St. John Hotel, 1 Leicester St

Having originally booked for breakfast at the new outpost of St. John in late December, I was excited to get an email in late March announcing that everything would be ready for the hotel to open in early April. Wasting no time, I booked for a 9:30 start just a week after it opened, being careful to ensure we arrived in time to catch the end of breakfast service so that I could go back on a separate occasion for elevenses.

Overlooking the back of the new W Hotel (what a contrast between SJH and this disco ball beast) the dining room is the customary St John mix of white walls, wooden furniture and stainless steel open kitchen. Spotlessly dressed staff were clearly still learning the ropes, but service was good and helped by a quiet morning. 

The menu is broad enough to cater for most, whether you're recovering from the night before or somehow tempted by a healthier option. Devilled kidneys on toast was an easy choice, reinforced by the chef explaining the dish's preparation to our server when he asked for service. The kidneys were soft and rich, complemented extremely well by one of the best devilled sauces I have had, apparently prepared over several hours with Guinness added for good measure. More bread or toast to accompany would have been a nice touch, but otherwise a faultless execution of a St John favourite.

Devilled Kidneys on Toast 

The ham and eggs were equally tasty, albeit they are not done justice by our picture. The ham was generously thick, grilled to perfection and thankfully not dry by any means. The fried toast was leagues better than homemade equivalents given the quality of St John's Bermondsey-baked bread, with one piece leaving a healthy appetite for more. 

Ham, Eggs and Fried Bread 

We both chose tea to accompany our meal, but were a little disappointed that a £4 pot barely filled a cup. However, refills turned out to be on the house and we were quite taken by the little mesh umbrellas wedged in the pot's spout in place of separate tea strainer (must find one online). The grapefruit juice was suitably tart and clearly freshly made, though perhaps not the best match with kidneys. 

I will certainly be back at St John Hotel in the near future, most likely for elevenses and hopefully one day to stay the night. In short, breakfast was excellent and everything I expected it to be with the added benefit of perfect portions meaning that I could have lunch after the walk home too! 

Scoring: 9.3/10

Visit it: St John Hotel

Find it: Map

Pay for it: £20/head