Restaurant Review: The Portman, London W1

Pub food embraces a myriad of sins but GARETH DAVIS discovers a local that scores a bull’s eye...

The Portman, an elegant local just off the Edgware Road in W1, is one of a trio of fine dining pubs. I avoid the term gastro when referring to pubs with good eating. It is after all, just a vowel away from gastric and that doesn’t sound encouraging. Fine dining however suggests an elegance which pubs rarely achieve. In the case of The Portman it’s bang on the money.

Its sister pubs, The House in leafy Canonbury and The Running Footman in moneyed Mayfair, are strangers to me but if latest addition, The Portman, is anything to go by then they must be worth the hike. The Portman’s a corner property on Upper Berkeley Street, and if you’re cabbing it, be sure to be clear that it’s The Portman pub you want. I ended up at The Portman Hotel, which fortunately is only a spit away. Ground floor is a kind of modern minimalist take on Tudorbethan; white walls, dark wood tables and a trad wood bar in the centre of the room. Climb the narrow stairs to the First Floor Dining Room and it’s all change. A lovely lounge, muted lighting, white linen, a coffee leather banquette, and ceiling fans that provide a colonial touch.

The only downer on arrival was the music blaring up from the bar below, which cut through any attempt at an atmosphere. Admittedly, the music level dropped as the evening went on and at some point the door at the top of the stairs was closed. The evening I visited the room was diners-light and maybe this contributed to a lounge-like feel of the place, a tad period seaside hotel, even a whiff of Miss Marple in the air?

Onto the important stuff, and wine; it’s a great list with plenty of interest. Rather than the usual geographic groupings, wines come under headings like “generous and rich” or “spicy and intense.” And there is even a category called “something different...” Both whites and reds start at £17.50 and there’s a good range of price options before you hit the silly money.

The menu though international in tone with dishes ranging from gnocchi to marinated herrings is solid British at heart, and wherever possible sustainably and seasonally sourced. We’re talking partridge, beef, lamb, chutney and British cheeses. I opted for the game terrine to start with apple, pear and cider chutney (£7.95). This was a wedge of meats like a doorstop. A little much for me in all honesty but there’s no denying the good firm flavours set off by a sweet little chutney; definitely a cut above.

Partridge called to me for my main, accompanied by glazed apples, chestnuts, pomme anna and blackberry jus (£16.95). A fantastically treated bird, honestly cooked and beautifully supported by a little seasonal cast of fruits and roots.

Dessert was deferred. There’s little that’s flash about the cooking at The Portman but there’s a lot that’s honest, upfront and bloody well-flavoured; definitely a huge evolutionary step forward from the pub grub of my childhood and knocking on the door of gourmet cuisine. I can promise you I’ll be making another trip to The Portman and introducing it to friends.