St John Bread & Wine

What a lovely experience this was. Heavenly and plentiful food, friendly atmosphere, very good for people watching. I noticed a couple of negative comments on the service. No problems at all this time (early lunch), but I can imagine that a couple of glitches may occur when it gets full and hectic. Also a great place for a lazy plate of madeleines and a pot of tea in the afternoon.
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Ciranoush
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 06, 2011

my new favourite. no-nonsense service with exciting food combinations that encourage you keep coming back and be adventurous. the menu changes daily which ensures fresh seasonal ingredients and the sharing plates are, for once, big enough to actually share. perfect place for an informal dinner, or a " treat yourself " lunch. has inspired us to get down to the butchers, get the pots and pans out and try some proper british cooking at home as well. must add that although the st john chain is probably best know for its nose-to-tail approach to meat eating, the veggie / salad / pudding options are superb too.
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chris bryant
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, October 28, 2011

Had wanted to try this for ages. Went on an ordinary Wednesday evening. Waitress took a good while to come take our order....

Two of us opted for 3 "smaller" dishes and 1 "larger" dish. Not sure if this is typical but it was all rather slow to come out. We were informed on ordering that the larger dish would take thirty minutes but that the smaller dishes should come out before then anyway. Well, the order of things was as described.

Our smaller dishes arrived in about 20-30 minutes (staggered). All very nice and got the appetite going! Then it reached an hour since we had ordered and we were pretty starving (having been sipping away at a bottle of wine) and asked the waitress what was happening with the "larger" dish - which was teal - who kindly informed us that, "That dish takes half an hour, but I will check for you" - well thanks very much but it's been well over an hour now! Once it arrived it was actually pretty cold so I wonder if it had just been sat waiting - still, we were famished so we chowed it down. We were both pretty hungry still so think in retrospect maybe better to go for 5 smaller dishes between two than what we went for. And perhaps should have asked for more bread.

Had to have pudding to fill the gap, which was lovely and stodgy.

Disappointed with the service, great shame as the food is very tasty.
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Emma
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, February 18, 2011

went for my birthday and had an exceptional meal.

Great atmosphere - a nice buzz with very friendly staff willing to give recommendations & explanations of the cuts of meat etc.

I had potted rabbit to start, then middle white for a main.

Cant wait to go again. Brekkie looks good too. Top.
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kevl - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Thursday, September 16, 2010

Best bacon sandwich I've ever had! Big as well...
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Adam
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, September 14, 2010

simple interior, and really interesting cuisines. recommendable
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Sunny - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Saturday lunch eating paired down British food at it's best. Saltly,fresh oysters at just £1.30 a pop,and delicious snails and cabbage served piping hot with some of their trademark bread to mop up the juices. Smoked eel and horseradish was also good but seemed to be missing something that would make it stand out. The pudding was the highlight of the meal, Soft ripe figs cooked in honey served with a delicately spiced ice cream and a generous slice of the best brioche I have tasted.

Service was friendly yet unobtrusive. The young British waitress really knew her food and was happy to answer any questions I had.

I would recommend Bread and Wine to anyone that loves good food and drink but hates the pretention that can often be served with it.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, October 10, 2009

Was here last Saturday and had a fabulous meal. rare venison with sorrel and cobnuts was a particular highpoint with the flavours complementing each other so wonderfully. That said none of the other dishes we tried should be deemed inferior. Only complaint is that the wine list is still exclusively French and I feel it lacks the new world robustness which would so suit the deep savour of the food.

For dessert the blackcurrant sorbet was so aromatic and with so little acidity and tartness that it stood out as a reminder of how blackcurrants should always be; and the damson mousse (with meringue fingers for dipping) had a wonderful rich tartness and converted my dinner companion from a lifetime antipathy to meringue.

Service was impeccable.
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AdamAitch
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, September 07, 2009

You can't fault the quality of the food, but customer service is another matter, so much so that I won't return.

I made a booking for 9 people for a birthday celebration. I was not told that if the number rose to 10 then we would all have to choose from the feasting menu - in other words no choice whatsoever. When I called to increase the booking we ended up with an exceptionally limited choice of food for all courses. I was the customer - not the restaurant owner!!

As for the bill, it took the waiter 3 attempts to get the correct bill. Such a pity!
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Alan McBride - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Thursday, July 30, 2009

Honest, down to earth food at a very reasonable price. I had an excellent crab and wonderful smoked mackerel, followed by madeleines with a double expresso. The place attracts a rather trendy crowd and the atmosphere is lively; may be too noisy for my taste. In any case, an absolutely recommendable venue.
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Susana - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Sunday, May 24, 2009