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Hidden between shiny new luxury flats and London’s oldest church, Farringdon restaurant, Restaurant St Barts, is a tale of two halves. Brought to us by the trio behind much-loved Fenn in Fulham and Nest in Hackney, the ambitious new opening splits the £120-a-head, hyper-seasonal tasting menu into two locations and showcases two British ingredients per dish.
It was a particularly wet, windy and dark autumnal evening when I visited and pulling open the curtains and entering the calm candle-lit bar was an instant delight. Taking inspiration from the natural materials used to create the more historic buildings nearby (the restaurant backs onto London’s oldest church, the cloisters of St. Bartholomew The Great), culinary trio – Johnnie Crowe, Luke Wasserman and Toby Neill – have created a sanctuary of a space using raw materials like stone, wood and soft, fluffy fabrics throughout. Sustainability is the name of the game here. Co-Founder Luke and local woodworker Archie Faber used wood from fallen London Plane trees to create the restaurant’s handmade tables, tableware was made by ceramicist Adrian Gonzales.
Our evening began at the bar, sinking into cosy sheepskin armchairs. It’s a dinner of two halves, with the first half of the tasting menu starting at the lounge bar with drinks and snacks. The delightfully short drinks list features cocktails like barrel aged English Negroni, British cider, sparkling wine and beer such as Hackney’s Howling Hops. Like Nest and Fenn before it, the St Barts food and drinks menu focuses on seasonal produce from across the British Isles, sourced from small-scale farmers and conservationists across the country. While my dining companion and I were sipping one of the best Negronis we’ve had in a long time, a waiter came and placed a wax-sealed brown envelope on the table featuring that night’s menu (it changes seasonally). You can either open it or keep the next few hours a surprise. We opted for the latter. We knew we were in for a treat.
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The bar ‘snacks’ portion of the 15-course menu kicked off with a beef broth in a small higgledy-piggledy ceramic cup that weeks later I still can’t stop thinking about. A sip of the rich, clean broth will heal any winter woe. Next, came house cured meats made from the renowned woolly Mangalitza (or, Lard Pig) which melt in your mouth. What followed was more heavenly nibbly bits plated beautifully. Beetroot meringue with duck liver mousse that looked more like macarons, a seafood cocktail presented in oyster shells with wooden spoons for scooping, cod fritters, offal kebab and wagyu tartare. Now might be a good time to mention, they do also cater for some dietary restrictions with five days notice (not dairy-free or vegan diets though). We also opted for the wine-pairing selected by Luke and head of wine Emma Denney to get the full experience.
Post sips and nibbles, we’re guided to the dining room for the second half of the tasting menu journey where London’s oldest church comes into full view with floor to ceiling windows. It feels worlds away from the new-builds next door. We thought it would be hard to top the dishes that came before it but the second half of the evening delivered. Starting with more broth, this time mullet broth, dinner only gets better. A set custard with Isle of Wight tomatoes and crispy garlic blew my mind as did a slither of duck with berries. The indulgent culinary escapade ended with two showstopping desserts, a highlight being a satisfyingly sweet Hackney honey & lavender tart. All the while, each plate is beautifully paired with wines from unique growers including juicy and intense Provencal Bandol rosé to biodynamic Alpine Pranzegg. There's no doubt in our mind we'll be back to try the ever-changing seasonal menus, though we might be tempted to try the £60 six-course lunch menu next time.
Restaurant St-Barts, 63 Bartholomew Cl, London, EC1A 7BG
