St John's

By Paul Fulford on Apr 6, 09 09:26 AM

I've eaten at many restaurants during my years as a restaurant critic, but I don't think I've ever encountered anywhere quite like St John's in Smithfield, London.

Though it charges fancy prices and is among the country's best known restaurants, it's about as far removed from the Michelin concept as it's possible to get.

The food is hearty, largely traditional and makes use of cheap cuts of meat and offal.

Diners - of which there were many on Saturday night - sit at long tables with paper tablecloths. Service is friendly and efficient, but not particularly polished.

A starter of smoked eel was excellent. Likewise lamb's sweetbreads served with radishes. A dessert of Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese was exactly that.

The ingredients were good, the combinations sound and the cooking precise. And I waddled back to the South Bank feeling very satisfied indeed.

But would I rush back? Probably not. The dishes seemed to lack the finesse I seek when I'm forking out fifty quid a head.

Full marks, though, for putting such British fare back on the map.