Reviews Holborn Dining Room

I recently had the pleasure of going for high tea with a twist-a Van Gogh inspired masterpiece!
The ambience of the Rosewood was majestic and luxurious, and the wide selection of teas pleased my chai-loving soul no bounds!
The dainty selection of sweets and savouries were all visually beautiful to look at, pleasing the eye as well as the taste buds (although some parts may have been a little sweet for my tastes). The piece de resistance was the final course mirroring some of Van Gogh's most famous works including The Starry Night.

On the whole, I recommend this high tea experience for art lovers, or just anyone who wants a bit of a posh treat! Bon appetit 😋

At nice and elaborate place for food, typically British food, once in a while one can have the food without thinking of calories.

Amazing pies, fish and chips (though chips needs to little more fresh); and handmade sausages.

Desserts were outstanding.

Must visit with friends

Exquisite presentation, lovely dishes, and a nice classy ambiance!
Don’t forget to ask for the chef’s special.
In short, this place for cozy one-on-one dinner dates that allows you to share as many plates together as possible

To celebrate British Pie Week, I read quite a lot of articles on the best pies in London. There were numerous contenders, mostly leading to The Windmill, but many others had their accolades too. It's surprising how much a pie costs around here - I suppose it's a far cry from the old AFL footy Four'n'Twenty ones. It isn't common at all to get pies as a sit down main in Australia (maybe at a pub with peas and mash) but I've always preferred them from bakeries with their exquisite skills in buttery pastry.

The Rosewood Hotel is situated about 2/3 minute walk from Holborn tube and really is a rather exquisite building. We dined in the Holborn Dining Room within the Rosewood, which is decorated rather beautifully. For starter I shared the charcuterie board, which had a selection of British and Spanish meats - only constructive criticism is it did not come with bread, which would have been a nice addition. For main I had the lamb with spinach and truffle and parmesan fries - the lamb was slightly fatty but still flavoursome. Just about managed to squeeze in a sticky toffee pudding with caramel ice cream for dessert which was wonderful. Nice place - slightly pricey but a good atmosphere and service.

On Saturday evening, Indy and I headed over to the no-man's land that is Holborn, for a double date at Holborn Dining Room. The brainchild of Des McDonald, former Head Chef of the Ivy and the man behind The Fish & Chip Shop in Islington, Holborn Dining Room is an all-day brasserie with attached delicatessen, located in the absolutely stunning Rosewood Hotel.

A few Saturdays ago, Steven and I dined at Holborn Dining Room, which has been on my foodie wish list for quite some time. It’s one of three exciting restaurants at five star hotel Rosewood London and is overseen by esteemed restauranteur and chef Des McDonald.

Holborn Dining Room is a chic grand brasserie serving seasonal, locally-sourced British classics with a twist. It feels both sprawling yet cosy with plenty of intimate nooks, separate sections a bar and a charcuterie counter. 

We kicked off the evening with some delicious cocktails while deciding what to order. My Sicilian Negroni (£10) was a sunny, uplifting mix of Campari, Limoncello and blood orange juice. It was pleasantly sweet but with that signature bite from the Campari and was an ideal aperitif.

Steven tried a much stronger British Columbia (£10), made with Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, Fernet Branca, maple syrup and blood orange juice. It had lots of character and depth of flavour – a real treat for fans of Whiskey cocktails.

To start, I was tempted by the Griddled Prawns with lemon garlic butter (£15). The large, partly shelled king prawns looked so perfect and natural and were a joy to eat. The plump, fresh prawns were cooked just right and doused in a moreish, zesty and slightly sweet garlic butter.

While my starter was all about quality produce cooked exceptionally well, Steven’s Maldon Smoked Salmon with crab and spiced avocado (£15.50) was a stunning marriage of flavours.

The smoked salmon had a deep smoky flavour and was artfully puncuated with flaky, chilled white crabmeat and velvety avocado puree with a touch of piquant chilli. Both dishes were out of this world and I highly recommend ordering both and sharing.

My typical dinner pattern is seafood followed by meat to get the best of both worlds, but the Grilled John Dory (£26.50) with butternut squash and shrimp butter sounded too good to pass up. The two fillets of John Dory were succulent and ever so tasty with crispy, golden edges and nicely scorched skin.

The brown shrimp butter gave a rich seafood flavour and I loved the butternut squash cooked two ways – roasted and pureed. The finishing touch was crispy sage, which ideally complemented the dish. The high quality fish was elevated by the well-chosen accompaniments and the butter sauce made it more indulgent – every mouthful was an absolute pleasure.

Steven couldn’t resist a Saturday night steak and went for the Roast Rib Eye ‘Club Cut’ with pepper sauce and crispy onions (£26.50). The excellent cut of beef had a lovely smokiness from the grill to match its mature flavours and was cooked perfectly medium and tender.

