St. John

St John is one of our favourites and the place to go to ‘try something new’. Whether it be chitterling, partridge or ox tail (larger than you think), it’s the perfect birthday venue for the girl/boy who has everything… There are some vegetarian options,

though you’ll have to deal with the roast guts on the table next door. If roast squirrel (still with nuts in cheeks) isn’t your thing, there’s always a humble pork chop doing its best at the back of the fridge to look

interesting. Not for wimps.

Clerkenwell's most famous restaurant and its famous carve 'im up pig logo has spawned its own book (Nose to Tail Eating, by chef Fergus Henderson), and indeed this much-acclaimed, enduringly hip place really is for adventurous carnivores who want to sample old-style English cuisine. The signature dish is roast bone-marrow salad with parsley, and the changing daily menu includes such specialities as chitterlings and chips, calf's brain terrine and smoked eel with beetroot. There are more familiar choices, including the odd vegetarian dish, but St John, with its minimalist white dining room and patient staff, remains a Rabelaisian experience.