Chef Fergus Henderson, extraordinary cook and rebel. This place looks like a butcher’s (actually an old smoke house) and is located adjacent to London’s most famous meat market, Smithfield. The whole surroundings make the restaurant seem rather incongruous. There is no palaver here, no pretension – what comes out of the kitchen is good for the stomach and the soul! If you are expecting dainty amuse bouches and cutesy little starters, then you have come to the wrong place.

I remember studying in London at the peak of the mad-cow-disease saga that had everyone paranoid to the max, about what they ate. During that time in Britain,  where eating red meat was almost stigmatized and offal almost taboo, St John was leading the way in AGAINST – against eating meat! It is interesting to note that Chef Henderson was trained as an Architect. Seriously, this place looks like the cafeteria in my old Halls of Residence.  I am talking whitewashed walls, long rows of uncomfortable wooden tables and chairs and gray flooring.

hearty bacon squash soup

We take one look at the menu and saw heavy, robust, masculine English food. The bacon squash soup photo speaks for itself. If you have an Asian stomach, you will do a double-take at this so called ‘starter’ because I think there is half a pig in there, in the form of bacon chunks. If you are use to the anorexic pigs we get in Malaysia, get ready to be wow-ed. The taste is awesome. the texture and taste of the pork should blast you into orbit.

Henderson’s defining principle of nose-to-tail cooking has also found its recessionary time. “If you are going to kill an animal,” he reasons, “it seems only polite to use the whole thing.”

Fine.. we now get the idea. We start to anticipate a really fine meal.

Duck Hearts

Is becomes evident as we sit there, why this place is so cool. There is unconventional humor in eating such unmentionable cuts as heart, brains, marrow etc.. all of which have helped make St John the fashionable institution it is. My duck ox heart with celeriac was quite interesting. The  characteristically muscular, rubbery meat of the heart was delightful! Since I am a big fan of  internal organs, I had no complaints about this starter.  Cold Mallard with beetroot salad

This cold salad was well, cold! I did not the mallard as it had not much of a flavour to it. The beetroot was interesting as it was crunchy and had a rougher texture about it than regular beetroot.

We also had the Roast Bone Marrow (no photo) . This is permanently on the ever changing menu so if you go, you must try this signature dish. The marrow is superb. As you can guess, the bones that stand up form your plate like the hulking stonehenge are huge, thick and  over-spilling with sweet, slick, oily marrow. This is served with a long lobster fork-like implement, necessary for the successful extraction of precious marrow.

smoked game

Someone brought this to our table by mistake. I took a photo anyway.

Mutton special

Then enter the Mutton special. I died and went to carnivore heaven. I had my reservations about the mutton being too gamy , but this was just superb. Soft, tender, moist. How do I find any more extravagant superlatives to describe this dish?

Hake with croutons

The fish was average in taste but fresh enough. I liked the crunchy croutons and the massive slab of fish. St John has this knack of making even fish, look like an uncouth slab of meat.

Grey Partridge

Wow! Finally, I actually get to eat that famous “partridge in a pear tree” that the song sings about and just before Christmas too. The meat was excellent, the taste superb, the texture like a young soft supple bird that had been roasted on the outside to perfection. Unfortunately, the meat was blood red near the bone (and I mean red blood plus translucent meat and blue veins – like uncooked chicken). When I asked the waiter at St John he said “This is how we eat it here”. Take it or leave it. OK, fine, I’ll take it but I’ll leave the blood on the side. Cocky huh?

eccles cake and lancashire cheese

I was told that no other restaurant will serve you such a hearty dessert as the eccles cake. It was huge, solid and went great with the lush, soft and mellow cheese. The Eccles is an English classic. It is a puff pastry with currant stuffing.

steamed treacle sponge and custard

The steamed treacle was sickly sweet and rich. We nearly died finishing this as we already had the eccles cake before hand. However, we comforted ourselves that we would soon be out in the cold, walking it off. All in all, I enjoyed my St. John experience very much. The food is really good. The service was average, our initial waitress was a little rude and cocky,  but as the restaurant filled, she was replaced by another waiter who was much better. As I am a big fan of offal and weird cuts of animals, I will be inclined to keep coming back here for some exciting Nose to Tail Eating.. The service will not deter me!

