The Chop Show at Paternoster Chop House

Boasting a modern British menu and stunning views of St Pauls Cathedral, the Paternoster Chop House is a restaurant that puts a strong emphasis on producing sustainable, high quality dishes.

It operates a chop house in the traditional sense, in that all its meat is purchased on the bone and butchered in-house. Supportive of Thomasina Miers and Tristram Stuart’s Pig Idea (a campaign promoting the rearing of pigs on waste food from restaurants) the Paternoster Chop House is passionate about serving conscientiously sourced meat. With a year-round programme of exciting culinary events, this November the restaurant is hosting a “Pigathlon” – a month-long celebration of pork.

At The Chop Show, head chef David Philpot gave a demonstration of the butchering process, showing the location of the different cuts meat. Diners were then able to choose their desired cuts, to be prepared and served for them in the restaurant.

To coincide with the event, the restaurant’s bar also served three limited edition meat-infused cocktails. The Smoked Bacon Martini, with English pork loin and herbs and spices, certainly sounded promising but was overpowering with an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. Pork and Apples, an Irish whiskey matured with pork fillet and apples, was delicious and the apples were certainly tangible, however, whether the pork could be tasted was another question. The Beefy Mary (a classic Bloody Mary made with beef stock) was certainly palatable and the chilli complemented the tomato juice well, but once again the meat flavour was sadly absent.

Moving into the restaurant with its stylish contemporary décor and intimate atmosphere, the starters were far less disappointing. The Pork & Black Pudding Scotch Egg was spot on, with a soft yolk and a tantalising hint of spice given by the black pudding; the Salmon Mousse was deliciously light, enhanced by a refreshing side of parsley leaves in vinaigrette.

For the main course, the South Devon Bavette Steak was cooked to perfection. The Venison Steak with Rouau Berries was juicy and tender, and the sweet sauce worked well with the flavour of the steak.  The portion sizes were just right, and the side order of locally sourced Buttered Winter Greens made an excellent accompaniment.

On the dessert menu, the Dark Chocolate Mousse was rich and sumptuous, with impressive attention to detail in the presentation. A lighter option, the Elderflower & Blackberry Jelly, was delicate and fragrant, and also looked stunning.

Despite the restaurant’s clear focus on meat, the regular menu at the Paternoster Chop House features several vegetarian options including an Autumn Vegetable Fricassee with Wild Mushrooms and a starter of Mixed Artichokes in a Sherry Vinegar & Chive Dressing. There are also many fish options, and the restaurant boasts an extensive wine list and drinks menu.

The Paternoster Chop House offers high quality food, served by friendly staff in relaxed surroundings and, while their experimental cocktails might perhaps need to be perfected, the restaurant can be highly recommended to those seeking traditional British food with a modern twist.

 Melanie Weaver
Photos: Krish Nagari

Food: 17/20
Drinks: 11/20
Service: 18/20
Paternoster Chop House 46/60

To book a table at Paternoster Chop House, Warwick Court, Paternoster Square, London  EC4M 7DX, call 020 7029 9400 or visit here.