Last Updated on February 13, 2025
Exploring the food and wine of Porte Noire, Coal Drops Yard
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The redevelopment of Coal Drops Yard, to the north of King’s Cross Station must be one of the biggest success stories of London architecture in recent years. From a rundown semi-derelict set of warehouses and other industrial buildings, it’s now a vibrant community with swanky offices for the likes of Google, stunning residential accommodation and of course, plenty of shops and restaurants. We’ve already reviewed and loved places like Vermuteria, Granger and the Rotunda – but Porte Noire restaurant and wine shop, at the northern tip of the complex, is somewhere new for us.
Housed in an old Gasworks, it’s a stunning contemporary-style restaurant, wine bar and shop that is the brainchild of Idris Elba (the actor) and David Farber. Just awarded two AA rosettes for culinary excellence, it is also somewhere to experience Idris Elba’s own wine range, perfectly paired with some excellent food.
Our dinner offered the chance to try several of the champagnes in Idris Elba’s portfolio, all from Sanger-owned vineyards in Avize in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, one of the 17 villages in the Grand Cru Classification. And, we rounded off the evening with the newly launched cognac in the Porte Noire range.
This is a place where the rosettes must be just a start. Everything we ate and drank was delicious, presented beautifully and well-balanced.
We started with a tiny truffle and mushroom arancini with truffle mayo served with Petite Porte Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV The arancini was spot on with a crisp shell breaking open to reveal a filling of sticky risotto rice. The Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay with a low dosage, was a 2015 vintage made with 30% reserve wines. Fresh and crisp, despite the low dosage it didn’t seem too dry.
Devonshire hand-dived scallop came with a salty bresaola crisp and was a delicious mouthful.
The mushroom parfait was light and delicate with earthy notes, served on grilled sourdough. A perfect appetiser
Moving on to the Porte Noire rosé champagne, this deliciously fruity glass of fizz was paired with a plump and tender stuffed calamari with sundried tomato tahini. Perhaps not the winner of any beauty pageant, the calamari was tasty and moreish with a delicious tomato/tahini base.
A pretty presentation of miso black cod with celeriac puree, confit carrot and sauce Meuniere, a beurre blanc sauce laced with chives and tobica. I was surprised at the pairing of the sauce meuniere with the black cod – two intense tastes which could easily have conflicted. But, here they were happily wedded, perhaps thanks to the sweet confit carrot and a tiny dollop of celeriac.
To drink we enjoyed a glass of the Porte Noire collection Côtes de Provence rosé – a classic pink whine with that delicate colour you only seem to find in the wines of Provence. Delicate and fresh it was an excellent pairing.
For me, the Porte Noire Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2014 was somewhat lost in the richness of this dish which I preferred with the Porte Noire rosé. But, wine pairings are often a personal thing and what is certain is that the beef short rib dish was something of a star!
Moving on to dessert, we all loved the delicate and fragrant burnt matcha cheesecake – a Basque-style dish served with raspberry coulis.
And, the chocolate cremeux with Calabrian olive oil and Maldon sea salt really came into its own with a sip or two of the newly launched Porte Noire cognac. After a visit to Cognac a few years ago, I’ve developed quite a taste for this refined and complex spirit. The Porte Noire cognac is superbly smooth with a delicious nuttiness and notes of butterscotch. It’s from Maison Ferrand, a family-owned boutique spirits producer in the Cognac region.
David, the co-owner has family from Provence in France and he told us that he wanted to bring the kind of hospitality you find in the wine regions there to London. The predominantly French/Mediterranean menu at Porte Noire is the kind of food that you can graze on and which complements the extensive wine cellar perfectly. The restaurant has 50 covers indoors and a further 40 on the terrace in summer. And, they are taking the space next door to open a tasting room that can also be used for events and private hires. It’s a bit of a hidden gem and one that is well worth seeking out – despite a plethora of bars and restaurants in the area. That perfect mix of casual and refined, in a quirky setting, it would make an excellent date night setting. Now all I need to do is find the man and come back to check the restaurant out myself.
Porte Noire
Coal Drops Yard
Gasholder 10, A,
1 Lewis Cubitt Walk,
London N1C 4BX
020 3479 1914
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