel flavoured with wasabi was wrapped in a sheet of beetroot
• The normally distinct flavour of the mackerel was rather overwhelmed by the beetroot (12/20)
• Game pithivier (for two people only) was presented at the table before serving
• Who makes the best pastry that I have ever tasted
• The version here was certainly enjoyable
• Cauliflower was flavoured with thyme
• Red cabbage was pleasant though I would have preferred more sweet and sour effect from vinegar and sugar to liven it up
• (presumably the uncultured version was too uncouth to serve)
• The pastry was fine and the filling not too sweet
• This was much better than a bitter chocolate ganache with macadamia nut and cep ice cream
• A mushroom ice cream was a curious way to try and balance the dish (10/20)
• Overall Portland was very pleasant
• Though there were some things that could be improved
• Portland opened in January and is now one of London&rsquo
• With the place and on my visit AA Gill was eating at an adjacent table
• He founded the Quality Chop House and is the son of the FT&rsquo
• The head chef is the impressively named Merlin Labron Johnson who moved to Portland after two years as sous chef at a funky Belgian Michelin starred restaurant called In de Wulf
• Thin room topped by an open kitchen and adorned with minimal artwork and furnishings &ndash
• It has lots of hard surfaces so is a bit noisy (but not in an intrusive way)
• Last week I was fortunate to receive an invite from Square Meal to attend a wine tasting dinner at Portland restaurant in association with Loire Valley Wines
• I think this is probably because we used to drink a lot of white wine in Cyprus in the heat
• The Mangalitsa is a heritage breed of pig that has been compared to Kobe beef
• Velvety smooth rillettes spread onto crunchy toast paired with sharp pickles to cut through the richness
• An intriguing textured dish of pickled Shitake mushrooms with soy and ginger followed
• The starters that really wowed me were the veggie ones
• I adored the charred vegetables with smoked hollandaise and summer truffle
• This was paired with Domaine de l&rsquo
• As pretty as a picture with edible flowers
• Slightly sweet but again with enough acidity to keep things refreshing and (dangerously
• We then moved on to main courses of Old Spot pig belly with a fine layer of fat (mmn tasty
• T even want to think about what was done to that potato to achieve the myriad
• We rounded things off with an almond pithivier with lashings of raspberry jam and cream fraiche paired perfectly with the red fruit flavours of the Rose D&rsquo
• I floated home on a cloud of amazing food with a new found affection for the wines of the Loire
• First of all we all broke our pre wedding no carb rule and devoured the bread with hay smoked butter
• Scallop sashimi with buttermilk
• Pigs head croquette was exceptional
• 120 day old chicken breast which was very good (never order chicken as too easy to make at home but this was special) and the dairy cow rib cooked at medium rare
• 65 for the dairy cow I was expecting a "
• Like vibe but it was unfortunately quite tough and chewy (sinewy)
• The burnt butter icecream we split with pear was very unusual and yum
• Not just because critics and friends were raving about it
• The pig's head croquettes are an absolute must eat
• Staff is friendly and very helpful and the space is minimalist and cute
• Or spotted me with a wine funnel down my throat or face planted on a kerb somewhere in Soho &ndash
• Ll know my day job is working in wine
• I fell in love with wine and studied it for five years
• So when I got an email from the lovely guys over at Square Meal there was absolutely no way I was going to miss out on a fabulous sounding Loire Valley Wines dinner over at Portland in Fitzrovia
• When there is a blogger event which I have to attend alone
• Both regions have the similarity of producing wine which are crisp and easy to drink
• D'Anjou designation is specific to the vineyards throughout Anjou
• Their own sommelier recommends pairing the Anjou wine with food such as charcuterie
• Touraine gave us the white wine where the grapes were mainly from sauvignon blanc
• The grapes are chardonnay
• Portland restaurant is quite small catering for 45 covers with a private room for 16 in the basement
• Our menu was specially devised to pair with the Anjou and Touraine wines
• The menu was only devised on the same day the produce arrived and how they came up with it at that speed was great
• The normal restaurant menu serves some of the best seasonal produce
• Cooked as simply but nonetheless with imagination
• We started with some classic bread and butter
• Generously sprinkled with summer truffle
• The starters were very nicely plated
• It drew the attention of my fellow foodies and across the room you hear ooh and ahhs as they were served &ndash
• I loved the plates they used blue ceramic with dark shades on the edges that gave elegance
• Kitchen paraphernalia is one department which I would (and hopefully could) spend lavishly on
• Best of british asparagus with a mild garlic yoghurt sauce
• It was a very good balance with the smoked and charred combination
• Luckily the mains were more casual and homely style
• I knew that it was not just me that had my eyes on the old spot pig belly (hint
• The lucky part was because it was served in a casual manner
• This is worth going back to Portland for and I was glad to see that the potato millefeuille is on their everyday menu
