St John of Spitalfield

Somebody double parked, we couldn't help it. It might have been Saddam Hussein,

we're not really sure. He had a British accent though. 

George Costanza (Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party”) 

Recently I completed the trilogy of Trevor & Fergus visiting St John Bread & Wine. I had been before in the iconic Smithfield restaurant, the only saturday's bakery in Druid St, and also in the now closed Hotel in Chinatown. The placed is in front of the old market, operating since 2003 seven days a week from breakfast to supper. The original intention was to open just a bakery but soon the project became a full restaurant. Same formula as the other places, great British cuisine, offal dishes, same atmosphere, and same great British cuisine. 

The place

Welcome

Inside

We got a couple starters to share, first a blood cake with duck egg. Brilliant, simple but just perfect. The blood cake was rich, and the perfectly cooked egg with the running yolk a marriage from heaven. 

Blood cake

Then we got Foie Gras and duck liver toast, again out of this world, great flavours, beautiful. 

Foie & liver toast

Finally we took advantage of the bakery and ended buying brownies and madeleines to takeaway, but ate half of the madeleines over a lovely coffee. 

Coffe & Madeleine

Great flavours, amazing restaurant, sadly no bone marrow in the menu, but the beautiful baked treats make for it. STJBW is my kind of place.

St John Bread & Wine

T: 020 7251 0848

British Cuisine

Approx Damage: £25pp

Area: Spitalfield

Borough: Tower Hamlets

Twitter: STJBW

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Best Burger in NYC

It’s difficult to say that a burger is the best one you have had, I see the search of it as the one for the Holy Grail, but in some occasions as soon as you have a bite you know for sure that is in the top of the list. I was in New York and the restaurant scene there is massive, with plenty of options, so many restaurants in my list to visit, by just luck I read about this place in food and wine magazine, a pub in West Village that serves an outstanding burger,  and has one Michelin star, so I had to try it. 

First try

The place a gastropub called The Spotted Pig, celebrity owners that includes Jay Z and Mario Batali but they were outshine for sure by chef April Bloomfield with her British cuisine influence that gave the Spotted their culinary level and even one Michelin star. The place is pretty packed no matter the time you go, the first night I couldn't find a table but I returned during brunch hours a couple days later, so plan in advance. A cool atmosphere, full of food décor with pictures of pigs, vegetables and fish all over the place, slow motion ceiling fans that were making me mental, but also it might have helped the hangover of the night before. 

Pig memorabilia

Second try

Inside

Reflected menu

Ordered a Bloody Mary and the burger, the Mary wasn’t good, at least I didn’t like it, it was too bitter. The burger a chargrilled with Roquefort and shoestrings. 

Bloody Mary

I had the first bite and it was heaven, food porn, magic, just awesome. The patty is a Pat LaFrieda blend made with brisket, rump, and chuck, the flavour is perfect, clean, the meat speaks by itself, nice juices, perfectly cooked medium rare, bun toasted beautifully, blue cheese not too overpowering just the perfect amount. Shoestrings all over, not too greasy, good flavour not too crispy for me, but the burger and the overall plate was huge and tasty. 

Spotted Burger

Spotted is burger heaven, now I know why is one of the favourite places of chef Fergus Henderson. 

The pig

A close up to the beauty

Pigs always reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Bris” when Kramer gets in the wrong room in a hospital. 

Kramer: Pig man! It's a pig man! Pig man!

The Spotted Pig

T: +1 212 620 0393

Gastropub

Aprox Damage: $23pp

Area: West Village

Borough: Manhattan
Twitter: spottedpignyc

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