26 St John Street
EC1M 4AY
Tel: 020 7251 0848
Date of Last Visit: Monday, March 12, 2007
The Victim: Howard
The Damage: Unknown. Howard paid.
The Background: You may know that I am obsessed with Scandinavian furniture. If it’s Danish, sign me up. So I was excited after stopping into Marimekko the other weekend–there was an Alvar Aalto show at The Barbican. (Alvar was Finnish, not Danish though. Just for the record.)
See but then I remember that I’m not good in museums. And pictures are nice but furniture is even better.
So I am slightly disappointed in the exhibit because THERE JUST AREN’T ENOUGH CHAIRS.
But I get over it. Because…
The Entrance: We go St. John. I have always wanted to go to St. John. But I thought that only rich people went there. Rich people who eat tripe. (Who have obviously never met my Chinese friends.) But St. John has a bar. Anyone can go there. Particularly on a Monday night. I am intrigued. The people watching is fantastic. So too the service. (More in a bit.)
The Food: It is simple, but then again, so am I. There is a green salad. And some terrine. (For me.) And some welsh rarebit (for Howard). And as it turns out…welsh rarebit is not just cheese and toast like I thought! It is cheese and toast and MUSTARD. (This is still very less more exciting than the toast and rabbit I thought it once was.) I want to tell the story about my mother and the Carlo Rossi and the tuna fish but I don’t. So instead I eat cartilage. In the form of pig’s ears. And they are delicious.
The Drink: I say that I might want the cheese plate and a glass of wine and I ask what the server recommends. She asks if I trust her. And because she has said just that, I do trust her. Immensely. She brings me some wine and I have a Deja Vu experience. I know I am in Paris. But yet I know I’m not. The wine is called St. Loup (I think–there’s a Loup in there somewhere) and it is perfect.
The Cheese: Fantastic.
The Loos: A downer, totally! I am in the toilets at St. Frances de Chantal Elementary. But it is not that nice.
The Verdict: Perfectly basic and so much more approachable than I ever thought possible. I will be back. Many times over.
3 comments
I love St John and that Pic St Loup is delicious! You really need to try the restaurant one day. Over the road is Vinoteca -this is really good, and cheaper, you must go there if you havent yet done so.
Oh I have been to Vinoteca! Many times. I took my father there and he can’t stop talking about it. It’s perfect. http://kristainlondon.typepad.com/dining/2005/11/vino_vinoteca.html
Agree the bar is nice – though you can’t book and can get very crowded – Monday therefore a good day.
Will be even better after July 1!!
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