I visited the Paternoster Chop House in Saint Paul’s for dinner one evening whilst filming with Channel 4 for a hit TV series. The restaurant was closed to the public whilst cameras were rigged up, and a set menu was put on especially for the occasion. Despite this the staff and chefs at the restaurant remained the same and the atmosphere and food were divine.
Paternoster Chop House London
The restaurant is situated in picturesque Warwick Court where I was greeted by floor to ceiling glass windows, a tree lined terrace and thousands of twinkling lights upon my arrival. The restaurant is a mix of modern and traditional in a generously sized setting. A charming atmosphere is created by the low level lighting as the bulbs hung from the ceiling shine like stars in the sky. The crisp white table linen was accented by fresh velvet red roses, sumptuous leather tub seating, sparkling wine glasses and weighty silver cutlery.
Being a life long vegetarian with an aversion for fish or egg, I perused the menu for something tasty, light and fresh, settling upon a fresh tomato and goats cheese soup for starters, a butternut squash risotto as my main and a citrus and vanilla cheesecake for dessert. As it was a set menu unfortunately the ingredients and pricing are not listed online.
The tomato soup was delightful, fresh, fruity and uplifting with a slight citrus pang complimented by the crumbled goats cheese. The difference between the quality of a fresh soup and a processed soup is immeasurable, it was luxuriously thick, succulent and beautifully seasoned, with a garnish of freshly chopped chives to add a nice crunch. Prices for soup start at £6.50.
My main of butternut squash risotto was just as enjoyable, with sumptuously glossy arborio rice melting into succulent tender chunks of baked butternut squash. I’m a huge fan of texture as I find sloppy food the biggest turn off. The rice was prepared to perfection, nicely gooey without losing form, maintaining a very light crunch when bitten into and giving contrast to the sweet melt in the mouth squash. Garnished with fresh sage leaves it was moreishly divine. Vegetarian mains start from £16.00.
I finished the evening with a citrus vanilla cheesecake and red berry coulis. Wow. Just wow. What a treat for the senses! My fork cut through the cheesecake like a thick fluffy cloud, with bursts of vanilla pod throughout and a generous zest of lemon garnish. The base was devilishly crunchy, balancing sweet with savoury and a cool caramelised kick of ginger. Dipping into the rich red berry coulis my taste buds were ecstatic with the fruity and slightly tart undertone, as I polished it off within seconds ooh’ing and ahh’ing. Desserts start from £6.00.
The food at Paternoster was fantastic, the staff attentive, polite and courteous and the restaurant romantically idyllic. A fantastic place to dine day or night in the heart of London at a very reasonable price, I shall certainly return!
Paternoster Chop House, Warwick Court, London EC4M 7DX
02070299400
www.paternosterchophouse.co.uk
Instagram: @paternosterchophouse
Twitter: @paternoster1
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