St. Johns
September 20th - London
There's a restaurant in London that is famous for holding on to the tradition of English cuisine. Like it or not "Nose to tail cookery" is their mission. For me this is the Serene's song that I can't resist. We were starving and had to get up early the next day to catch our plane back to San Diego. We arrive at 6 PM for our 8:15 PM reservation hoping that they would seat us early. The place was still pretty empty except for the bar area which was packed and the crowd of smokers outside the front door (smokers here too had been banished to the great outdoors as in Italy). The dining room was an unadorned off white, with a row of coat hooks riming the perimeter of the room rather than paintings, with simple rows of family style tables in the center and 2 and 4 tops ringing the outside edge of the dining area. Oh we are back in the land of Claret (a Cabernet, merlot etc... blend) again. The entire trip we had been drinking mostly sangiovese. The traditional wine all over Tuscany and accepted in Emilia-Romana, even though Lambruco was the traditional grape there. We had had some fantastic sangiovese, I'm quite sure that one's that we will never see in the US. Clarets however are my true love (well except for the Linda of course), so I was trilled to be able to order them again. We order a bottle of the St. John's Claret. I of course wanting to get in on the Nose to tail lesson that they are giving here order the Pigs head with white beans for my appetizer and the Ox Heart and chips for my main. We spoke to the waitress about the preparation of the Pigs head. She said that they brined it for 2 day's before Braising it with water, white wine carrots and onions for 5 hours before picking the meat and skin off of it and combining it with spinach, shaved carrots and white beans and a little vinegar. A really great dish, but without the fattiness or gelatinousness of the Coincha from Lucca or the Tet de Veau from Lyon. Next the Ox heart and chips (the essence of the beast). This was somewhat of a revalation. The Ox heart had been sliced in long strips and simply grilled. It was delisious. Not minerially, bloody or overly strong. I swear if you were served this in a taco, you would just think this is the normal flap meat or carne assada meat. Beware dinner guest if I invite you over for taco's, or carne asada, they may be made from the essence of the beast, and you would love it. Oh and the chips were perfect also.
There's a restaurant in London that is famous for holding on to the tradition of English cuisine. Like it or not "Nose to tail cookery" is their mission. For me this is the Serene's song that I can't resist. We were starving and had to get up early the next day to catch our plane back to San Diego. We arrive at 6 PM for our 8:15 PM reservation hoping that they would seat us early. The place was still pretty empty except for the bar area which was packed and the crowd of smokers outside the front door (smokers here too had been banished to the great outdoors as in Italy). The dining room was an unadorned off white, with a row of coat hooks riming the perimeter of the room rather than paintings, with simple rows of family style tables in the center and 2 and 4 tops ringing the outside edge of the dining area. Oh we are back in the land of Claret (a Cabernet, merlot etc... blend) again. The entire trip we had been drinking mostly sangiovese. The traditional wine all over Tuscany and accepted in Emilia-Romana, even though Lambruco was the traditional grape there. We had had some fantastic sangiovese, I'm quite sure that one's that we will never see in the US. Clarets however are my true love (well except for the Linda of course), so I was trilled to be able to order them again. We order a bottle of the St. John's Claret. I of course wanting to get in on the Nose to tail lesson that they are giving here order the Pigs head with white beans for my appetizer and the Ox Heart and chips for my main. We spoke to the waitress about the preparation of the Pigs head. She said that they brined it for 2 day's before Braising it with water, white wine carrots and onions for 5 hours before picking the meat and skin off of it and combining it with spinach, shaved carrots and white beans and a little vinegar. A really great dish, but without the fattiness or gelatinousness of the Coincha from Lucca or the Tet de Veau from Lyon. Next the Ox heart and chips (the essence of the beast). This was somewhat of a revalation. The Ox heart had been sliced in long strips and simply grilled. It was delisious. Not minerially, bloody or overly strong. I swear if you were served this in a taco, you would just think this is the normal flap meat or carne assada meat. Beware dinner guest if I invite you over for taco's, or carne asada, they may be made from the essence of the beast, and you would love it. Oh and the chips were perfect also.
Pigs head and white beans
Ox heart and chips
Cauliflower and Broad Beans
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