London – More Shopping at Liberty, Dinner at St John (Smithfield) and Returning Home

As we strolled back to our room following a wonderful lunch at Barshu and exploring Chinatown, the Missus wanted to make one more stop. It was at a place we’d stopped by at earlier. One that “FOY” Sandy accurately wrote as being ” a bit out of my price range” in the comments of that post; Liberty.

This time, the Missus did some serious browsing…..

And in the end, found a scarf that She really liked.

I was actually relieved that, like our visits to Hermes in Paris, it was only a scarf….

Liberty London
Regent St.
London, United Kingdom

As for dinner…well, it was going to take us about a half hour total. So, after returning to our hotel, we set off. We’d be leaving from Paddington, so the Missus had a chance to check out the sculpture, The Wild Table of Love a bit more closely this time.

The actual ride on the tube was only about 10 minutes and we ended up at Farringdon Station, after which it was a ten minute walk to our destination.

Much like our lunch at Barshu, my choice for dinner had been on my “list” for ages. The destination was once named as Anthony Boudain’s choice for his “last supper”. Unfortunately, we all know that didn’t happen. But since, by total accident, we did actually have what Mr Bourdain had as his last meal, it just seemed right to go to St John….and of course, I’ve been wanting to visit for years, since seeing his shows featuring Chef Fergus Henderson. Of course I had to convince the Missus…since St John specializes in “nose to tail” cuisine….well, showing the Missus photos really didn’t help things. But in the end the Missus gave in…..and we were at St John in Smithfield.

Our dinner reservations were for 645pm, so the place was pretty empty when we arrived. But soon enough the place filled up. The service a impeccable, the staff polished, professional, while being quite amiable. As for the customer base…well, it seemed to be mostly Brits based on the accents we could hear.

The Missus’s preconceived notions changed quickly when the bread arrived.

My goodness……yeasty, crusty….just perfect. The butter, while being on the cold side was well…..so buttery!

Now we’d had quite a bit for lunch, so we had a small dinner; but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had to get my phone out to translate…well, English to, ahem English for what the heck “Cold Roast Dexter” was. Well, Dexter….is (thankfully) not whom you might think, but actually a breed of Irish Cattle. Think of it as cold roast beef….but just any roast beef. The slices of beef were very savory/bovine-y, quite lean but still tender.

The anchovy based dressing was rich, yet so umami and the cress added a wonderful, crisp, bright pepperiness to things. This was so ono!

The signature dish; the one that Bourdain wished for his last meal is the Roasted Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad…..again, a very simple looking dish. I would add, something this good does not need any fancy additions.

Man, that veal marrow was ooozing, gelatinous perfection. Beefy, almost sweet, and a touch of salt on that wonderful bread….say no more!

The Crispy Pig Cheek and Chicory gave me pause as it looked over-dressed. But again, this was delici-yoso. The pig cheek was indeed still crisp but also quite tender, and so porky! I asked the friendly Server what kind of pork this was and he said “Middle White”. So, of course I got the phone out…. Middle White is a breed of British domestic pig.

Loved the porkiness…definitely not the “other white meat” and the bitter, bold flavor of the chicory! We found out quickly that the dressing had a good bit of pungent mustard in it.

This was quite a nice…though smaller, definitely not light meal! It also gave me an appreciation for what seems to be more traditional British cuisine. Both the Missus and I can’t wait to return!

St. John Smithfield
26 St John St.
London, United Kingdom

After dinner, on the way to the metro station, we took a look at Smithfield Market, which of course was closed.

I’ve heard that the market is closing and the location becoming the London Museum.

We got back to our hotel and slept well. Our flight home wasn’t until 1pm, so we didn’t have to wake very early. Plus the Heathrow Express stops at Paddington Station and takes about 20 minutes to get to the airport. Flying Business Class has its benefits as we got to have brunch at the lounge at Heathrow.

And of course we ate on our flight back to San Diego.

One part of the meal in Business or First that I enjoy on British Airways is having the cheese plate for dessert. I really enjoy the Cashel Blue….which I believe comes from Ireland, with a nice port before heading off to dreamland.

And for the next meal…I selected the “light menu”…which ain’t so light.

I actually enjoyed the Smoked Chicken.

Which went well with the ricotta.

Though, my choice for Main Course, the Pesto Trofie was questionable. I guess I was still recalling being in Liguria.

Still, this had been a wonderful trip, starting in London visiting Westminster Abbey and getting early access to the Tower of London is highly recommended. Then heading to Milan…which exceeded our expectations. Then it was off to the Cinque Terre, we loved Veranzza, and even the hikes/walks to the various villages. I’m glad we were able to spend some time in Genoa, where we got to sample some traditional dishes. And of course, visiting my favorite city, Paris. Where we got to hang out on my favorite street. I’d always wanted to take the EuroStar! And it all ended back in London!

We loved this rather longish vacation and maybe when JJ gets a bit older and his favorite Auntie is back in town we’ll be able to do it again!

Cheers!