St John

I simply can't fault the quality and imagination of the food here. The menu is based on Fergus Henderson's 'nose-to-tail' cuisine, where not one ounce of dead animal is wasted. The resulting dishes are a study in simplicity and seasonality. This is not flashy cooking, rather a showcase of high quality ingredients and faultless execution. This is the sort of restaurant I can see myself returning to for years and years and years. BYO at £15 also a big bonus.
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quentinhapsburg - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, July 08, 2012

Much has been made of the whole 'nose to tail' eating thing, but I suspect it was much more radical in 1994 than in 2012. There is enough variety in the short menu to satisfy everyone. It's not like you can only choose between spleen or tripe. There was a tripe starter and there was a deviled kidney main, but there was also a cucumber and leaf starter and grilled brill main.

Simple cooking with only a few ingredients which may or may not be unusual, but nothing shocking in terms of combinations or techniques. We shared starters, the standouts were the famous bone marrow on toast and a salad of roasted skate with rocket and salsa verde. For my main I had snails with sausage and chick peas which was extremely moreish. I also loved the pigeon with radishes. We had a lemon sorbet with vodka after mains then shared eccles cake with Lancashire cheese, which is one of those combinations that changes lives.

Again the décor was probably a revolution 18 years ago, with whitewashed walls, industrial pendent lamps, and a shabby feel. It's still not to everyone's taste but I loved it. It was packed, obviously.

Couldn't fault anything really. Lots of restaurants now do some things that are similar, but I reckon the original is well worth a visit.
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Dan - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Friday, June 01, 2012

Outstanding! Ten of us for dinner meant that we had to use the 'feasting menu' and which meant that some week before we had to select two starters, two mains, and two desserts. I had some reservations about this arrangement which involved the waiters bringing along the dishes which went-in-the-middle and everybody tucked in.

In the event we selected pigs cheeks and brown shimps for starters, venison and sea bass for mains, and profiteroles and crumble for desserts. The food was absolutely delicious and the quantities more than enough for everybody ... so much so that there was demand to have what remained of the crumble to be taken home in a doggy-bag.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, January 21, 2012

Visited St John for the first time last Friday and thoroughly enjoyed the food and relaxed atmosphere. A good balance of fish and meat dishes on the menu which appatrently changes at least daily. Between the three of us, we had fantastic sea urchins and oysters to start,the bone marrow with toast, followed by whole crab, brill and super fresh, fried sprats. The service was very friendly and attentive and relaxed, not overly formal and uptight as too many restaurants are. Great buzz the whole evening. Will definitely be going back.
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Simon
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, January 16, 2012

Myself (a chef) and 3 foodie friends were all excited to visit st John restaurant,, on arrival, it seems quirky, quite neutral but different and cosy... the menu was simple, the food also simple... I had bone marrow to start and was kinda hoping it would surprise me a bit especially for 8 quid, when to make that dish would of cost 50 pence... Roast bone marrow.... is roast bone marrow, not a lot you have to do with it really... they cooked simple food well.. no complaints there... and i suppose they are honest with this and don't claim to do anything else other than cook game/meats well.. but... I don't know.. it just needed a little bit of excitement,, a little bit of a spark!!! it has such a great reputation that it should and could raise it's level a little higher... any good house cook could do what they did at St John... also my massive let down was the dessert... Chef can obviously cook a good bird.. but has no idea of dessert,, the chocolate terrine was dry and pretty gross, the only other choice that i wanted was a lemon posset- cream set with lemon and sugar?? Come on!!!! and some other random non exciting desserts..... gave it 3 cos they cook the food well and waiting staff were great, knowledgable and helpful, although slow.... London has so many awesome restaurants,, it's great they change the menu often... always nice to go back and see whats new!!! But I won't,, as once again, it will be a bit of a let down.... Sad really... the concept was so exciting... the execution... non inspiring....
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Ben
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I have been to this restaurant a number of times and the food has always been excellent.

The staff are extremely competent, and not falsely "matey" (don't actually want that, thanks).

The decor, which some reviewers seem to have a difficulty with, is functional and doesn't pretend to be otherwise, thank goodness. I go to a restaurant to eat good food, not be charged over the odds for mediocre food in expensive and pretentious surroundings.

