Restaurant Review: St John Restaurant – It’s offal-y good
Posted: 20 September '09 by Niall
St John Restaurant
I think that the first time I heard about Fergus Henderson and the St John restaurant was in Anthony Bourdain’s “Les Halles Cookbook / A Cook’s Tour”, and I’ve wanted to go to the restaurant ever since. I check the online menu on a weekly basis, bought Fergus Henderson’s “Nose to Tail Eating” cookbook and salivated over the recipes, and talked dreamy-eyed about how good the food would be.
So you can imagine how excited I was to FINALLY be going to St John on a recent trip to London.
The sun was getting low as we walked up to St. John Street from the Farringdon tube station, and the expectation was building.. All of those reviews I’d read, and the glowing references from Bourdain et al, were running through my head. But as we turned the corner I’ll admit to being somewhat surprised. For a Michelin-starred restaurant (which usually means some pretension and shirty-ness) the relaxed and friendly atmosphere was immediately noticeable – the large double-doors were wide open, and people from the bar casually chatted out on the pavement in the summer sun.
The restaurant is located, rather fittingly, in what was previously a bacon smokehouse next to London’s most famous meat market, Smithfield. The interior is minimalistic and bare, with white tiles and black paint-work predominating – it’s been described as ‘abattoir-chic’ by those in the know. From the description it might sound austere and sterile, but far from it – it’s cosy, comfortable, and honest, and leaves you in no doubt – you’re there to eat!
The crowd in the bar looked to be casually enjoying a drink in their local bar, and that was exactly the easy-going, welcoming vibe that I picked up. But as we made our way up the small staircase to the restaurant proper, the atmosphere changed – a buzz of conversation from our fellow diners, and the sound of some serious digesting going on. The dining room put me in mind of a Victorian refectory – rows of wooden tables, white walls, and grey flooring.
The focus is entirely on seasonal and traditional British dishes, simply cooked and presented. I’ve read elsewhere, and from experience it’s important to bear in mind that, what is states in the menu is exactly what you get – for example, “crispy pigs’ tails and green salad” means you get pigs’ tails and salad, no more, no less. As you can already tell, the menu is an eye-opener: dishes that have fallen out of fashion, with ingredients that might make the meat-comes-in-cellophane-from-the-supermarket types blanch but which are full of flavour and don’t waste a single speck of the animal, are in abundance. The waiters all seem to be extremely approachable, and are certainly knowledgeable – ours explained dishes and suggested accompaniments as we navigated through the menu, which was really appreciated.
Starters
Kelly choose Foie Gras with Sourdough toast to start. Luckily for me that we have a long-standing agreement – we always get to taste each other’s dishes – and the foie was certainly worth it. The rich, butter-y, slightly game-y flavour was complemented perfectly by the tangy sourness of the bread for an indulgent “pate on toast”.
I chose Fergus Henderson’s signature Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad. Eating there for the first time, I think it’s a “must have”. Four roasted bones duly arrived, served oven-hot with a fresh salad of parsley, capers and shallots and two slices of toasted sourdough. Our waiter provided me with a fork-like utensil with which to extract the unctuous marrow, and placed sel gris onto my plate. The rich, meat-y aroma was almost too much to endure and I eagerly attacked the plate. Half the fun of the dish is rooting around in the bone to find every morsel of marrow, and I made sure that they were picked clean by the end. The combination of marrow, parsley salad, sel gris and toasted sourdough is simply phenomenal: sticky, rich, fatty marrow, against the fresh and bitter parsley, the sweet shallots, and the sharpness of the capers and salt is heaven. Your tastebuds literally explode!
Main Course
I LOVE offal, but it’s something that you rarely see on menus in Northern Ireland – and one of the reasons why St John is such an attraction for me. The Tripe, Sausage & Chickpea main course confirmed that we really are missing out here – the bowl-like dish was swimming in a rich, meaty, tomato-based broth, with tender, spicy sausage (very like chorizo) and chickpeas bobbing on the surface, and a bed of tripe in the centre. I’ll admit, tripe has a bad reputation, but I’ve always found it to have a subtle liver-y flavour which, with the spicy sausage and tomato was just heaven. Even the slighty sponge-y, honeycombed texture gives the dish a new dimension – a tactile treat as your tastebuds savour the combination of flavours.
Kelly’s Chitterlings (or “Chitlins” in America) with chicory and butter beans was a new one on me – neither of us knew what to expect – but we needn’t have worried! Chitterlings are pigs’ intestines and have a sort of creamy tenderness to them – the texture reminded me slightly of Calamari, but more meaty in texture. The flavour is also difficult to describe: there’s a subtle pork taste, some mild saltiness. Together with the butterbeans they were delicious – I was lucky to get a taste, to be honest, as the next time I looked Kelly mopped up every morsel.
Dessert
Kelly has a real penchant for anything lemon (and vodka!), so the Lemon Sorbet and Russian Vodka leapt out from the menu. The combination was certainly interesting: the bitterness of the vodka was balanced by the slight astringency and lingering sweetness of the sorbet; the cold of the sorbet giving way to the warm blast of alcohol from the vodka. It was also a great way to end the meal – satisfying but light enough so you didn’t feel as if you’d need the waiter to roll you out the door.
For me, the dessert has never really been the attraction – I much prefer savoury flavours, and usually go for a cheese-board rather than some confection. But, just like the Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad the Eccles Cake & Lancashire Cheese is a part of St John’s personality – and hey, it has cheese in it! The cheese was good – a wedge of salty, soft and mellow Lancashire cheese served at room temperature to release the aroma and flavours. It was also a perfect partner for the pastry: a puff of crisp and butter-y pastry filled with a thick layer of intensely sweet, gooey raisins. By themselves the two components were extremely good – together, they were superb.
Wine
Cotes du Rousillon (2008) – You can read the review of the Cotes du Rousillon (2008) here.
| Starters: | |
|---|---|
| Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad | £6.90 |
| Foie Gras & Duck Liver with Toast | £6.70 |
| Main Courses: | |
| Tripe, Sausage, and Chickpeas | £14.90 |
| Chitterlings and Butter Beans | £15.00 |
| Desserts: | |
| Lancashire Cheese and Eccles Cake | £6.50 |
| Lemon Sorbet and Russian Vodka | £5.70 |
| Sundries: | |
| 2 Bottles of Cotes du Rousillon | £24.15 ea. |
| Total: | £104.00 |
Our Verdict
St John is excellent – really. Everything you should admire and love about good food and eating out. Go. Eat there. Again and again and again.
St. JOHN Bar & Restaurant Smithfield
26 St John Street
London
EC1M 4AY
Tel: 020 7251 0848 (reservations)
Fax 020 7251 4090
w: www.stjohnrestaurant.com
e: reservations@stjohnrestaurant.com (reservations)
You can also see St John Restaurant Smithfield on Google Maps
There is a sister restaurant called “St John Bread and Wine” in Spitalfields (94-96 Commercial Street, London E1 6LZ)
Tags: 5 star rating, london, london restaurant, restaurant, restaurant review, review, where to eat in london
Categories: England > Restaurant Reviews > United Kingdom