You can buy the “Nose to Tail Eating – A Kind of British Cooking: St. JOHN Cookbook” as it is on the menu. They also sell St. JOHN Gift Cards if you check with the waiter.

Since we finished at around 2.30 pm and still had time to kill before out 10pm flight, we decided to go walk off that “animal and a half” residing inside our stomachs..

.. by visiting the British Museum.

Admission is FREE. The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2001 to become the Great Court, surrounding the original Reading Room. I like the  modern roof that you see that lets in a lot of natural light.

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture and its collections, which number more than seven million objects are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world.  The collections originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane.

After exploring and walking around this place for another hour and a half, it was time to leave. The British Museum closes at approximately 4.30pm and we had a plane to catch. Thus concludes the Travel London Saga. It was great.. and I really did not want to go home, but I missed my husband and also eating Char Kwey Teow in some hawker center somewhere in KL. I also missed the heat. Hope you guys had fun reading about my trip. Drop me a line(via Contact on Main Menu) regarding any experience that I had, that you want clarified or more information about and I will gladly answer them if I can!

Happy Reading!

The End.

So here we are. Buckingham Palace was built in 1702 by the Duke of Buckingham as his London home. The house was then later sold to George III in 1761 by the Dukes son. In 1774 it was renamed “Queen’s House” as Queen Charlotte resided there. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. (Read more here)

For me, it was just a way to kill time before lunch. Having seen the changing of guards like a million times, I had to stifle a yawn as my enthusiastic companions ushered me towards the palace grounds. Oh God.. at least the weather was magnificent – almost like a day in summer except that it was 9 degrees Celsius! I decided to distract myself form watching the time (till the clock struck 11.30a.m. and proceeded to (a) take as many awesome photos as I could (b) talk to strangers (c) talk to myself.

Jeez.. it’s only 10.15 a.m. The Changing of the Guard takes place in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11.30 a.m. every day in summer, every other day in winter, and lasts about 45 minutes. Another hour  or so to go. Woe is me!.. I start chomping aggressively on a jelly bean that a lovely couple from Liverpool had handed to me. Thank God for nice English folk who carry sugar treats in their handbags.

Do you like this shot? I took many, many angles of the angel! Incidentally that ‘angel’ is in fact, not an angel, but rather a winged statue known as the  Queen Victoria memorial -  a gilded statue of “victory”. Wow, when I die, I wonder if I can get wings put on me.. like hot, gold ones I mean:P

Apparently, the State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening from late July to September. I really wanted to see this.. oh shucks. Shame! (:P)

Another really hot angle.. against the bluest sky you will ever see in winter in London!

The sun was so bright, it near blinded me.

For those who do not receive an invitation to Buckingham Palace, enter the Grand Hall and up the curving marble stairs of the Grand Staircase.. you get to stand outside:P

Apparently, these uniformed  men you see in front of Buckingham Palace (and other locations) are not just ceremonial guards but also serving Soldiers. While upholding the traditions of the past, they also perform duties throughout the world as professional soldiers and are known as some of the most elite and skilled soldiers in the British Army.

These are some of the best soldiers in the British Army and have fought in virtually every major area of conflict with great distinction since the 17th Century. They also take an active role in protecting their Sovereign; at night they patrol the grounds of both Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace.

Wow! I feel so damn safe being a stone’s throw from these big, strong men, it’s unbelievable.

Finally, an hour passes and it’s nearly time for lunch! Hurray. Our final destination, brings us to the iconic St John. I can smile again.. in anticipation of the meal of my life.

The final and concluding installment to Travel London.. coming right up!

bridge over the canal

Camden Lock Market ! Established in 1975 this was the market which started the phenomenon that now draws more than 150,000 a week to the Camden Town markets. To find Camden Lock Market walk up Camden High Street from Camden Town station until you see this building. The market lies to your left.

You can find loads of neat stuff here, including  an assortment of board games, mind teasers,and juggling equipment, a wide range of music and cult films and from a selection of independent bookshops everything from poetry to politics.

