What is it? Opened in the spring, St John Hotel is not quite the new kid on the block you might expect, being a long-established venue with promises of seafood etched in bold letters on its fa?ade. Fortunately, it's all in French, so only those who speak the language may question an absence of lobster or mussels on the menu inside. The lettering belongs to the building's former incarnation, as Manzi's fish restaurant, which was gutted and refurbished under the direction of Fergus Henderson, super chef-turned-hotelier with a vision. The new logo is a pig on a white background, a reminder of Henderson's 'nose-to-tail' eating philosophy.
So what's special about St John? Well, for starters, the location. The hotel is situated between Leicester Square and Chinatown, at the heart of London's cinema world and a short walk from Covent Garden. It is ideal for those who relish the city buzz, day and night. Revellers are out until the early hours - if you can't join them, pack earplugs - but, despite being in the thick of it all, St John manages to feel like an oasis, with interior clapboard walls reminiscent of beach huts, portholes on the doors and a nautical blue spiral staircase.
How about the rooms? No fuss, no clutter. 'Everything you need but nothing you don't.' Forget plush carpets, the glossy rubber floors are soft, clean and meadow green, standing out in an otherwise white minimalist decor. The effect is soothing and light, and an antidote to the raucous streets below. The hotel has just 15 rooms. The smallest are 'post-supper rooms', designed for night owls with a sudden aversion to going home. Top of the range is the one and only suite (above right), stretching under the eaves, right across the building. It has a Scandinavian-style zebra-striped sofa and chair, and, unlike in other rooms, here the open-plan layout still allows some privacy in the bathroom, which comes complete with walk-in rain shower, tub, double vanity units and Penhaligon's toiletries.
And the restaurant? St John is above all a place to go 'from table to bed' - a restaurant with rooms. With its bakery, exclusive wine shop and original restaurants, St John the brand has long been the talk of the city. This venue had to follow suit. In keeping with the hotel's ethos, the restaurant is functional; what matters here is the food and the wine, not the d?cor. The dining room is small, tables are close, but when the feasting begins, you forget the conversations around you and the school-room chairs you're sitting on. Dishes are seasonal, 'best of British', and the fish is caught by the hotel's own fishing boat, off the coast of Cornwall. The menu changes every day and the wine list is consistently top-notch, including a Mesnil sur Oger champagne at GBP1,125 (HK$13,000) a magnum. Breakfast is a la carte - the boiled eggs come with anchovy toast - and a great favourite is the afternoon 'Little Bun Moment'. Cheeky little 'buttocks', which may conceal bitter chocolate or prunes, are superb with champagne, though tea is available. In the bar, guests may relax under the belly of a 'blue whale'. What more could anyone want?
What do Mr & Mrs Smith think of St John? 'As clean and prim as a picked carcass and as white as a butcher's laundered apron,' is the striking first impression of the boutique-hotel guides. They talk of a 'skeletal menu' and a decor 'bare to the point of starkness' but, they conclude: 'It's the food that really counts - the way to this hotel's heart is through its stomach. This is a grown-up hotel with a grown-up menu.'
Cool, but can we afford it? A post-supper room costs GBP240 a night, a regular room GBP330 and the suite GBP420. These prices include tax and a GBP15 allowance for breakfast.