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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A Bakery in Druid St

Mmmm, I love the smell of bakeries

Elaine Benes (Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party”) 

St John Bakery opened in November 2010 in order to supply their three locations. Justin Gellatly was the original head baker master of his domain. These days Yohan is running the show and keeping the tradition based on working with hands, focus on sourcing quality, and give the bread all the time it needs to ensure St John’s quality. Good news for all of us is that the place opens for public only on Saturdays as the producers “open door” market in Maltby and Druid streets. 

Bakery

Apart from the bread there are three treats you shouldn’t miss, the doughnuts, the brownies, and of course the madeleines. I have written before about the brownies but they are so good I need to talk about that again. If you love chocolate you must try one. 70% dark Valrhona chocolate, hazelnuts and unbaked almonds, a treat for gods. Madeleines are baked on the hour so you can enjoy them hot. 

Brownies & Madeleines

And finally the doughnut, they are Justin creation, you can choose between custard or jam. As everything they offer it is a real treat. 

Pig & Doughnuts

Doughnuts time

Now you know St John Bakery is open between 9.00 am and 2.00pm every Saturday morning, don’t waste another week without trying their amazing baked treats.

Doughnugram

St John Bakery

T: 020 7553 9842

Bakery

Approx Damage: £6pp

Area: Bermondsey

Borough: Southwark

Twitter: StJohnBakery

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The Best Madeleines in London

I’m obsessed with St John. I love their simple approach, and nose to tail concept of British cuisine. But these days I have been more interested in their bakery. So my latest stop in Farringdon I couldn’t resist to pass by the former smokehouse nowadays St John Bar & Restaurant in order to get some baked treats. 

The place

The madeleines are a must in the place, they are baked to order so it will take more or less 15 min to get them fresh and still hot. I’ve always bought them to take away but they have never made it home as I finish eating all of them on the way back. 

The bakery

Madelines

While we were waiting Marisol ordered a chocolate brownie. It was superb, one of the best brownies I have had, an amazing soft Valrhora chocolate with hazelnuts and unbaked almonds worthy of naughty dreams. 

Brownie

Highly recommended place, the restaurant is great, and the bakery is awesome. I even had the chance this time to see Fergus Henderson having a drink while I was waiting for my madeleine order. Fergus let’s toast for a great place, cheers! 

More Madeleines

B&W

Bakery reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party” 

George: So all right, what are we getting? It's so hot in here!

Kramer: What do you say we get a Mouton Cadet?

George: What's that?

Kramer: It's robust, bold, very dry. As opposed to a Beaujolais which is richer and fruitier. Here's one. Twelve dollars

George: Twelve dollars? I knew we should have gone to the bakery. I guarantee you they aren't getting no twelve dollar cake

St John Bar & Restaurant

T: 020 7251 0848

British Cuisine / Bakery

Approx Damage: £10pp

Area: Farringdon

Borough: Islington

Twitter: SJRestaurant

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St John is in Chinatown

Fergus & Trevor ©St John Group

It has been a while since the last time I visited St John. I love the place as much as I love bone marrow, so I was nearby Chinatown looking for a place to have dinner and decided to try my luck at the Hotel and Restaurant. Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson have been running the concept successfully since they opened in Smithfield in 1994. Not bad at all so far, three places opened two of them with one Michelin star including the Chinatown Hotel and one bakery that I’m dying to visit. 

Menu

Bone Marrow

I got to the place with Marisol. we ordered a bottle of Le Clos, nice red wine, a bit fruity. Then went for the treat. I started with their classic, roast bone marrow and parsley salad. Great, amazing, outstanding, I just love the combination of marrow, parsley, capers, and sea salt on a toast. 

Perfection

Then we shared a buck rarerabit, amazing, the poached egg perfectly cooked with the cheesy toast. Then the final starter was a brown crab toast, it was ok, too much mayo and not so many crab meat, also the previous two starters were so much better. 

Buck rarebit

Brown crab toast

Then the mains, I went for the goose leg, beetroot, and pickle walnut. Marisol went for the langoustines and mayonnaise. The goose was great, perfectly cooked, great flavour, a nice sweet and sour combination, with good balance. The langoustines were fresh, tender, perfectly cooked as well, one of them came with roe, amazing. The mayo on the other hand had too much vinegar. 

Langoustines

Goose

For desert we got madeleines for take away, they didn’t last even a block, as they were hot fresh baked just taken from the oven, as soon as we tried one we ate them all. 

Take away

Madeleines

There was a big group beside us celebrating with a whole roast suckling pig, nice option for big groups. One thing the place is in administration but the food and quality is still great.

Goose reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Burning” 

George: She's still doing that?

Jerry: Yep

George: All right, I'll tell you what you do. You call her back and give her the, it's me, heh? Pull the old switcheroo

Jerry: I think that's a what's good for the goose is good for the gander

George: What the hell is a gander, anyway?

Jerry: It's a goose that's had the old switcheroo pulled on it

St John Hotel and Restaurant

T: 020 3301 8020

British Cuisine

Approx Damage: £50pp

Area: Chinatown

Borough: City of Westminster

Twitter: stjohnhotel

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