St John Hotel Opens Its Door

There were a few reasons I anticipated the opening of St John Hotel. Not only that the cuisine at St John – Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver and his nose to tail cooking philosophy – is the epitome of Great British cooking, but also the prospect of having a St John walkable to my flat as opposed to their a few other outposts which required a bus ride. There was another reason: that this was meant to be my pre-Chrismas dinner but the opening was delayed. And two other “opening” dates were cancelled. So, there I was, at last, to savour the place where it could become my next top local restaurant.

St John Hotel is located on Leicester Street; its dining room faces the side of the also new W Hotel. If you still cannot find it, look out for the “Moules”, “Langouste” and “Huitres” signs, celebratory of Manzi, one famed seafood restaurant that once enjoyed the same site. Size-and-design-wise, St John Hotel is, in my opinion, more boutique than grand, East London quirky – the spiral staircase as if in a ship!! – than West End contemporary. The nightly rates start from about £330 – it is still Leicester Square! The room actually looks cool but for couple only (?) as there is no barrier between the bath over shower and the bedroom. But the twist is that if you dine too well and cannot bring yourself to move, you may also check out into one of St John’s after dinner rooms and linger overnight or until your tummy deflate – a similar tradition to, say, Can Fabes and many upper crust restaurants in the world. This comes at a cheaper rate, which one compromises on the view, at £240, while The Long Room – the rooftop suite – costs £654 per night.

The menu is very St John but with a price tag of Soho with the dearest being Pike and Leek Pie for two at £36. I’m sure it will be bloody good but not for me thanks! Have I recently become stingy? Comparing and contrasting many restaurants and their pricing, yes, I become more conscious of how much I should pay to get good food as opposed to eating insensibly.

Let’s tuck in. At the table were three of us – a last minute addition of BittenWritten – and an array of dishes to share: (1) Veal Tongue, Potato, Mustard (2) Chicken Broth, Dumplings. The tongue was thinly sliced and tender and arrived with boiled potatoes and cress garnish. However, it lacked the mustard kick to make this dish gorgeous. It could be just a one off underseasoning. The Chicken Broth was probably my most favourite, a kind of beautified Jewish dish. The delectable sweetness in the broth which I’m not quite sure was from onions or kohlrabi well complimented the bits of veg and meat in there. Also great texture in the dumplings.

Our other two salad dishes were also pleasant. Barley, Carrot and Curd boast a fresh platter full of delightful bites, while Brown Shrimps, Artichoke and Egg was a little bolder in flavours. Like my meal at St John Restaurant, these were good dishes with subtle flavours but no firework.

Moving on to the main courses, I found the dishes still quite subtle. I am a fan of Bread and Wine for its boldness and uncompromising flavours. This, so far, was neat, which I am certain would appeal to a lot of diners. The heaving atmosphere seemed to suggest so. The Pigeon, Turnip and Anchovies was perfectly executed. The breasts were pink and tender. The garnish was novel and worked to take away the richness of the pigeon meat. Divided opinions there again as you could either criticise this lightness or fall in love with it head over heels. The Bacon and Snail was more of a show stealer. The soft well stewed bacon contrasted well with big, springy snails. The broth was beautiful: natural sweetness from the onions and the saltiness from the ham. I also asked for Tripes and Onions toppled with crispy crumbs, which the rest were reluctant to share. Taste-wise, unlike Pied et Parquets at Arbutus, this was a perfect dish to initiate anybody into offal dining. It was mild and a lot of sweet note from the onions. This, however, was a case of food that should be accompanied by a glass of wine. As I was half way through, the flavours did not hit too much of a high note and became two dimensional.

It was, however, a completely different story with the desserts. I had this Custard Tart. Eggy, velvety and heavenly wobbly!!! It set at the perfect consistency to bring orgasm to my taste bud. The base is also very crusty. It was a big love. Other dishes we got were Rhubarb Crumble and Ginger Loaf and Apple Caramel, which I didn’t try. Reason? I never share desserts especially when my tart was out of this world!

The lunch concluded with a dozen of madeleines – top notch, Bread and Wine quality. And I felt I had raved about this too extensively in my other posts, so I’d just say they were worth getting obese for.

Definitely this was one of the most pleasant, albeit tamed, meals I had in the West End. Still, it did not match up to the wild ecstasy at Bread and Wine. St John Hotel is proper, looking around at the clientele that appeared Belgravia than Leicester Square, and will soon become the West End destination like J Sheekey and The Ivy. But, for me and my other bib, we would be more than happy to pay a few extra quids and take the bus to Bread and Wine where our loyalty lies.

On my way out I checked out St John Hotel Bar. Et, voila.

Enough said,

My head rating says, “8 out of 10″.

My heart rating says, “7 out of 10″.

ST JOHN HOTEL

1-2 Leicester Street
London
WC2H 7BL

Tel. 020 3301 8096

www.stjohnhotellondon.com