The rich meat juices ran into the subtle pepper sauce and the crispy beer battered onion rings were a tasty extra. My main course didn’t really need anything else, but we still shared a side of Roseval Potatoes (£4.50). The sweet and slightly nutty red-skin potatoes were sauteed with caramelised Lyonnaise onions and were a delicious alternative to fries.

Desserts are as British and retro as they come – think bread and butter pudding, apple crumble, gypsy tart and steamed marmalade sponge.

I was in the mood for a chocolate fix, so I ordered the Warm Chocolate with poached pears and vanilla ice cream (£6.50). The dark chocolate fondant was quaintly served in a tea cup and had a cake-like texture, with the sliced pears baked inside adding moistness and a fragrant flavour. The dessert was dreamy and not at all heavy, so it won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Steven’s Poached Yorkshire Rhubarb with sorbet and set ginger cream (£6.50) was another delightful dish. Served in a Kilner Jar, the dense, silky ginger-infused cream was topped with a refreshing sorbet, crunchy crumble topping and sweet, delicate poached Yorkshire Rhubarb. The long biscuit stick tasted like Speculoos and was perfect for scooping up the cream.

At the end of our glorious meal, we enjoyed pots of lovely, warming Jasmine Tea (£3.25) and Earl Grey Tea (£3.25), which was served with a cute mini bottle of milk on the side. We were left to relax and leisurely sip our tea while chatting and soaking up the atmosphere – what more could you ask for on a Saturday night out?

On Saturday evening, Indy and I headed over to the no-man's land that is Holborn, for a double date at Holborn Dining Room. The brainchild of Des McDonald, former Head Chef of the Ivy and the man behind The Fish & Chip Shop in Islington, Holborn Dining Room is an all-day brasserie with attached delicatessen, located in the absolutely stunning Rosewood Hotel.

The restaurant is beautifully presented with red leather banquettes, reclaimed dark wood and antique mirrors nestled amongst shiny marble pillars. Low lighting filtered through brass reading lamps and chandeliers help provide an intimacy to an otherwise vast space. The atmosphere is laid back and unpretentious, perhaps surprising given the surroundings (the restaurant is housed in a Grade II listed building after all).

Upon being seated, we were presented with the drinks menu. An extensive range of wines and liquors are on offer, but we headed straight for the cocktails. The last time we visited Holborn Dining Room I requested an off-menu Lychee Martini but was told it wasn't possible, so I was glad to hear from our drinks waiter that the bartender could the drink of our choice, providing they had the ingredients. He worked with each of us, asking our likes and dislikes, and returned with some pretty potent cocktails for us all.

The dinner menu is very British - think fish and chips, chicken pie and roasted lamb breast - and caters for most tastes. The in-house delicatessen provides a varied charcuterie selection and from the seafood counter you can have your pick of Atlantic oysters to dressed Cornish crab. 

STARTERS

We started off with the Ancient loaf, accompanied with Abernethy hand made butter, followed by the fried squid with gentleman's relish mayonnaise. The squid wasn't particularly amazing - glorified scampi as Indy put it - and was a bit too salty, although the mayonnaise provided a flavoursome contrast.

MAINS

The variety of main courses on offer really help set the menu apart. From the shrimp burger to the Staub roasted Goosnargh poussin, there is definitely something for everyone.

I had immediate food envy when the smoked haddock with poached egg and mustard sauce on a bed of creamy, mash potato came out. I of course persuaded Indy to let me try some. The haddock was perfectly cooked, easily flaking into the mustard sauce which added a hint of spice. The poached egg on the other hand was a bit of a let down - it was slightly overcooked and the yolk wasn't as runny as expected.

I went for the chicken girolle pie with Wychwood cider and tarragon served in a tin - a fancy take on the British classic. The pastry was light and puffy, encasing a generous amount of chicken chunks in a delicious cider based sauce.

My cousin opted for the 35 day Cornish rare breed sirlion with a side of bearnaise sauce. I'm not a huge fan of steak and always go for well done but this was cooked to medium and boy, was it good. It had that melt in your mouth texture which was enough to convert me! 

DESSERTS 

Whilst everyone else was falling into a food induced coma, I was having a quiet debate with myself on what dessert to go for. I was torn between the warm chocolate, poached pear and vanilla ice cream and the Bramley apple and sultana crumble with vanilla ice cream. I eventually went for the crumble and didn't regret my decision one bit. The crumble was the right amount of crisp, giving way to warm chunks of fluffy Bramley apple and sultanas which perfectly complimented one another.

