St John's is not only famous for hosting occasional master chef kitchen trials but also for its whole roast suckling pig. The glorious swine is a wonderful idea. Having said that it must be pre ordered and my visit was spontaneous so I had to make do with the general menu.St John's boasts of in your face, minimalist, traditional British dining. It is full of middle aged architect types that speak in baritones and roll their Rs. I found the atmosphere very refreshing and unusual but the food didn't bow me over. It just didn't' "bag a punch".
Duck hearts for starters made me ponder whether they threw away the duck after extracting the hearts or kept the carcass for other dishes. The mussel starter was more rewarding. As a main we had rabbit and duck which were of excellent quality but unmemorable in themselves. The most interesting part of the meal was the desert - a combination of Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese. I added many new words from the menu to my personal dictionary that day - like mallard and chitterlings. The whole experience was washed down by an absolutely amazing house red which I intend to purchase for home the next time I'm around.
