I have to take a moment to talk about my experience recently at The Barn. This wine bar is located at the open-air dining area of Gurney Plaza Penang. After going there on the 28th of January, I would have to say I was certainly impressed. I was impressed to the point of coming out of the retirement of this blog. So, I ended up writing this review.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is dimmed and definitely feels classy (Sadly, I didn't snap a picture as I didn't know I was going to write this). I could even describe it as having a somewhat romantic feel to it.
Normally, I would not expect a wine bar to have good food as it would be understandable if they focus only on their wines. However, The Barn serves amazing food!
As an appetiser, one of the waiters went around handing out a mashed potato cheese ball with bacon bits and it was ON THE HOUSE!
Served on a colourful tiny plate, the ball had a creamy taste from the mashed potato, accented with the fatty flavour of the bacon bits. Biting into it, you would feel the steaming cheese on the inside bursting in your mouth. The bacon bits giving the otherwise decently seasoned potato an additional kick.
My main course was a pork chop doused in a garlic sauce served with some veggies and mashed potato. The pork was slightly tough, especially since they didn’t serve a steak knife. But that is the only negative thing I can really say. The meat was very flavourful and the garlic sauce definitely enhanced the taste of the pork chop. The fat was cooked in a way that it wasn’t really noticeable upon eating. It just added a certain fatty flavour to the meat that would have been otherwise unachievable through normal means. Maybe it is just me but normally when I eat a pork chop, the fatty layer is obvious enough and tastes distinct enough to remove it from the meat. However, the way The Barn handled it was definitely different!
The mashed potato was also something rather unique. Normally, people who prepare mashed potatoes would focus more on making it a creamy mash. Unlike other recipes, The Barn made a chunky mash potato. This side dish definitely helped balance out the umami of the pork, cleansing your palate to have a stronger flavour in the next bite. The potato tasted somewhat sweet in the centre and it was very intricately herbed, giving off an aromatic taste that was rather unique. Mixing the mashed potato and the garlic sauce amplified the taste by a significant margin; giving the already flavourful mashed potato an additional kick that ascends the taste to a whole new plane.
If I were to describe the whole dish in a more abstract way, I would describe it as a talented squire who was capable of doing pretty much anything, donning a thick plate armour, turning him into a knight. This knight would be wearing a heavy armour but could still strike with his blade as he would float through the wind. This knight would be accompanied by a dwarf with large muscly arms and a potbelly; chunky, strong and can even fight on his own. While working with the knight and his powerhouse of an armour, the duo becomes unstoppable.
On a side note, I also tried their Crispy Pork Belly Pasta with a Marinara sauce. Their marinara sauce was nice and light allowing for a stronger emphasis on the crispy pork belly. It had a crunchy skin with a nice layer of fat. I would imagine that if paired with some wine, it would have been amazing! (Sadly, I can’t legally drink alcohol in public due to new laws)
Price wise, The Barn is quite pricey as the pork chop was definitely over the price of an average pork chop. However, this wasn’t an average pork chop and I would say that it warrants the price as a tax for the adventure you’d go on. The inclusion of the on-the-house mashed potato ball definitely made the value of the meal go up in my eyes. So, no real complaints from me. I was considering a try at their ribs but 80 bucks for ribs would’ve been too financially taxing. So, maybe next time.
