Hear ye! Hear ye! Ye olde English pub in West Perth has dumped spotted dick for mushroom arancini. Yes, Mayfair Lane, long a bastion of British pub food in WA, has dumped its bangers and mash, corned beef and all things Blighty to shorten its menu and make it generally more appealing for modern audiences.
We love good old British pub grub – and no, Mayfair Lane never actually made a spotted dick or rolly polly pudding or any of the other dessert stodge that quite rightly turned “British cuisine” into a punchline or, at best, an oxymoron. We will miss Mayfair’s pommy nosh, all the same. But this review isn’t about the past and we were keen to try the new, slimline menu and it’s more accessible dishes.
The steaks are good.Credit:Rob Broadfield
Mayfair Lane is a bustling, friendly pub with a roll call of modern pub standards like fried squid, chorizo with toasts and lemon, steak tartare and the ubiquitous charcuterie plate. On the mains side of the list, fish and chips have survived the modernising purge as has its pie of the day. Steaks, including a tomahawk and a chateaubriand are a key element of its menu. It is full most days with a happy crowd of West Perth business types, ladies who lunch and chaps snorkelling frosty beers. On Friday afternoons it’s busier than a Beirut brikkie and heaving with hungry, thirsty punters.
Chicken liver parfait with apple chutney is a good start. The liver mousse was nicely set, pleasingly pink and served in a small jar under a raft of butter. No complaints there.
Steak tartare was pushed into a ring mold for service and topped with egg yolk. It too came with toasts. A little more salt would have been welcome and perhaps chef could abandon the idea of pre-mixing the raw mince with its condiments. It doesn’t change the flavour, but it assists in oxidisation which makes the meat an unappetising grey colour, which is more about presentation than taste. Chef uses a cracking beef brand for this dish and, thankfully, serves it at pretty much room temperature.
Mayfair Lane has moved from pommy nosh to more modern dishes.Credit:Rob Broadfield
Pub food ground zero is a house made pie and at Mayfair, its pie of the day changes regularly. On order the day we visited it was a chicken and gravy pie on a pea puree mash and, the best bit, slathered with a deep brown gravy. Nice pastry, good filling. Bloody lovely.
Steaks are good. We went for a 250g Scotchie, simply char grilled with all the requisite bar marks and simply presented with duck fat roast spuds. We asked for rare and it was perfectly cooked. Again, more salt please.
Confit duck leg was well flavoured and just overcooked. Where it should be moist and fudgy, it was a little dry and a little stringy. Overall though it presented well with big flavour from the pre-sous vide dry brine. A cherry blossom jus was a good match for the meaty canard.
Let’s get to the point. If you’re looking for an uncomplicated lunch or dinner at a family-owned pub surrounded by cheerful fellow travellers, Mayfair is the place for you. The beers are cold, the wine list is truly epic and the service is refreshingly informed. Our young waitress was a gun.
About that wine list. Mayfair Lane is owned by Foni and Chris Pollit, both seasoned hospo operators. Foni is a proper sommelier, as opposed to a 20-year-old who calls themselves such, just because they pour wine. During our visit, we learnt that Foni is one of only eight Australians to be accepted into the international Master of Wine program this year. This hideously expensive course can take up to 10 years to complete and requires total recall of thousands of blind tasted wines during the notoriously harsh exams. Congrats are in order.
The liver mousse was nicely set.Credit:Rob Broadfield
Anyhoo, her wine list is expansive, the sort of list you drool over while thinking … “If only I could win Lotto.” Importantly, wine recommendations are accompanied by some gentle education and a background on the wine maker and vinification. Not your thing? It is a pub remember, so the beers and basic mixed drinks are on point.
Mayfair Lane is a cruisy pub with good people and a wine list that would make Robert Parker slobber like a Pavlovian spaniel. Oh, and it’s a lot of fun.
Note to the Pollitts: I miss your Pommy tucker. Every now and then do you think you could special dishes like rare roast beef and yorkies, summer pudding, Eton mess, potted crab, steak and kidney pie … I’ll stop now. Sorry.
Mayfair Lane
72 Outram Street, West Perth
08 9425 5222
Mayfairlane.com.au
Open: Monday-Friday, 11:30am-late. Saturday, 4pm-late. Closed, Sunday.
Prices: starters, $21-$45; Mains, $28-$36; steaks, $54-$149; sides, $13-$17; desserts, $16-$18.
Score 14/20
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