This is the first dinner of what will become our regular Wednesday nights dinner, where I will be attempting to try a different London restaurant every week.
Food
I wasn't going to get 3 courses, but the menu sounded so inviting, I couldn't help it. The servings were HUGE too, so I was really stuffed by the end of the night, but very satisfied.
There were already some white and wholemeal olive bread on the table when we sat down. UK bread is normally very yummy, and these were no exception. Paired with the luscious butter, they went some way to explaining why I was so bloated afterwards.
Well, we only ordered what was obviously the 2 best sounding entrees for the night. Two of us got the Foie gras terrine (£10) - duck confit, fig jam and toasted brioche . The confit was suitable gamey, the game sweet and the brioche just dry enough for the terrine. I think the great English produce has been put to good use here. Oxtail ravioli (£9) - scallops, cauliflower, mizuna and red wine jus was pretty amazing. Again, excellent meat with TASTE. The meat was not quite melt in the mouth, but the pastry was silky smooth, the sauce was fragrant and sweet. The only letdown was the scallops. Here though, I blame the produce, as they were seared perfectly. Instead of the sweet, juice scallops, with that firm texture I am used to in Australia, I get huge but tasteless scallops.
Main course though, we were divided. I wanted to get everything on the menu, but settled on the Lamb rump (£17) - butternut squash, black olives, ravioli of lamb shoulder and star anise jus - the meat here tastes like really nice (well compared to the dismal seafood). The butternut squash (pumpkin to the Aussies), presented as a mash, was very sweet and velvety. The ravioli tasted very similar to the Oxtail ravioli from earlier (goody!). Slokky's Halibut (£17) - pork belly, celeriac, cous cous and red wine jus was disappointing. The fish was dry, and while the fish was firm, it was overcooked and a bit tasteless. The pork belly accompaniment though, was not playing second fiddle. It shined through with its crunchy skin, melt in the mouth sweetness, and superb saucing. The rabbit and duck dishes looked wonderful and were also polished off.
The desserts were something else altogether. Being a sucker for souffle, it was a no-brainer for me, and the Raspberry souffle (£7) - raspberry ice cream was beautiful. Not the best souffle I've had, but definitely passes the test for a good souffle. The Orange creme brulee (£7) - mandarin ice cream was better, because the dish used to make it was shallower and wider, meaning more surface for the burnt sugar!
At that point we were literally stuffed, so the petite fours were only sampled. They were very innovative too, the chocolate pistachio slice was very moorish, made with real dark chocolate, the marshmallow light as air but very sweet, the almond biscotti was thin and crunchy, and didn't taste too much of almond though.
Rating - 8
Atmosphere
The restaurant looked very modern and inviting, starched white tablecloth, nice stemware, good cutlery, dim lighting. There was not really any distinguishing features about it. One thing I didn't like though, the tables were so close together you have to feel comfortable sharing your conversation with your neighbours. That's how we discovered that more than half the clientele were not native Englishmen. There were quite a few groups there too so the noise level was quite high.
Rating - 1.5
Service
The service was promising at the start. My coat was taken and I was given a tag. We were promptly seated. From here on, the service became somewhat disjointed. The menu took awhile to arrive, it took even longer for them to take our orders, but since we were chatting, it didn't matter too much. There were discrepancies in the way they were serving the wine. They poured us some for tasting, but yet the way they poured the wine suggested that they didn't have a deep understanding of wine and the correct way of doing it.
I think the problem is actually from the different experiences of the waiters themselves. Some were excellent and professional, while others seemed like they were on training. For example, our entrees were totally mixed up, but our mains arrived without a hitch. The waiters, like the clientele, were also from non English speaking background, which made them just that little bit more charming.
Rating - 3
C-factor
The final bill, plus wine, came to around £25 a head, which was very good for the generous amount of food we were given.
Rating - 1.5
Brownie Points - 14
Info
69-73 St John Street
London
EC1M 4AN
Phone 020 7253 9000
Website
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