St. Martin’s House is a casual restaurant that serves a modern take on traditional British cuisine.
Aspirational Brands’ main restaurant, St. Martin’s House, an all-day restaurant located at Upper St. Martin’s Lane, debuted in March 2022. Its central West End location makes it a great choice for those who like visiting the area’s many theaters or other attractions.
The large, black-framed windows and plenty of pink flowers give the building a fashionable appearance. According to legend, the flower arrangements pay homage to the days when Covent Garden was host to bustling flower marketplaces.
Two levels are dedicated to dining: the main floor and the mezzanine. The atmosphere on the bottom level, which has a lengthy bar, is cozier.
Given the pleasant weather, we took advantage of the restaurant’s outside seating and enjoyed our meal while people-watching and listening to the booming pop music screaming from the colorful tuk-tuks that whizzed past on their way to the exclusive Stringfellows club just across the street.
Ambience
Although the gloomy lighting casts shadows on the darkwood flooring, the long dark bar with black stools, and the dark green banquet booths, the vivid floral décor at the entry and hanging over the bar offers a colorful lift. You’ll also find some intriguing poster prints hanging on the walls.
There’s a similar scenario on the mezzanine; however, with 50 covers, it seems a bit more official and would be great for a Whodunit.
Food & Drink
British cuisine is the focus of the food at St. Martin’s House, which is prepared using seasonal, regional ingredients. Steak tartare, short rib cooked in bone marrow for 48 hours, steak pie, and vegan cauliflower steak brassica flavored with chimichurri, sprouting broccoli, squash puree, crispy shallots, and pine nuts are just a few of the options.
First, I tried the jackfruit cake since it seemed exotic and because jackfruit has a moderate flavor similar to that of a mango. Lemon aioli and microparsley adorned two cakes. The cakes were predictably flavorless, but the addition of the lemon aioli jazzed things up a little.
My better half couldn’t wait to get his hands on a St. Martin’s Scotch egg cooked with a 64-degree egg from St. Ewes Farm. Dorset venison chorizo, caulfat, and spinach were substituted for the more conventional onion stuffing and hog meat, resulting in a dish with a rather strong flavor profile.
My main dish was the pan-roasted seabass, which came with a red pepper and chorizo puree, a potato and chorizo cake, charred tenderstem broccoli, pea shoots, and lemon oil.
With edamame puree standing in for mashed peas, house tartare sauce, and malt vinegar dust, my partner’s order of British fish and chips was a tasty twist on the classic.
Although all were excellent, we noticed that Chef Amanda seemed to favor chorizo more than the other ingredients.
We ordered the chocolate fondue and Eton mess for dessert and split them between the two of us. Among the many beverages available, the Violet Yuzu Margarita, strawberry and Bailies, and the salted caramel Espresso Martini are sure to raise an eyebrow. If only I didn’t have to drive!
VERDICT
Very nice place, well located, perfect for casual dinners with friends.
