As your author and his dining comrade ate at Porte Noire on a recent weekday night, one of the topics our conversation turned to was ‘what makes a good restaurant?’ In a world where brevity trumps verbosity, suffice to say that Porte Noire is a strong candidate, or compelling case study. If all neighbourhoods had a similar venue, then nearby punters would have every reason to be happy.
Consider first what might be the motivation to go to any venue. Obviously, it’s to eat, but when there exist many competing options, there needs to be more. Maybe if a celebrity is involved and the venue leverages clever public relations to create a buzz, then this could be helpful. Idris Elba? Check, at Porte Noire. The musician and actor is one of the two co-owners of the venue, along with David Faber, an experienced player (and lovely person) within the wine industry. Your author cares more for fine wines than possible stargazing, but the draw of a famous person is certainly no bad thing for any venue’s reputation.
Porte Noire clearly has to be doing something good since we were lucky to secure a table as walk-ins. The remarkable thing is that the venue can only be accessed on foot. Located on the canal side of the Gasholders development at King’s Cross, there is no nearby parking. Pulling up in a barge is not so easy, so Shank’s Pony it is. Inside, we did not see Idris, but were welcomed by friendly service, comfort food – perhaps another essential for a winning venue – and a compelling wine list.
Once through the eponymous black door – hence the venue’s name – there is time to marvel at the clever use of space made by the proprietors. Into the ground floor of the circular building where Porte Noire is located, there is not just a restaurant, but a wine cellar where purchases can be made plus a private tasting room. We made use only of the former. Over a glass of Friulano chosen from the single-serve offerings, we perused the menu. My dining comrade – a local – insisted only that we had to order the ‘famous’ chickpea chips. To append that adjective to any offering speaks to confidence on the part of the kitchen. They were, however, not wrong. The chips were light and flavoursome, with a garlic aioli acting as a wonderful foil. Beyond this we selected a trio of starters to share plus a main each. The food was solid rather than superb. Truffle and mushroom arancini (pictured) and scallops with a clever topping of Bresaola crisps were stand-outs. Mushroom parfait, by contrast, felt laboured, dense and absent of flavour, while stuffed calamari with sun-dried tomato tahini sounded better than it tasted. An enjoyable bottle of Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa helped things along. Your reviewer would happily return. Porte Noire delivered everything a neighbourhood restaurant should.