Despite founding St. John—the benchmark by which many London restaurants measure themselves—Trevor Gulliver remains remarkably unshowy and free of ego. He’s passionate, though: ask him about celebrity chefs, anyone with “range” in their name, or endless television endorsements and he’s blunt (“you should only do TV if you have a reason for it, a strategy”). He admires chefs like Rowley Leigh, Alistair Little, and Simon Hopkinson, a generation he feels aligned with. St. John Smithfield’s restrained, industrial interior may no longer look radical, but when it opened 30 years ago its site and menu were groundbreaking. Over the years, nothing has displaced St. John from its top spot.
St. John helped pioneer nose-to-tail eating and, since 1994, has grown to three restaurants, three bakeries, and a French vineyard, along the way earning a Michelin star. “All the St. John’s came out of circumstance,” Gulliver says. “There was never a plan; they are never the same and always the same, if that makes sense.” A Londoner by birth, he began in music-industry merchandise and first ran The Fire Station in Waterloo, which he sold. An introduction to Fergus Henderson led him to the Smithfield site that became the first St. John, and the rest is restaurant history.
Gulliver resists being pinned down to “favorites.” “Firstly, let me start with a disclaimer,” he says. “There is no such thing, well, except for the family curry house, as a favorite restaurant and for a restaurateur it is an invidious task when asked to make such a list. It is, for me, like that question: ‘What’s your favorite wine?’ My answer is always that it depends on where, with whom, the weather and the when. Then there are my London roots; I’ll be in trouble if I didn’t stray beyond the north and south circulars.” Still, he offers a selection of places he loves to visit in London and beyond, apologizing humbly for omissions.
Sweetings — London
Sweetings in the City has been a constant; Gulliver recently toasted its 125th birthday. It follows long-established routines and feels like a happy anachronism amid the skyscrapers. For over a century it has served grilled, fried, and poached fish to locals from a largely unchanged Grade II–listed interior—wooden stools, a long bar, low tables. Gulliver recommends standing at the bar with a Black Velvet in a pewter mug and some oysters before lunch.
Bouchon Racine — London
Gulliver notes that London now has two true bouchons; he visits Lyon regularly and appreciates the tradition. Bouchon Racine, just around the Smithfield corner, feels as if it has been in its space for decades despite being new. The menu is classic Lyonnaise—escargot, steak tartare, rabbit, confit de canard, côte de bœuf, and petit pots au chocolat—backed by a French-led wine list. It’s popular (Jay Rayner is a vocal fan), and reservations are increasingly hard to get. He also points to the pub below Racine, The Three Compasses, for a proper counter-lunch jambón beurre.
The French House — London
The French House Dining Room sits above Dean Street, with Soho life below. Neil draws on experience in small, intimate French kitchens, and the place is an institution—actors, musicians, artists (Francis Bacon among them), Royals, and food lovers have long been regulars. The handwritten menu shifts almost daily and features traditional dishes such as oysters, rillettes, confit garlic and goats’ curd on toast, chicken liver parfait, and chargrilled lambs’ hearts.
Dastaan — Epsom (and Leeds)
For his family curry house, Gulliver picks Dastaan. The noisy, bustling atmosphere is part of the draw as much as the food. The Ewell/Epsom restaurant in Surrey is a compact, beloved local spot—his industry friends’ “go-to” curry place—and there’s also a branch in Leeds.
The Seahorse — Dartmouth
Gulliver looks forward to trips to The Seahorse in Dartmouth, where he expects convivial banquette dining and an abundance of seafood celebrated for provenance and pleasure. Revered internationally, the Seahorse draws locals and gastronomes alike; Angela Hartnett praises its red mullet, and its Torbay scallops are much admired.