For those special presents, browse the vast number of stalls and shops which sell unusual and original gifts. Or choose from a large selection of handcrafted traditional and contemporary jewellery, designer clothes and accessories to suit any fashion victim.Here we see some LEGO earrings.. I bought like a major number of these cutesy’s for presents.

I also find the silver jewelry here at least 30% cheaper than the same stuff you would get in Covent Garden. Covent Garden is a rip off.. don’t shop there.

More unusual presents that you can pick up for Christmas,  like cool vinyl holders.

If you need a meal or light refreshment there are plenty of places at the Lock to enjoy fine food and drink, especially at the weekend.

This one pizza parlor was really cool. Or rather the owner was. The man you see in the photo said to me .. “Do not post my photo to facebook please.. my mother may see me and that would be BAD. She thinks I am studying to be an Engineer but instead, I am making PIZZAS!” Hilarious. Facebook will the the death of us.

Nice snack if not a bit on the salty side.

I like Camden for it’s funky atmosphere. It’s great walking around and seeing all types of clothes for various subcultures mixed together, and the whole place breathes a creative underground energy.. nice:)

This place called the Cyberdog, did not just breathe creative underground energy.. it WAS underground. With the techno music blasting, dark nooks , luminous lights and cyborg eyes staring out at you from behind a hollow, shiny  steal head, I nearly starting pumping the air.. raver chick-style.. (ok, not really).

I love people watching and also the vintage shops, though I can hardly fit into anything.. too small.. too big.. (maybe it’s just me). Sometimes, you can horse watch too

The Stables Market is a whole area that has been adorned with massive bronze sculptures evoking memories of the past use of the area for stable horses that pulled the barges along the nearby canal. This larger than life one you see is absolutely magnificent close-up!

After 3 hours of shopping, it’s time for lunch.

Since we wanted to head back into Camden and check out the secret Catacombs where shop units are housed in Victorian brick arches (1854) once running under the railway sidings of the old North Western Railway Co., we decided the eat nearby.

Pier 1 ! So friendly the staff and so obliging. Look this way, look that way.. let me take your photo..  “CAN! .. as long as you Facebook us the shot later” ( I’ve stopped counting the number of times that F.B.  has been mentioned by others, on this trip already!)

It was a long wait for our F & C to arrive because the place was absolutely crowded.

This place is not cheap.  Fortunately the battered and fried cod was delicious. It was served with big, fat, greasy chips, tartar sauce and mushy peas.

The grilled fish on the other hand was just mediocre and rather flavourless. The potatoes were forgetable too.

Oh well, we ate here for convenience so we cannot really complain.. Back to shopping .. and next up.. the conclusion to our vacation!

Getting to Camden click here for a map.

River Thames

From St Paul’s cathedral, I leg it over to Selfridges (Oxford circus stop) as I am well, as you’ve already guessed, somewhat late for lunch.

I love my Oyster. It lets me get to my destination with great ease. With the oyster you have the ease of “auto top-up” and it is also the fastest, smartest and most cost-effective way to pay for single journeys on the bus, Tube, DLR, tram, London Overground, Thames Clippers and participating National Rail services. This particular Oyster was such a pretty one, from the Excel convention center. The meeting organizers put thirty quid in it for all the participants. Got to love the English.. so damn organized!

My friends wanted to take me to this amazing little place on the roof of Selfridges, started by the chef who at the time epitomized haute cuisine, Pierre Koffmann – Three Michelin stars don’t come cheap, and Chef Koffmann wore the 3 stars.  He then retired after 25 years in the kitchen and was sorely missed by his fans.

Then, herald his fabulous comeback in the form of the Pop-Up restaurant on Selfridges (the famous shopping center) roof top. The manager told us that this was in fact, an experiment restaurant (originally planned for a short season in October, the organizers were unprepared for the stampede of bookings and had extended the time line to end November) and just as quickly as it had appeared, it would close again.  We were lucky to dine here in the last and final week of its existence.

The entire layout of the Selfridges roof-top is pretty amazing, so I am told. The gastronomic experience begins when you enter a lift, dedicated specially to the Restaurant on the 5th floor, via the perfume section in the departmental store. It takes some finding, but I just looked out for the lady dressed smartly in black, holding a clipboard (so the concierge told me). You then pass a corridor that looks like glowing lace .. some sort of white chiffon and a hanging, modern star-burst lamp.. keep going and you arrive at the reception area.

