It’s truly the best of British to dine at Restaurant St. Barts Smithfield
Stepping into Restaurant St Bart’s is like walking into the most luxurious Shepherd’s hut you could imagine. With an emphasis on stone and wood, the space is so calm I half expected to be ushered to the spa for a massage.
We began the meal on cosy, candlelit sheep-skin covered chairs with a wax-sealed menu and some hot beef broth, sipped from the bowl. An array of trendy-but-friendly waiting staff flourished a catwalk of tiny plates such as the East End seafood cocktail served in an oyster shell. The full list of ingredients in this little morsel alone seemed to be endless, but the flavours were fresh, intense and intriguing.
Accompanying the first parade of courses at Restaurant St. Barts, we drank Langham’s Culver Classic Brut, one of the best British sparkling producers around, before being escorted to the dining room by expert sommelier Emma Denney, who skilfully selected wine pairings for the evening’s 15 course tasting menu. That sounds like a lot of food, but these courses are just a bite or two, taking us on a journey around the British Isles.
Creamy spoonfuls of Isle of Wight tomatoes, custard, and black garlic: each course keeps you on your toes
From the firm cube of pressed mullet and kohlrabi to creamy spoonfuls of Isle of Wight tomatoes, custard, and black garlic, each course keeps you on your toes with texture and taste. The crab and nutmeg, with its delicate foam, succulent salty flesh and freshly baked muffin, was a joy paired with the Pranzegg Caroline wine, a textured white blend which carried us through to another highlight, cod topped with last year’s winter truffles, pickled and preserved for an explosion of intense flavour.
If eating is your entertainment, this is the place to be. Spend hours here, settle in and let the experience wash over you.
Visit Restaurant St. Barts yourself by booking on the website