Something Fishy at St. John's

Never one to stick to conventions even when it comes to menu ordering, I have to admit it did seem contrary to order fish at St John synonymous with meaty innards and extremities. But I’m not partial to pickled cabbage that partnered the pork belly on the menu and frankly what was billed as compressed (but I read initially as congealed) blood with egg didn’t appeal, a butch menu description too far. Fish at St John may not get the headline press, but it is as immensely and intensely satisfying as any bone-marrow sucking or chitterling chewing options, possible better. My huge double hunks of brill with gutsy green herby sauce and fennel were phenomenally good, and even better accompanied by an equally generous portion of buttered greens. My lunch companion, media guru Richard Addis, followed suit (or fin) ordered a monumentally good kedgeree, presented in very macho fashion with big chunks of fish and a bowl of deliciously savoury pickled beans. Resisting treacle tart or eccles cake, I was impressed by perfect brown sugar meringue seasonally accompanied by blood orange. Better still I had room to sneak into Comptoir Gascon to remind myself how incomparably superb their canelles, seductively crisp with more than a touch of burnt caramel yet yielding almost to the point of rum-infused goo within.