St.John Restaurant, Smithfield

"Nose to tail eating" is the motto of St.John Restaurant in Smithfield. It's been one of the items on my list of "Famous foodie places to eat in London" for ages that I just hadn't got around to going to, so I was very happy to finally cross it off. And whilst I didn't eat either nose or tail, some of our menu choices came close in terms of items usually spurned by modern-day sensibilities.

Myself, Andrew of Spittoon, Jenny of Pertelote, Johanna of The Passionate Cook, Tim of Fire and Knives and Todd of Londonchef were all there to raise a few glasses and welcome Pim of Chez Pim to London town.

L-to-R: Jenny, Andrew, Pim & Johanna

The evening got off on a good note - a dry, fruity Saumur Blanc (2002) Domaine des Champs Fleuris 'Cuvee Damoiselles' that I very much liked and would cheerfully order again (a rare event with myself and white wines), followed by a highly drinkable red whose name I unfortunately forget. As we all wanted to eat but only had a table reserved for four (sadly non-negotiable as the restaurant was full), we ordered some of the bar food for those who had to leave early.

This included the dish I've been dying for ages to try - St.John's famous Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad. Which was divine. The marrow on toast (with a light dusting of salt, as recommended by Tim) was smooth, tasty and had the most glorious gelatinous texture, and the crunchy greenery was a good (although as Andrew says, a little overpowering) complement. We also tried the Welsh Rarebit (spicy and very moreish), Anchovy Paste on Toast (or Gentleman's Relish as it's also known) and a dish most of us had never had - Eccles Cake with Lancashire Cheese. It sounds like an odd combination - fruitmince-stuffed pastries with crumbly English cheese - but it was another match made in heaven. All of St.John's baked goods are wonderful and their Lancashire was softly crumbly and well-flavored. I'd suspect their supplier was Neals Yard Dairy and I might just have to go investigate their Lancashire offerings sometime soon. . .

Amidst foodie talk and gossip, I discovered Tim was not only writing a book about restoring the kitchen in his Georgian house (though to modern standards!) he also runs the fortnightly email newsletter, Fire and Knives, as part of his campaign to become a professional food writer. Reading the archives, I've no doubt he will achieve that goal, so run over to his website and sign up - you won't regret it.

Before leaving the bar I also bought a loaf of the St.John Bakery's brown sourdough, and a couple of Bakewell Tarts, lured by the promise of gooseberry jam in the latter. As expected, both were delicious.

L-to-R: 1. Marrow & Parsley Salad. 2. Welsh Rarebit.
L-to-R: 1. Eccles Cake & Lancashire Cheese remains. 2. Todd & Jenny (sorry, no photos of Tim).

Upstairs we decided to share the meal between us and settled on four entrées, three mains and a couple of sides. The first entrée was Cuttlefish and Leeks, which ended up in front of me. The cuttlefish (squid) was squares of delightful tenderness and the leeks were buttery soft, making an enjoyable (though I must admit, not particularly memorable) dish. A large Crab ended up in front of Pim, and we all had great fun dissecting it and hooking out the last little scraps of delicious white and brown flesh. At this point we opened a bottle of Saint Chinian 'Elise' (2001) Chateau la Dournie, as recommended by Gavin, our waiter, which went down very easily.

Razor Clams were another first-time-try, with one ordered for each of us. Used as I am to much smaller shellfish, the length of the clam's muscles seemed just plain alien, but they proved to be delicious and a lot sweeter than I expected. The Turnham Green fishshop stocks these every so often and I'm definitely going to try them again. Veal Tongue salad was our last entrée. I've always liked tongue (much to my twin's disgust) and this particular dish was the Rolls Royce of tongue - pink in the middle, tender the whole way through, and tasting nothing like most people imagine it to be like (although I personally blame that on poor quality meat, rather than the cut). I shall have to bring my friends here just to convert them to delights of tongue.

I was delighted to find Mutton & Swedes on the menu, as it's difficult to find anything other than lamb here. Good mutton has a lot more punch to it's taste than lamb and I rather miss it from my diet. Swede, one of my favorite root vegetables, is never amiss on my plate but the star of the dish was definitely the mutton, which was beautifully cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The Mallard was also big on flavour, with a pleasantly gamey taste and excellent balance; neither too dry, moist or greasy, but just right (never easy with duck). Jenny was very keen on ordering the dish of Snails, Sausages & Lentils as our last choice of main, and judging from the speed with which it disappeared, we all agreed it was an excellent decision.

The conversation ranged as far and wide as the dishes and was just as interesting - although it feels like everyone but me has started a new career in the food world!

By the end of the mains we were all groaning, but decided to perservere and order a dessert between us - the Steamed Treacle Sponge with custard. As aforementioned, St.John's baked goods are fantastic, and this was no exception - hot, light and fruity, and the eptitome of what good traditional English cooking should taste like.

Overall I was extremely impressed with not just the wine and food at St.John, but also the staff, who were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and the service, which was at a good pace for such a full night. If you don't like crowded dining rooms you might have a problem as the tables are all squashed together as close as possible, but other than that I highly recommend the restaurant. Certainly I'll be visiting again.

>L-to-R: 1. Cuttlefish & Leeks. 2. Crab. 3. Veal Tongue.
L-toR: 1. Mutton & Swedes; Snails, Sausage & Lentils; Greens & Potatoes; Mallard. 2. Treacle Pudding. 3. View of the kitchen.

Comments

[keiko]

Hi Christina - I think this is the first time I leave comments here, but I'm another UK blogger :) I enjoyed your post about the get-together, I wanted to join but couldn't make it. I'm glad you had a great time, I look forward to seeing you soon!

[Christina]

Hi Keiko!
Yes, I love your site - the food and photos are always so delectable.
Thanks, hopefully we'll see you soon. :-)

[celiaK]

Finally you've got a comment box here! ;)
Glad to know you've thoroughly enjoyed your night out. Wish I wasn't too ill that night to join you. :(

[Christina]

Hope you're feeling better now!
Well, there's always this weekend. :-)

[Monkey Gland]

Man, I am sorry I missed that...you gonna be around for Sam at Gordons?

[Christina]

Yes, I shall be there Saturday. :-)