4 /5 Juan Pablo Arizpe: Anthony Bourdain’s London favorite. The restaurant that popularized nose-to-tail dining, St. JOHN is an institution in London. I’d been meaning to go for a while, and my eventual visit did not disappoint. Great, simple food gives reason as to why English food shouldn’t be written quickly. Would recommend it to a friend, and I would definitely go again.
Highlights
• Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad: Maybe the most famous dish here, I fully blame it for the rising cost of bone marrow. A great example on how simple, high-quality ingredients can produce exceptional results. The parsley salad adds a great freshness to the plate, very well balanced
• Potted Beef: The best dish of the day. The beef was perfectly seasoned: a bit sweet, a bit smoky, well cooked and very umami. Tasted like slightly sweet birria, so good we ordered it twice
• Abbey’s Chocolate Cake: I love chocolate, and this cake was a chocolate lover’s dream. Rich, decadent, dark and covered in ganache. One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had
• The Restaurant itself: St. JOHN thrives on the beauty of simplicity. From its decorations to its menus to its dishes, the restaurant delivers a high-class experience with all the humility of a simple english farmer. Recommended for date nights
Lowlights:
• Mylor Prawns and Aioli: We found the prawns and aioli combination to be a bit harsh and overpowering, and the prawns themselves didn’t have much meat. One of the few misses of the night
• Rollright, Pink Fir and Spring Onion: This dish was just cheese, onions and potato. Simplicity can be good, but in the case of this dish it was just too simple and boring