Pig Headed

St John Bread and Wine in Spitalfields London, is one of those places that I like to visit once in a while ( and more frequently check out what’s on the menu at their website ). The original Smithfield restaurant known for specialising in offal and other interesting meats is voted 14th in the top 50 restaurants in the world this year (up 2 from last year), but I much prefer Bread and Wine as it has a much more relaxed atmosphere and they do more small dishes, so I get to try out more stuff that way. I had this dish of Deep Fried Pigs’ Head with Tartare Sauce recently. Just the thought of a deep fried pig’s head really intrigued me. Well what came out was a kind of pig head cake, chopped up pigs head shaped to a cake, breaded and deep fried. A very rich dish. When you bite through the crisp breadcrumbs you reach the almost creamy mixture of pigs head, getting all the different textures of all the different parts, the gelatinous, the crunchy, the chewy. It’s a very heavy cake and if it wasn’t for the Tartare Sauce I don’t think I could take more than two bites (well I could but I’d probably wouldn’t enjoy it after the fourth). The Tartare Sauce is great, the vinegary/sharpness of the gherkins/capers helps to cut through the fattiness of the dish. A dish to be enjoyed very sparingly.

Deep Fried Pigs' Head with Tartare Sauce

And this is what it is made from!

St John Pig Head