St. John at Spitalfield, London

It's been a while since my last post. Have been travelling and the last part of my trip has been quite hectic, so not time at all to blog from the Hotel or anywhere. I'm back and will slowly start updating the blog with my recent meals during this trip, which are many...

After MAZE by Gordon Ramsay, my next stop was St. John. I had initially wanted to try the restaurant in Smithfield, but it was booked for a private event, so we ended up in St. John at Spitalfield. St. John is a restaurant serving modern British cuisine. The Chef/Owner, Fergus Henderson uses some of the more esoteric cuts of meat, not normally found on mainstream menus, which he calls Nose to Tail cooking. St John Spitalfield is more a bistro type restaurant, where the menu changes daily.

We got there quite early for British standards but surprisingly the place was already almost full. Good thing we had a reservation. We started out with 2 appetizers: Foie Gras & Duck Liver Toast and Crispy Pig Skin, Chicory and Wood Sorrel. The Foie and duck liver was already spread out on their home made bread, served with some pickles, and the Crispy Pig skin was a Salad with 2 kinds of that looked like Watercress and fine strips of the crispiest pig skin I've ever tried...every bite was so crunchy with a slight smoky taste which combined perfectly well with the 2 kinds of herbs (Chicory and Wood Sorrel) and a very light vinaigrette.

For main, we shared Salt Marsh Lamb & Carrots. Another simple yet delicious dish which we really enjoyed. Fall off the bone tender lamb, and carrots which seemed to have just been harvested, a delicious combination. This was a good break from all the modern, creative cuisine that is so 'in' nowadays. Simple food, simple place and good quality ingredients..all that makes a great restaurant.

For Dessert, another classic: Bread Pudding & Butterscotch Sauce. I've tried many Bread puddings, but this one was very different. Tasted actually like "Food for the Gods" that my grandmother made...this one was much more moist. Accompanied by Clotted Cream and the Butterscotch sauce, fantastic combination.

I really enjoyed this meal and I look forward to trying the main Restaurant, St. John Smithfield some day. As I said, this was a good 'break' from the modern creative cuisine that everyone is raving about...my next stop, Italy, where I had some traditional Italian dishes...