• The sight of these brick looking compacted crispy potatoes was so good that they were gone immediately
• Me fraiche and raspberry jam was just perfect
• No doubt my favourite wine for the night was the Red Touraine Les Marcottes Domaine de Pierre (2012)
• The Loire Valley wines were very easy to drink and had been a good introduction to the whites and I surprisingly stuck to the Touraine Sauvignon 2014 for the evening
• It was a fantastic evening with the food and wine pairing and also a gathering with other fellow lifestyle / foodies bloggers Karina
• Thank you all for being patient with me while I frantically snapped pictures and forgiving me for taking much longer than anyone else to get the foodie pictures right
• Life in London is full of lovely little surprises like that
• The French king was essentially as influential as Henry VIII in terms of putting his mark on French castles) and took in the vistas
• What I was not prepared for were the number of wine glasses&hellip
• Obviously bread was not a course
• It felt fitting that pilllow y bread with a descent crust should be served at a wine evening
• We started off with what was supposed to be the star of the region
• It would pair well with a light salad or grilled chicken and vegetables
• (They tell me it would also pair well with shellfish but I am strictly a crustacean girl
• D realized how much was coming at us
• I actually found that the white wine served along side made my mouth pucker and preferred the wine served with the third course
• I learned it is a Hungarian breed of domestic big known for its fattier meat content
• Spread thinly on toast and paired with gingered pickles
• Some of us adored it and others were a little underwhelmed as it was already drenched in dressing
• Samphire and flower petals was beautiful and felt packed full of vitamins
• It grows on the coast and is deliciously earthy and salty so you will often see it served with fish
• So English are they that they are even mentioned in Shakespeare&rsquo
• The only trouble with being distracted by presentation is that I did not focus on a wine pairing for the salad
• Grilled English asparagus with garlic yoghurt &
• T adore the salad loved the grilled English asparagus with garlic yoghurt
• It was like picturing the best kebab you&rsquo
• Ll find a description that it is like &ldquo
• Summer truffle I stayed with the Rosé
• Its pairing with the food here was on point
• The buttery Hollandaise contrasted nicely with the almost burnt vegetables and the earthiness of the root vegetables and truffle really grounded it all
• Wandering around with a glass of this
• Roast Cornish monkfish with cider sauce
• Red Touraine Les Marcottes Domaine de Pierre The summery wine reverie was quickly overshadowed by the big guns
• M a girl who is particularly fond of New World wines that take over your mouth like a gorgeous Pinotage from Stellenbosch in South Africa or a Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia
• The next wine we tried was a Touraine Les Marcottes Domaine de Pierre &ndash
• The red has a little bit of power behind it and was spicy and full of red fruit flavors that I really enjoyed
• T think anyone was prepared for how much food came next
• The atmosphere in the room changed and we suddenly felt like we were gathered around a big family table which was lovely
• This is what happens when huge dishes of food are presented to bloggers
• Jars of whipped cream and raspberry jam were constantly in rotation and faces around the table petered gently on the edge of full on food comas&hellip
• I once read that Giles Coren disagrees with serving bread before a meal
• S warm crusty bread served with ox heart butter
• T been adorned with shavings of ox heart
• So by chance I managed to squeeze it in as a last minute meet up with a friend before I set off on my summer travels
• One of the best options is very good wine by the glass
• The menu is compact as is the location but big on flavours and creativity
• Most exciting things happening in the London food scene are taking place in the East
• S more bearded hipsters who are willing to give their new
• It matches the dining room which is simply designed with white walls and school chairs
• It was busy with ad execs and creatives (think Oliver Peoples and casual shirts)
• Started off with a pallet cleanser of beetroot which set the bar high right away
• We had the celeriac and scallops dishes respectively and they were both unbelievable
• Each bite was a little party on the palate and amongst the best dishes we've ever had
• The size of the course was much larger than anticipated so don't get fooled by the tiny snacks you receive
• The main course was a slight let down where the beef and mallard (a game bird) were ordered
• Whether we were stuffed at that point
• Or the food wasn't to our taste buds it was a slight disappointment and a bit boring
• Each exhibiting a flavour and texture profile that was experimental yet familiar
• Honest yet complex the snacks were particularly impressive
• The michelin star awarded to the restaurant within eight months of its opening is clearly deserved
• The meticulous presentation of the dishes is reflected in the restaurant's minimal interior evident by the mid century chairs
• Everything was incredible
• A foreshadowing of the snob that I was to grow up to be

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