Holborn Dining Room is perfect for an informal dining experience in an opulent surrounding. The menu is sophisticated and value for money and the British brasserie concept works well. Although service was slow, it wasn't enough to detract just how good this place is. Dining here is a definite must!

We were served an appetising array of starters to share including lobster thermidor tart, Cornish diver scallops with cured bacon, white pudding and truffle scotch egg, devilled lambs kidneys and salted baked beetroot with goats curd. Everything was just perfect, and I'm disappointed that I didn't get a picture of the beetroot, as that was my favourite. 

At the helm of the kitchen is Chef Calum Franklin who has worked at many renowned restaurants such as the Ivy, Indigo at One Aldwych and as the Senior Sous Chef at Roast in Borough Market. The chef had headed down south to select the steak for tonight as part of The Cornwall Project, a collaboration between Cornish suppliers and London chefs...

Next came the star of the night....

....Chef Calum had selected a 50 days aged Dexter sirloin for us to try out that night. 

Now firstly let me explain myself... I'm not a pescatarian but as I love fish so much I very rarely order meat in a restaurant. However, I regularly sample Mr S's food so that I can comment on it for my blog, so I'm hardly meat free! Having said that I was worried that the steak would be wasted on me...But actually I think Chef Calum may have converted me, the meat just melted in my mouth it was so perfectly sourced and cooked!

Diners cannot ask for a more festive location for a Christmas meal than the Holborn Dining Room. Located in the beautiful five-star Rosewood Hotel the entire exterior is lined with gleaming fairy lights and red decorations along with a gorgeous large traditional Christmas tree placed in the central archway. Walking past the hotel the dining rooms looks cosy and elegant and I couldn’t wait to get inside!

The restaurant itself is a beautiful slick space composed of plush red leather upholstery, polished marble floors, reclaimed oak, antique mirrors and two patina copper-topped bars. Topped off with chandeliers spanning the room this dining space is simply stunning.

Although the restaurant is a large space, seating 200, the clever use of furnishings and soft lighting broken up with different seating options make it feel cosy and warm whatever your party size is.

Additionally, the dining room is adjoined by Holborn Delicatessen which includes a bar and a dining counter, each topped with aged copper and patina brass. This leads to the Courtyard Terrace in the hotel’s peaceful inner courtyard, making it ideal of summer visits as well as festive meals.

Would I Want Seconds?

The Holborn Dining Room prides itself in serving seasonal, locally sourced British cuisine.The menu is divided into eight sections: Bar Snacks, Cold Counter, Hot Counter, Grill, English Kitchen, Sides, Sandwiches and Afters, each with a good variety of options. For example the a la carte menu for main dishes includes highland partridge as well as simple fish and chips.

I tired the shrimp burger with jalapeño tartare and ordered sides of heritage carrots and champ. This burger was my first ever shrimp burger and tasted divine, especially with the well flavoured sides to go with it.

The list of puddings was divine and included steamed plum sponge, treacle tart with clotted cream and caramel mousse cigar.

From the menu its obvious that the Holborn Dining Room doesn’t serve the most exciting dishes is central London, but the dishes are instead warm and comforting, perfect for the colder seasons.

Could I Afford Seconds?

Thankfully the Holborn Dining Room has an early/late menu making this beautiful location accessible to all.

This set menu includes two courses for £18 or three for £22 making it immensely good value for money.

Outside of the set menu standard starters from the a la carte menu would cost approximately £10 and main courses ranging from £16.50 for the mushroom and spelt risotto to £26.50 for the roast rib eye “club cut” with pepper sauce and crispy onions. The prices on the a la carte menu are therefore more indicative of the central London location, making the set menu even more desirable.

Overall: 

I haven’t been a fan a of restaurants located in hotels but this experience has changed my view. Holborn Dining Room, situated in the Rosewood Hotel, is one of them hotel restaurants there is.

 

Apart from the slow service, which can be forgiven due to the busy time we dined, this venue has the winning combination of delicious comfort food and enchanting surroundings made my Christmas meal a wonderful occasion and one I would recommend to all.

I had a friend come visit us from New Zealand and on arrival, promptly asked for a 'British' meal. Well, who am I to deprive a visiting guest's request? The problem is, who and where? The City is not short of establishments who would put up their hand and volunteer to defend the honour of Britain's cuisine.

After a bit of umm'ing and ahh'ing, I settled on Holborn Dining Rooms on the back of favourable reviews and positive hearsay. So the fact that this presented me an opportunity to check it out myself was killing two birds with one convenient stone.

On entering, you are consumed by the rather grand decor. The dining floor is expansive and broken up by nothing more than partitions allowing you the opportunity to soak it all in.

