Before I embark on a trip, I always ask my foodie friends, bloggers and local chefs where I should eat at any given destination. The response when I inquired about London was overwhelming; there were numerous one-off recommendations for a variety of Indian restaurants, fish and chip shops, weekend farmer’s markets and particular, must-have dishes (English breakfast, Chocolate Flake, a “real” cup of tea, etc.). With only 48 hours in the city, I felt overwhelmed with choices. But one restaurant garnered multiple recs, including from Jonathan Gold himself: St. John.
St. John restaurant is the creation of Chef Fergus Henderson, known for his use of offal (nose-to-tail dining, as they say). With no formal training, Henderson learned how to cook from his mother, and the result is unfussy, simple but wildly flavorful and inventive dishes.
The interior of the restaurant was simple: white walls, plain wooden tables and chairs and wait staff dressed in basic white shirts and black pants. The menu, which changes almost daily, offered a head-scratching array of selections (“Grilled Puffball with Green Sauce” and “Stinking Bishop & Potatoes” were particularly odd-sounding). Our waitress kindly explained that Puffball is a type of mushroom that puffs up and emits a brown dust-like cloud when it ripens, and that Stinking Bishop is actually a kind of smelly cheese. While both sounded appealing (hey, we like that kind of thing!), I went with the classic Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad, and Alice got the Beetroot, Boiled Egg & Anchovy while Graham chose the Gloucester Old Spot & Celeriac (translation: thin slices of a particular breed of pig served with a celery-root slaw).
All the starters were excellent, particularly Graham’s Old Spot. The slices of pork were tender and lean, and framed with a thick thread of tasty fat. The marrow, which I spread on toast, glistened of fatty goodness and played well with the lemony parsley salad. The boiled eggs’ bright orange/yellow yolks were creamy and rich, the perfect compliment to the fresh beetroot and salty anchovy.
Though I usually balance a rich starter with a light entree, there are no light entrees here and that was just fine with me. We reasoned that we’d need the hearty fare to combat the London chill that was descending on the evening…or something like that. I selected the Smoked Eel with Rashers and Mashed Potatoes. Now I’ve only ever had eel Japanese-style, which is heavily marinated and typically served over rice in a bowl or as sushi nigiri (both which I LOVE). But this was entirely different: the eel had a reddish color and was thick and juicy, not at all when I’d expect from a smoked fish. The flesh was so tender it separated with just a touch of the fork – lush, velvety, fantastic. I have never seen eel like this on a menu in the states, but if anyone knows where I can get this, please leave a comment with the pertinent info! I must, MUST have this again.
Alice got the Grouse, which is a type of bird resembles a cross between a chicken and a rooster, and Graham got the Faggots & Butterbeans (another name that begs explanation). A faggot is a traditional dish in the UK and is a meatball made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork (heart, liver, fatty belly meat, bacon, etc.). Both gave their dishes a major thumbs-up. Normally when trying new foods I’m all for sharing, but I didn’t want to give up more than one bite of my eel – it was that good. Besides, they live in London and I don’t, so I felt my stinginess was justified!
Though we were pretty much bursting at the seams, we could not leave without dessert, and the one that stood out as a must-eat was the spiced fruit loaf with warm butterscotch sauce and ice cream. It was sweet, tangy and absolutely sinful, and the perfect end to such a sumptuous meal.
Thanks to everyone who insisted I try this remarkable restaurant. It was truly the highlight of my short time in London, and the eel was perhaps the best meal of my entire three-week trip.
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