As promised, we ate at St. John Bread and Wine Tuesday night. Below, in order: Rock Oysters. Slip Sole with Monk's Beard. Potted Rabbit. Ox Heart with Chickweed and Pickled Walnut. Ham and Wild Dandelion. Suckling Kid, Chicory, Anchovy. Custard Tart with Prunes.
I liked most of the food, some quite a lot, but indeed it wasn't All That, miss Z, or life-changing in any way (except that I ate someone's heart). It was really basic stuff, borderline boring.
One problem was perhaps that the evening's menu didn't have that many challenging-sounding things on it to begin with, and even less by the time we got there. I'd popped by earlier in the day to look at the menu since I was in the nabe, and this is what it looked like at noon:
So, for example, the afternoon's Monk's Beard, Anchovy & Duck Egg had been replaced by Slip Sole & Monk's Beard, and this was the most disappointing dish of the night.
Highlights for me were the ham and the ox heart. And the rabbit. Could eat those again today. Fish and especially dessert were disappointing. And the room, which I liked the look of, was loud, loud enough to where it became a bit difficult to comfortably converse...which wasn't so awesome.
Overall, though...I liked the food, and am thinking about dropping back in today to try one more thing if I end up in the neighborhood. A big Sorry to all you animal participants, and thanks for giving it up.
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5 comments:
Interesting. There's something perverse about the food at St. John--celebrating British heritage while also refusing to get rid of the bleakness in it. Really, a big fish with some green stuff on top? And a big wad of some gummy pudding at the end? I mean, _most_ of it tastes good, fundamentally. But maybe you really do have to be a self-punishing Brit to get the nuances.
we had dinner at Harwood Arms the next night. I'd say they're trying the same thing, but do it ten times better.
Sorry I meeesed it. When are you going to Borough Market? I had the Brindisa chorizo sandwich today...tasty, but not worth building your day around. Interested in what your plans there are.
And what can I say about St. John? my expectations weren't super-high, i'd read a lot of mixed things.
And this is undeniable: my mouth really did enjoy the potted rabbit and the ham and the ox, I thought they were really well-executed and I could have eaten more of each one, which is important. and the prices were fine.
but it's not a great restaurant. it's a nice place to have a drink and some small bites. it's actually a restaurant that wouldn't be out of place in amsterdam, and i mean that in mostly bad ways.
Oh, snap!
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