In short, superb and unusual food -exactly as food should be.
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MC
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 22, 2011

This place is a disaster.... The veggies were seriously overcooked and the asparagus was tough. Several of the dishes we ordered were never served and the waitress never returned to pour wine or water and there was lots of debris in the wine so it should clearly have been decanted. The floor was scattered with spilled food from earlier guests. The waitress never apologized for any of these shortcomings although this was politely pointed out by us. How this restaurant can be rated so highly by the Michelin guide and on the Worlds Best Restaurants List is totally beyond comprehension!
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Mouseman
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Sunday, May 15, 2011

We have been addictively watching the Masterchef Australia series for the last few weeks. An overdose of Masterchef has the effect of turning an average weekday meal into a serious discussion on the acidity of the pasta sauce and the combination of cheese and macaroni, “does it really work?” Watching all those delicious meals plated up night after night got us excited to get up off the lounge and actually go and eat something original. Luckily living in London, you do not have to travel too far to find amazing food; the only real issue is the sheer amount of choice!

Being a serious meat eater there was one restaurant which had been tempting me for some time, London’s home of nose to tail eating, Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson’s, St John. Praised as a revolution in British cooking since its opening in 1994, St John has become a foodie icon. Henderson’s sparse style of cooking everything edible on the animal is not to everyone taste though but if bone marrow and Ox’s heart doesn’t make you squeamish then read on!

With one Michelin star and several appearances in the world’s top fifty restaurant awards there is a surprising amount of mixed press about St John. Many online reviewers seem to be expecting more from a Michelin quality establishment and a large percentage are purely put off by the intimidating menu. Is its status as the foodie’s temple just hype from celebrity reviewers like Anthony Bourdain? There’s only one way to find out.

St John doesn’t pretend to be what it isn’t. Built in what was once a smokehouse, Henderson and Gulliver have kept the decor minimal. You enter into an airy foyer/bar/bakery where you can sample the bar menu over a Brew Wharf Beer (one of Gulliver’s side projects). The dining room is set to the right up a few stairs, a large, uncluttered brick lined space with simple white tablecloths and very little else. The first impression is that of an upscale cafeteria – but at the end of the day it’s the food that counts, plush carpets and fancy lighting won’t ever make up for a terrible meal will it?

Me, my girlfriend and her mum freshly in from New York arrived at 6:15 (the only slot available for a last minute booking) which was ok since we had just been to a matinee theatre performance (Jeff Goldblum in The prisoner of Second Ave – avoid at all costs!!!). The dining room was basically empty and we were in no rush. The menus like the decor are simple photocopied A4 sheets – changing daily to reflect the freshest produce. We ordered a bottle of the house red (St John’s own brand) our waiter promptly returned to spill a few good measures of vino on our tablecloth while reciting the specials. I am not fussy at all when it comes to service but this kind of thing might be the reason St John gets such mixed reviews from the punters. I feel as if the spilt red slotted in well with the cafeteria style setting it reminded me of tables lined with butchers paper covered in crayon drawings and grease from a hearty family meal.

Not being a wine snob either the house red was just fine, although St John is praised for its extensive (predominantly French) wine list. They also serve by the glass which works well if you like to match your dishes.

Ambience, service and wine aside, on to the food!

Famous for serving simple, tasty offal (pr. Awful) based dishes the St John menu also caters for vegetarians and the wimps. The Broad Bean, chard and Goats Curd vego option actually sounded enticing – but we weren’t there to eat plain old vegetables. For entree’s we had to pick from delights such as, Rabbit Offal and Chicory, Cured Beef & Celeriac and Snails in Bacon. The most famous/iconic starter has to be Henderson’s Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad (inspired by the film La Grande Bouffe!) It has been on the menu since he opened his doors and I had to try it. You are literally served three or four hacked off, roasted beef bones full of creamy marrow with a side of sour dough toast and an acidic flat leaf parsley salad. I remember my mum always getting excited at the prospect of sucking the marrow from a roasting joint, it never really seemed that appetising to me to be honest. I scooped my first dollop of marrow out with the supplied tool and dolloped it on the toast. My first bite was not great; it tasted like fat on toast. Once I added a mouthful of the salad though, I got it. The acidic parsley cuts through the fatty marrow and a small sprinkling on the supplied rock salt on top makes the starter POP. Incredibly simple food but very very yummy! Two of us got the marrow and my girlfriend ordered Langoustines with garlic mayo, which were equally amazing, four huge, very fresh langoustines with a creamy garlic mayo.

