St John Hotel *** now closed ***

** please note this restaurant is now closed, however Tom Harris (Head Chef) now heads the new One Leicester Street in the same location ***

St Johns Hotel opened in Spring 2011 and went through a 'talk of the town' phase for quite some time, especially for its breakfasts. On this Saturday afternoon the white clothed tables were seemingly empty, but we chose to sit outside in the more cafe-style setting. 

The open plan stainless steel kitchen does all of its own butchering, and the philosophy of using the 'head to tail' of a pig is very much used throughout the menu which changes on a daily basis. Something that I love.

The menu consisted of Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad, Game Pie & Apple Jelly, Snails Duck Hearts & Lovage just to name a few. From the suggestion of our very knowledgeable waitress we went for a selection of dishes to share. 

Duck Liver Toast hit all the right notes however was nothing compared to the Devilled Pig's Skin & Smoked Salmon Roe. Perfectly crispy and slightly spicy crackling was amazingly complimented by the salty salmon roe. A great but surprising combination of flavours. 

Duck Liver Toast £6.80

Devilled Pig's Skin & Smoked Cod's Roe £6.80

Perfectly cooked Plaice, crispy skin and fluffy center. The capers added a welcome zing do the fennel combination. Disappointingly the rabbit was quiet under-cooked which proved difficult to remove the meat from the bone, making this dish uninspiring. 

Plaice, Fennel & Capers £16.20

Grilled Rabbit & Borlotti Beans £16.50

The Chicken and Trotter pie was a hit. Proper crust and creamy center, there was nothing wrong with this dish. Very much enough for four people to share, let alone for two! 

Chicken & Trotter Pie for two £32

My favourite dish by far was the Baked Cheesecake & Fig dessert. The cheesecakes were made from quark giving them a great texture and making them slightly sour but perfectly complimented by the sweet syrup and cooked figs. The Honeycomp ice-cream was the cherry on the cake.

Baked Cheesecake & Fig £8.20

Honeycomb ice Cream

Overall it was a great lunch, the food and the service were spot on. One of the best English meals I have had in a long time.