THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Years ago I conceived a restaurant that never came to fruition. St. Barts is the closest I have ever come to my own dream!
Getting there is a bit of fun. Google Maps gets a bit wonky in this dense part of the city. Our route twisted and turned through small passageways and courtyards until we came upon this lovely square overlooking St. Bartholomew the Great church, the oldest continuous place of worship in London. A gem!
From the moment we walked in, the mad world we live in just melted away. We were greeted by one of the many exceptional staff members who served us with charm and perfection throughout the evening. At a time when hospitality is screaming for well-trained employees, St. Barts has managed to secure the cream of the crop.
Partners Johnnie Crowe, Luke Wasserman and Toby Neill are a dream team. They’ve gotten everything right. The ambience is superb, combining rustic influences with modern design. The wood tables are hand carved from local fallen trees, the lighting is perfect, the music gives a soft edge for dining and reveling and the food is out of this world! Diners are given space and, more importantly, time. A table is yours for the evening and if you’re anything like us, you won’t want to leave!
The dinner offering is 15 courses for £120 with the option of paired wines for another £80. The whole experience starts in the lounge. We ensconced ourselves in low sling-back chairs covered in sheepskin and sipped the best Negroni ever. The British ingredients made a beautiful balance of bitter and sweet and definitely gave me a stiff upper lip. All the food at St. Barts is British. Sourced from local farmers and producers, it’s clearly the best the UK has to offer. Executive Head Chef Crowe knows just what to do with this bounty. Every mouthful is balanced, well executed and presented beautifully in bespoke dishes made by partner Luke.
A bowl of beef broth blew me away at the first sip. Rich, clean and lightly drizzled with fat, I could have eaten a vat of it. Next, hairy pig salami and lardo. Of course they don’t call it that! It’s from the Mangalitza pig, renowned for its woolly coat and fat content. The salami was superbly spiced and the sliver of fat just melted in my mouth. We opted for the wine pairings which began with a glass of bubbles. A 2018 Hundred Hill Signature Rosé from Oxford was a beautiful blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, bursting with fruit. Perfect for the canapés that followed. Beetroot meringue with duck liver mousse, seafood cocktail in the shell, cod fritters, onion tart, ox heart and tongue kebabs and Welsh Wagyu tartare with jalapeño were like the 7 steps to Nirvana. And these were just the “snacks”!
We then moved to the dining room where the medieval church comes into full view. It’s an impressive sight. Another broth, this time red mullet, was an umami dream. To mention everything that followed would require volumes. I could write a sonnet about the bread alone! A set custard with Isle of Wight tomatoes and crispy garlic was an absolute highlight but Chef Crowe never put a foot wrong. Mullet, crab, duck, beef and 2 puddings all showed Crowe’s respect for fine ingredients, ingenuity, restraint and excellent cookery.
The wine pairings were unusual and elegant with nice variation. The one exception was a Márcio Lopes, Anel Reserva 2020 with our final beef course. Intense and full-bodied but without nuance, it didn’t bring the anticipated climax after a Valentin Zusslin, Orphys 2020. This elegant Pinot Noir from Alsace was perfect with our duck and berries and would be even better in my cellar!
We were elated when we finally waddled out at God knows what time. Somehow, after a cocktail and 7 wines, Google Maps got even wonkier. We headed sure-footedly towards Barbican station and ended up at St Paul’s where we poured ourselves into a bus. Living the dream!
