What
Cosy pubs abound in Oxford. The Port Mahon’s interior revamp has successfully nailed the requisite feelings of warmth and comfort while also bringing something more restrained to the table. Exposed brick walls flank the wood burning stove, the dining room is wood-panelled (if you need a reminder that we are a mere stumble from the dreaming spires, you have it), and the dark wooden bar feels like something that has been achieved by stripping it back to original textures rather than embellishing. A sense of a loving restoration pervades – and yet there is no danger of austerity here. We sink into the leather banquette that runs the length of the bar area, where the quiet, spare aesthetic is livened up by a medley of punchy 1930s travel posters and, crucially, low ambient lighting is used throughout. As the first diners of the day (yes, we’re that keen), we are welcomed with genuine warmth by owner Jonathan Perritt, a long-standing London publican (Notting Hill’s The Mall Tavern, for instance) who was so seduced by the Port Mahon that he has moved his whole family to Oxford. We’re lucky to have him.
Where
East Oxford likes to boast that it’s the city’s most fashionable area. In practice this means that it’s got the most eclectic range of places to eat and drink, although there are a few more interesting shops roundabouts. These include the ever-popular record shop Truck on Cowley Road, vintage clothing at The Retro Room on St Clements or, a little way away, Asian and European delights alike at Elle’s Deli, which is, rather sweetly, named after the owners’ daughter. If you’re sipping and guzzling at Port Mahon then all your culinary needs will be met, but there’s a wide range of interesting independent restaurants and bars nearby. Our pick is Arbequina, which does probably the best cocktails in Oxford and is perfect for a post-dinner pick-me-up, perhaps before seeing a late night cult classic film at the independently owned Ultimate Picture Palace or a gig at the O2 Academy.
Eating & Drinking
It should be written into Port Mahon law that any meal here must start with its self-proclaimed ‘famous £5 negroni,’ a welcome touch we assumed was a homage to the late, great Russell Norman’s Brutto, but which Jonathan assures us he arrived at independently. Once these have been dispatched, it’s time to look over the menu, which, at first glance, appears to be a tried and tested assembly of pub food classics. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but the rather succinct offering doesn’t fully convey the ambition or achievement of the kitchen here. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but what it does do is to serve up simple food using excellent local ingredients at fair, even generous, prices. Think The Pig’s modus operandi – but at about two thirds of the price.
We kick off proceedings with a couple of bar snacks: courgette fritters, a holdover from a Greek chef’s successful residency, and a pair of locally sourced wild boar and apple sausages served simply with mustard. This comes in at a tenner for the lot. We toast this bargain with two glasses of lightly frizzante Portuguese vinho verde (£6.50 a pop). There are starters, too, but they’re relatively limited – smoked salmon pate and pork belly bites – so we decide to press onto the mains. My husband is set on his favourite dish – the excellent beef and bone marrow pie – but Jonathan has a better idea. ‘We’ve just finished British pie week, and the cottage pie with bone marrow (£18.50) was particularly popular. Would you like to try that instead?’
As a man who never met a pie challenge he wouldn’t take on, my husband jumps at this. It lives up to the hype and the bone marrow in particular gives it an unusual and welcome intensity of flavour. I, meanwhile, stick with a chicken supreme (£18.50) that comes with creamy mash and green beans. So far so traditional but, in keeping with everything here, it is executed so beautifully that it feels like something one really ought to write home about. These are beautifully matched by two robust glasses of another Portuguese wine, this time a Tinto red which also doubles as the Port Mahon’s house.
To Finish
Full and happy, we are nonetheless greedy enough to be press-ganged into puddings. There are only two, but they’re both excellent; a more traditional option of a sticky toffee pud (£6.50) that’s just this side of too rich and the kind of naughty-but-nice treat that you can justify to yourself for special occasions, and then an almost outrageous chocolate brownie and Oreo sundae (£6.50) which is really enough for two to share, and has, quite literally, a cherry on top; a cheeky touch that sums up the mixture of fun and serious talent in the kitchen here.
How Much
A family of four could dine here without booze for rather less than £100. Factor in a few glasses of wine and you’re talking £50 or so a head for adults, under half that for kids – a bargain, frankly, for food of this quality.
The Verdict
Excellent quality pub food served at remarkably fair prices, in an atmospheric and stylishly reinvented setting that’s as comfortable catering to hungry families or romantic diners as it is to a few casual drinkers wanting a bar snack with their pint.
