St John, Smithfield, EC1

Funny place, with the bar (and a bakery) in a covered yard to the rear of the main restaurant. Sitting at the basic square wooden tables between the whitewashed walls and under the towering atrium feels distinctly odd. On the plus side, there are four handpumps offering two Redemption beers - Trinity and Big Chief - plus 6X (£4.50, which seems more reasonable when the wine by the glass starts at £6.50 and goes to £12.75) and a cider.

Official site of St John - www.stjohngroup.uk.com