St John
26 St John Street (EC1M, near Farringdon Tube)

For some people this is paradise...for others, this is sheer hell. For carnivores, it is a feast unlike any others (or a torture). For vegetarians, they may as well not bother. St John is an institution for London and world diners who follow chef/owner Fergus Henderson's "nose-to-tail eating" philosophy. There are wonderful restaurants around the world that follow this philosophy (just look at the menu and you'll see why we call it "head-to-nose eating"), but this is the Mecca of this cooking philosophy.

The decor is boring, like eating in a warehouse or a disused abbatoire...boring, but always full and boisterous. The service is never too good, but all that is of second importance compared to the fare.

After enjoying some nice red, I enjoyed the potato soup with snails. This is titles very deliberately, as it is not a snail soup. I would have loved to see more snails and perhaps cooked with the soup (like in Vietnamese cuisine), but it was excellent.

The main course was chitterlings with lentils. Most people would squirm hearing of this dish, but it was sheer excellence. Grilled with an olive oil and mustard base, it was done with skill that made it quite easy to eat. This is one of the only places you can enjoy something so simple but exotic, so I regard it as a treat. Bleh for some, gasp for others, tears for more, but cheers for some of us.

This is an experience eaters must have -- the menu changes by the day, and that is part of the joy of dining here. I've enjoyed snail salads, grilled eel, braised tripe, and more here, and it's always amazing. If you have the stomach and curiosity, this is the place to go!

Food: A
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B