100-point Porn

Us MNSC boys are a disorganized busy bunch, with a few of us being out of town on a regular weekly/monthly basis, so as the years have gone by, it has become increasingly difficult to pin everyone down for our dinners.  After failing to agree on a date for our annual dinner - where all members would be present - for a whole three months, we delayed that gathering yet again and decided just to have the Ox host a regular tasting dinner tonight.

We also had a last minute change of venue, and ended up - to no one's surprise - at The Porn Pawn.  I was, of course, only too happy to check out the dishes now available this season.

Charcuterie board: Ibérico shoulder, air-dried duck, chorizo, pork rillettes, pickle, grape chutney, duck liver parfait, grilled toast - this was pretty awesome, especially the beautiful lardo, the rillettes, and of course the incredibly smooth parfait.  If I weren't worried about getting stuffed too early, I would have had another piece of toast and spread more parfait and rillettes on top.

Crab, blackened aubergine, lime, gin - pretty interesting.  Crab meat sitting on top of a pile of blackened aubergine mash, along with what seemed to be lime sauce.  Round discs of radish (?) topped with a layer of gelatin made of gin.  There was some powder on top that tasted sweet and reminded me of peanuts.

Razor clam, mitsuba, black garlic, pickled white radish - this looked strangely familiar...  Nice citrusy acidity, plus sweetness from black garlic underneath.  Mitsuba (三つ葉) was pretty crunchy.

Suckling piglet belly, poached pineapple, confit squid - this was really good.  I just looooved the suckling pig belly, of course... with that wonderful, porky taste.  In addition to brunoise of confit squid, there were also little tablets which had been coated with bread crumbs before being deep-fried.  Both were very good.  And the thin slices of poached pineapple were just a really nice touch, bringing tropical fruity flavors while the acidity helped cut through the fat of the pork.

1.2kg wagyu tomahawk -yup, it does look like a tomahawk...

Pretty damn good, I gotta say.  Very, very tender and succulent, while nicely charred outside.

1.2kg USDA rib eye - seemed slightly bigger than the tomahawk.

Also very, very tasty.

Mushroom ragout

Big chips in beef dripping

Extra fine beans - really crunchy and nice.

Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, date ice-cream - OMG, this was sooooo good... I just can't resist toffee, and even better when dates come along at the same time.  INHALED.

The Ox was incredibly generous as usual, and served an amazing lineup of delicious wines we've all had before - and probably would never get tired of having.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - rich and complex.  Delicious.

First flight:  opened 1 hour and 15 minutes before serving.

1985 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze - really sweet and fruity, almost jammy, fragrant and floral, with a little leather.  Very clean.  96 points.

1985 Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley - nose a little more muted, with a little more toast, slightly more dirty.  Also fruity but just not as clean.  91 points.

Second flight: decanted 2 hours and 45 minutes before serving.

1990 La Dame de Montrose - smoky, a little savory, minty, almost medicinal.  95 points.

1990 Montrose - a little savory, slightly medicinal, smoky, a little hint of grass, earthy, and a little ripe.  Leaner on the palate.  Much sweeter with the second pour.  95 points.

1990 Beauséjour Duffau - a little peppery, somewhat muted, a little grassy.  Opened up later to show more sweetness.  92 points.

Third flight: decanted 3 hours and 40 minutes before serving.

1985 Guigal La Turque - a little exotic, coconut, a hint of leather, sweet and a bit caramelized.  97 points.

1985 Guigal La Mouline - a little ripe and sweet, some leather, bacon fat, rich, with coffee notes.  96 points.

1985 Guigal La Landonne - kind of ripe and sweet at first, then a little muted later.  94 points.

An amazing evening with 5 wines which earned 100-points from critics.  Yes siree!  I would love to have these wines again, and again...