Getting drunk at The Porn

Another month has gone by, and now it was Lord Rayas' turn to host his dinner for MNSC.  No one was surprised when The Porn Pawn was announced as the venue this year.  After all, the place had just re-opened weeks ago to much fanfare after 3 months' of renovations, and now they've got Tom Aikens on board.  True to form, I've deliberately stayed away during the initial opening period - not wanting to pass judgement on the new operation.  Tonight I finally got my chance for a first nibble.

I had seen pictures of the interior posted online by others, and it seems the renovation has met with mixed reactions.  They did manage to rip up the interiors again, and this time the look is decidedly updated and modern.  We naturally found ourselves in the the private room, and with its black marble walls and tables, the mirrored entrance arch, and the newfangled lighting, I think it's only fitting that we now call it The PORN...

While we're on the subject of decor, I had seen some comments on social media where people complained about it, saying things like the historical space has now been robbed of its soul, that the traditional heritage feel of the building has been wiped out... etc.  I can kinda see where people who made those comments are coming from, so I took the opportunity to ask two of the bosses at the table about the reason behind the change.

I was told that the Pawn had gone with the rustic feel of the interior since it opened, and with a chef like Tom Aikens coming onboard, they needed to give it a more contemporary feel.  They had done some major renovation work in terms of the kitchen and the bar area, and took the opportunity to give the whole place a makeover.  To be fair, the exterior of the structure remains unchanged.

But enough of that...  Bring on the food!

Charcuterie board: Ibérico shoulder, chorizo, pork rillettes, pickle, grape chutney, duck liver parfait - pretty tasty, especially the liver parfait.  The rillettes weren't bad, either.

House-made ricotta, olive oil, dried herbs, aged balsamic - the ricotta was incredibly smooth, and the balsamic delicious.  While the rosemary worked well here, I did not appreciate its presence as it interfered with my palate for wine.

Scallop, celeriac purée, black pudding crumb - pretty interestingly actually.  The scallops were tasty, and the black pudding crumbs on top worked really well.  Loved the red wine reduction and the onions, and I certainly wouldn't complain about having lardo on the side...

Juniper-marinated venison, beetroot snow, smoked beetroot - I'm conflicted about this dish.  On the one hand there was absolutely nothing wrong with it - in fact everything seemed perfect.  The venison was tender.  The beetroot that I normally don't care for worked perfectly with the venison, and even came in two different textures and temperatures.  This was so easy to eat that I inhaled it in just a few bites without a second thought.

But upon reflection, there was something about this dish that nagged at me in the background.  I love venison, but while this dish was undoubtedly delicious, it didn't give me the satisfaction that I normally get when eating venison.  Venison is a game meat with full-on, hearty flavors, but here it's been transformed into something else that's easier for most people to swallow.  It's a beautiful and delicate dish, but almost too light and ethereal for me.  No doubt most people would not feel the way I do, but I felt somewhat deprived of the experience of having a hearty game dish in the winter.

Anyway... I should probably stop thinking too much, just shut up and eat my food...  It was delicious anyway so what do I have to complain about?

1.4kg Kobe tomahawk - a very nice and big piece of steak.

This was slightly overcooked, but still delicious.  Wonderful smoky flavors from the charring.  Needless to say the fatty bits were wonderful.

We were served a wide variety of sides together with the steak:

Big chips in beef dripping - I am normally not a fan of large fries, but these were pretty decent and not overly mushy.

Macaroni cheese with truffle - this was a real winner.  Yes, I loved the fragrance from the black truffle sauce, but the surprise here was the acidity.  It worked wonders and I kept spooning this onto my plate.

Mushroom ragout - pretty yummy.

Extra fine beans

Marmite salt and sour onions - pretty tasty, actually.

We were very full so I'll have to wait till my next visit to try out some of their desserts.

Lord Rayas had painstakingly put together a very interesting and, as he described, "complete" tasting for us.

First pair: decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving

1993 DRC Échézeaux - a little alcoholic, ripe, almost a little Port-like, with a hint of smokiness.  The palate, though, was lean and showing acidity, almost a little metallic.  A little grassy with some chili pepper.  Second pour was much riper.  94 points.

1993 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - nice and smoky, animal, leather, and a little minty and a hint of earthiness.   Much rounder on the palate.  A beautiful wine!  98 points.

Second pair: decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving

1978 Clos des Papes - ripe on the nose, almost jammy and blackberries, but kinda dry and a bit lean on the palate.  95 points.

1978 Rayas - more animal, metallic, slightly savory like tapenade, and a little more tannins here than the Clos des Papes.  94 points.

Third pair:

1982 Mouton-Rothschild - clearly a claret, smoky, slightly green pepper, grassy, and sweet.  There is nice acidity here.  A lovely wine.  96 points.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - a little more ripe than the Mouton, slightly more alcoholic and funky.  93 points.

Fourth pair: decanted for 3 hours before serving.

2003 Ausone - nose was green but sweet and minty.  Definitely corked.

2003 Lafite-Rothschild - very ripe on the nose.  Sweet on the palate with good acidity.  A little metallic on the nose, kinda sweet and a little smoky around the edges.  98 points.

We adjourned to the new bar downstairs for a nightcap, and Pineapple asked the bartender to bring out this lil' gem:

Douglas Laing's Glencadam 34 Years Cask Strength - nose really sweet and caramel, slightly medicinal and savory, potpourri.  Cask strength really shows...

Many thanks to Lord Rayas for his incredible generosity and such a fun evening.  Looking to returning to The Porn...