The holding area cum bar is rather whimsical and quirky with floating Bowler hats for lamps and antler chandeliers for lighting. I like the distorted doorway that led to the dining area, that reminded me of a scene from Tim Burton’s A night before Christmas.

If you’re arriving for dinner, the last of the sunset can be seen through the windows and if you are arriving for lunch, you get a gorgeous birds eye view of the roof tops in that area. We were there on a blustery day and the canopy was just flying wild and crazy. At one point, we thought it was going to blow off, but the waitress assured us that it has never happened (all of ONE month, how reassuring)!

fricassee of wild mushrooms and snails with bone marrow

All diners have to have the set menu, £75 for three courses. Not cheap, particularly considering it doesn’t include any wines etc.  For that sort of money, one would half expect a tasting menu, not just three courses. However, once we saw the menu, we realized that each one of the three courses, carried an extensive choice of 6 or seven different types of dishes. So I guess you could say we were hardly limited in our selection.

The fricassee of wild mushrooms and snails with bone marrow was excellent, served in a trough made from a split bone. The marrow was bloody and rich with flavour , with just the right amount of fat to erythrocyte ratio. The wild mushroom sauce was intoxicatingly good – a great parring of tastes and textures.

foie gras with potato galette and sauternes jus

Pan-fried foie gras with a potato galette and Sauternes jus was a nice size of foie gras, but ours had been slightly overdone and not very good at all. I have had better. A slick of tart green apple purée was the saving grace though and complemented the dish to perfection.

Scottish lobster and avocado with a lime jelly

The cocktail of Scottish lobster and avocado with a lime jelly is served in a martini glass, layered like a fantasy savory trifle was forgettable. Nothing outstanding about this lobster cocktail. I could have been eating this in KL or PJ or Singapore. Nice, but not terribly impressionable.

For the mains, we opted for the roast venison with red cabbage, hazelnut purée and red wine and cassis reduction.  We were served then, what the waitress called, a deconstructed version of the Middle European classic. Hmmm, I keep hearing this buzz-word “deconstructed” in food descriptions, especially here in London. I would take it mean that the individual components are arranged separately, rather than combined? However, when I look at the food, I don’t see it. If it’s a sauce, for instance, it still looks like sauce, salad looks like salad, etc.

So here, the ‘deconstructed venison’ looked like  venison on top a mound of cold, pickled red cabbage.

It was nice, but the meat was just normal in texture and taste. Again I was unsure what flavours I was suppose to be looking out for so either it was so subtle and effective that I missed it or, it was just plain tasting?

Wine after the bubbly. Many, many glasses of wine.

pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice cream

An immaculate pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice cream. Another iconic dish that tops the dessert list – Koffmann’s pistachio soufflé with pistachio ice-cream is light and fluffy and rises a full two inches above the dessert bowl. A definite highlight to the conclusion of the meal.

Sweets platter comprising, Nougat, Truffle, cheese on cracker and assorted pastries. Simply divine.

Lunch finished close to 4 p.m. and a rather tipsy entourage traipsed out onto a dusk enshrouded Bond Street to walk off the calories and do some hardcore shopping. There is something so cardinally sinful about finishing lunch and emerging from the restaurant only to be greeted by night fall (though granted, it is approaching winter time and the daylight hours are getting shorter) that I cannot quite explain. Sinfully, pleasurably, wrong!

Shop till you drop.

I like this modern piece of art. It looks like the jaw of some strange animal that had jelly babies for teeth. That’s what I call, a ‘sweet tooth’.

The London Eye.

Me oh My.. the Eye!

Bigger than Life, Ben.

Walking to work against such a magnificent backdrop. These people look so immune to the beauty of their surroundings. I was once like that!

My pal, Churchill.

Sandwich and me, and Big Ben makes three.

Another shot at the Eye.

Graffiti.

Artist or Menace?

The Tate Modern – Britain’s national museum of international modern art.

The Man in the Hood, reads.

View of St. Paul’s Cathedral from my favourite bridge in London.

I love the near symmetry of this shot.

St Paul’s Cathedral.

Footnote: All photos you see above, were taken
using the Sony T100