Wednesday 13 April 2011

St John Hotel, Chinatown



I'm quite partial to the bacon sandwich at St John in Spitalfields, as a lazy heart starter to the weekend. It's not on the breakfast menu at the new St John in Soho, but its enough to know that they do the simple stuff well.




Mushrooms on toast are divinely rich and beefy, while the pretty basket of buns is shiny and sweet, with cinnamon, raison and simple plain buns in the mix.




The coffee's not bad either - although at £3.75 for a not warm enough flat white or a cafetiere, it's expensive.

The menu is short but has several serious tempters - like the ham, eggs and fried bread, or the boiled egg and anchovy toast.

But at just over £25 (including service) for the above small and simple breakfast for 2, we leave feeling slightly flabbergasted at how we just spent so much on so little. And TPG is hankering for a local supply of the pikelets and madeleines we love so much at Spitalfields and Farringdon (ooh - the madeleines are available at lunch).

Fortunately, we're in zen mode. The crisp, white room surrounded by windows is a calming little morning oasis in the otherwise hectic surrounds of Chinatown. And the waiters are the friendliest (by far) that I've experienced at any of the three St John establishments - with that gripe gone, I'll happily be back to try the traditional St John nose-to-tail dinner menu soon (where perhaps the prices might be more easily justified).


St John Hotel, 1 Leicester Square, Soho, London, WC2H 7BL (Tel: 0203 301 8069)

St. John Hotel on Urbanspoon

7 comments:

  1. I do love our beginning post photos: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcampariandsoda.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fst-john-hotel-bit-of-proust.html&ei=J6amTZ-gJY2gvgOA5aSDCg&usg=AFQjCNEOZU4LwYGOaMQacQJbCvdZHYa9_A&sig2=xNomx32X_Q63nZKYc539KQ

    great post, agree with the trad. St. John. I prefer it too...

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  2. Interesting, you;re not the first person to mention to the price. Like Dinner it looks like you are paying over the odds for what's being served. is that fair (I've not eaten in either)?

    So while it does look good, I think I might stick to the main SJR restaurant when I need a nose-to-tail fix.

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  3. Campari and Soda - Yes, the facade is gorgeous, isn't it?!

    Grubworm - You can't deny the quality of the ingredients, but it was quite a small and simple breakfast in the end for £25. I would go back, perhaps with friends for a nice breakfast thingie, but it won't become a regular haunt at that price.

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  4. THOSE BUNS. Goddamn.

    I agree, £25 is perhaps a tad expensive for a breakfast, but my breakfast really was top quality so I don't mind once in a while. I can't imagine ordering the boiled egg and anchovy soldiers when I can do it perfectly well myself...

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  5. Lizzie - Yuh, those buns

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  6. Sounds like typical hotel breakfast pricing, yes? Though at least the breakfast was good quality.

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  7. I just read Lizzie's review and then yours... looks like a really amazing place for breakfast ( if you are invited ;)

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