Comments on: St. John (The Return), London

By: St John, London (The Second Return) « Food Snob

St John, London (The Second Return) « Food Snob — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:16:23 +0000

[...] Eating), DB and Ulterior Epicure. This was their first foray to St. John and my third (the other two consecutive visits being before its summer [...]

By: Food Snob

Food Snob — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:51:23 +0000

Well said and well decided, IMO.
You have picked three I hope to visit shortly too! I have heard only good things about each.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:45:14 +0000

Thank you, it did help. It’s hard to be critical of St John – but in terms of what others are doing in the same gastro-area we’re possibly seeing a case of the pupils userping the master. I’d still book it ahead of, say, Hix – but would I book it ahead of Giaconda Dining Rooms, Murano or the revamped Quo Vadis? Probably not, at least until I start reading some better remarks on the handful of pages I read. I may well go for a weekday lunch as opposed to a dinner, not make a big deal of it, and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

By: Food Snob

Food Snob — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:21:07 +0000

Hi Neil,
There are/were some very good dishes, but a lot of mediocre ones too. The marrow and kidneys you singled out were definitely the pick of the dishes, in addition to good desserts.
Presentation is not mouth-watering, I agree, but I also believe it is a manifestation of Henderson’s philosophy. Personally, I can deal with unpalatable plating if the food tasted good, however, several of the dishes here were rather lacking in flavour as well as finesse.
All that said, I am glad I tried it, if even for the sake of it, but I am not exactly eager to return.
There are now several very well thought of restaurants that follow the ‘gospel’ of St. John and are, arguably, doing a better job of it, for example Hereford Rd, Great Queen St, Magdalen, Anchor & Hope…
Additionally, since its refurb, standards at St. John appear to have slipped whilst prices put up:
http://www.doshermanos.co.uk/2008/09/st-john-child-is-father-of-man.html

Hope this has helped!

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:59:09 +0000

Hmmm. I’ve been wanting to dine at St John for about three years. Due to a series of mix-ups, table non-availability and (most recently) the closure for refurbishment, the opportunity has so far been denied me. For information, I do not live in London but frequently visit. I’ve eaten in a few good places over the last ten years. I must say, this review does not inspire me to keep trying to get a table at St John. Whilst I buy into Henderson’s philosophy without compunction, some of the pictured food looks off-putting. It’s not the fact it’s offal, it’s the rather peculiar hue to some of the sauces. The squid thing looks ghastly; the calves liver not much better. Only the roast marrow, plus the devilled kidneys, made me think “wow – I want to eat here”. I suppose, thinking about it, I must find out for myself and therefore probably will go. But my expectation levels have been dealt a severe blow – and I’m going to be a lot more choosy about what I order.

By: Food Snob

Food Snob — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:51:42 +0000

If you want to be safe, take some shades and a large hat. Or, at the very least, don’t repeat my mistake and go two days in a row!

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:58:10 +0000

So St. John doesn’t automatically add the service charge to the bill? Funny, I never noticed on my visit. Maybe I shouldn’t go back either!!

By: foodsnob

foodsnob — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:21:21 +0000

Thanks for the welcome and comment: it’s always nice finding out someone is actually reading these posts! lol

You’re probably right; apologising would have helped, but I just didn’t feel I had to. Since when do people HAVE TO tip? Why should I feel bad because I forgot to? I find it really interesting how I felt guilty afterwards.

The puddings were great though! I will be paying a visit to St. John Bread and Wine very soon, where I hope they are, and they ought to be, just as delicious.

By: JennDZ_The LeftoverQueen

JennDZ_The LeftoverQueen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:43:32 +0000

Sounds like a very interesting exchange! I probably would have apologized about the night before, maybe that would have loosened him up! I am glad that you enjoyed the pudding though! It sounds wonderful! Amazing how the first half of your experience differed so much from the second half!

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