While we were ordering our mains we asked what the waiter thought of the Snail, Chorizo and Chick Pea stew. His reaction was odd, either he doesn’t like it (which he adamantly said he did) or he thought that our guests from NY were not ready for snails and sausage on the same plate? Maybe the US contingent come for the hype and aren’t ready for the awful (offal) or maybe that’s a terrible stereotype. Either way she ordered it, I ordered Roast Middle white with carrot and my girlfriend got braised veal with fennel. I suppose neither of ours were that out there (think squirrels brains) but I had heard great things about the Middlewhite and we are both suckers for roasted fennel.

The Middlewhite is a rare breed of pig and considering how good it tastes I am surprised it not rarer! I was served four thick slices of juicy pink pork next to a whole braised carrot on top of the cooking jus. Such a simple dish, some might argue not Michelin quality food – but it tasted amazing. The pork was cooked expertly, juicy and full of savoury meaty flavour, as was the carrot. The waiter offered some mustard to go with the dish, which was a great accompaniment. The Snail stew was also brilliant. The snails themselves were tender and had soaked up the spicy chorizo flavour in the broth, as had the chickpeas. It would make a comforting dish in the depths of winter (or English summer!) very warming and satisfying. The braised veal (which was a special) was tender and falling off the bone, the serving was HUGE; it took two of us to polish off most of it. As with my dish it was served simply with the Fennel, what you see on the menu is what you get at St John. What the mains lacked in complexity they made up for in flavour. They were a testament to the product, which is the underlying foundation of all Henderson’s cooking.

I am not a huge dessert man, unless it comes in liquid form. So I was happy to see the blackberry sorbet with Russian vodka. My girlfriend ordered Eton Mess and we got a half dozen Madelines to share. Considering St John’s has a reputation for its carnivorous delights, the puddings were amazing. The Eton mess was perhaps the most delicious dessert I have ever had. Full of tart blackberry’s, luscious cream and super sweet meringue, it melted in your mouth – all three of us considered ordering another to share. My sorbet was equally delicious and full of flavour but I think I should have downed the shot of cold vodka rather than pour it over the top! To top off a great meal (and a few bottles of the house vino) we had six perfect little Madelines, crispy on the edges, and soft and sweet in the middle – a perfect finish to a great meal. The bill wasn’t as scary as you would imagine for such a highly esteemed joint in trendy Clerkenwell either.

St John’s isn’t what you imagine a Michelin starred restaurant ranked in the top 50 in the world should be. But then again what makes a good restaurant? Ambience, yes, setting, yeah, hospitality, of course but…..the food is what separates the good from the bad and the great from the good and what St John is able to do is take a minimal approach to everything but produce massive bursts of flavour in its food and also a casual, un-stuffy environment in which to enjoy it in.

We will definitely be back – especially when the Eton Mess is on the menu!
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Mise En Place - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Thursday, February 17, 2011

Whilst I realise this is'nt fine dining I was'nt prepared for just how basic it was there,

The food was fantastic which I suppose is why we were there in the first place, it was my son's 30th birthday and he loves this restaurant, so I booked the private dining room for 16 of us on friday night.

As I had never been there before I was shocked to find we were eating in a cold room that was more like a disused class room than a private dining room, and as for the staff they either have very unhappy lives or just chose not to smile, our waitress was very rude, and the maitre de was'nt much better !

We had eaten breakfast at the Wolseley the same day and what a difference the staff made us feel so much more welcome there.

Everyone loved the food and although I'm not in a rush to return again, based on the food alone it was value for money, although I DECLINED to pay the £104.00 service charge
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kym
4 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 6
Monday, December 13, 2010

I find it fascinating that so many negative reviews discuss the staff in such depth, not smiling, just saying "mussels", feeling waiting is beneath them... so on jeez, people are so needy, this isn't America, and the service is fine and often great, the food here is BRILLIANT, exciting, interesting and delicious, if you need a cuddle from a waitress, thats your problem. This is one of my 2 favourite restaurants in the world. Ethical, Old-school, Yummy, Fergus Henderson is a genius, go there and eat your heart out.
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- View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, December 01, 2010