As far as food goes, every Briton can sleep easy knowing that they have been more than admirably represented on this night. The lobster and shrimp burger were both fantastic and delicious but it was the scallops that were the real show stoppers. Beautiful, fresh produced sourced locally and cooked to perfection. This was a real treat.

So next time you're thinking of a night out and feeling particularly patriotic (or just want a good meal), keep the Holborn Dining Room firmly planted at the front of your mind - the only thing you'll regret is not saving space for dessert...I do!


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Last night saw me and the team heading to the Rosewood London for the first evening of Holborn Dining Room, a new all day restaurant & deli attached to the Rosewood hotel. Don't be drawn to the flames at the end of the attractive driveway, you want the giant revolving door (always a bonus) on the left. The right hand door leads to the wonderful Scarfes Bar, you might want to "accidentally" stumble in here before (and afterwards).

As you will see from the following photos, Holborn Dining Room is one good looking place. The array of beautiful lighting is a feast for the eyes, and there is lovely detail on the tables. Resist popping those salt & pepper mills into your bag!

We took our time choosing from a range of classic mains (lamb chops, beef hash, roast chicken etc) & crustacea (I've been waiting to type that) before starting with the Ancient loaf with Abernethy hand made butter.

We followed this with Tiger Prawns (6 for £24), Cider & onion soup (served with a cute cheese scone) & Fried Squid with gentleman's relish mayonnaise. The tiger prawns (replacing absent langoustines on the menu) were the standout dish, but surely a little overpriced?

For mains, we went for some British classics - Fish & Chips, Steak, Hock & Coq pudding, Goat's Cheese & Onion Tart & the HDR Beef Burger. The Fish & Chips needs to do more than just be enormous to justify the £17 price tag, but other mains represented better value. Hock & Coq pudding with Parsley Liquor may not have been the most attractive dish but it impressed with its flavours, as did the Roast Rib-Eye "Club Cut" with pepper sauce. The moreish chips were unanimously popular.

We were absolutely stuffed by generous portions and sadly decided to skip dessert. Not a decision to be taken lightly when you have the likes of Steamed Treacle & Whisky Pudding, Boozy Sherry Trifle and Valrona chocolate pot with sweet cream. It gives me a good excuse to pop back in again soon.

All in all it was a lovely dinner and I'm sure HDR will do very well. Staff were friendly and attentive, the atmosphere was buzzing, and the setting is superb. A couple of plates should possibly be priced a little lower and vegetarian options are slightly lacking (what would Rage Against the Mushroom think?), but there are plenty of tempting, affordable dishes on the menu, plus a great range of wine, cocktails, and beers (Camden on draft and interesting bottles).

The great stuff = The grilled courgette and Mac n cheese were outstanding! My friend said the cod fillet was brilliant too! Dessert was good too however I’d hoped for a warm+cold dessert option on the menu as I like the mix of the two temperatures in my desserts 🤷🏿‍♀️ Service is what you expect for a dinning sure as this hence my 4 stars! The not so great stuff = the staff too so long to take our order even as we attempted to get their attention a few times! But I wouldn’t hold this against them, looked busy for a Sunday!

We visited for a pre-theatre meal. The restaurant was almost empty, but at that time during the early week it’s expected. The restaurant is well known for its pie room. However we didn’t have enough time to order the pie. Instead we had suet pudding with mashed potatoes and beautifully curated cocktails. The cherry dessert was our favourite. The service was exceptional and in lined with a 5 star hotel. The rosewood hotel is a wonderful secret hidden oasis in the middle of central London. The dishes were pricey, but expected

Lacking service from our main waiter, which we later changed, but superb food. We had an early Saturday night dinner. Loved the Sourdough - one of the best ones we had! Ordered the chicken pie, which was excellent and the burger was quite good as well, although only offered as medium well as a minimum. Slow roasted lamb was also a success. The desserts were amazing, in particular the chocolate cake. Would come back again.

Food 4.5/5 (The app rating system doesn’t allow half stars) They have many unique and delicious-sounding dishes, and the presentation of my plates were very nice. I ordered a potato pie, which looked beautiful. However, it tasted rather bland. The green (spinach?) sauce tasted like nothing, even though it was very visually pleasing. I also got a pork pie, which was much more flavorful. It comes with a little sauce boat of gravy, which I loved. For dessert I got the coffee tart, which our waiter said is very popular. It was very pretty and tasted decent too, but it had too many nuts and too little tart for my taste. The outer chocolate shell was also rather hard (perhaps partly due to the added protection from the nuts underneath), so I had to smash it open with my spoon. Service 5/5 The waiter was very nice and attentive, and the staff all dressed very poshly. However, when we went there at around 1pm, there seems to be only one waiter working, so he was stretched out a bit thin and wouldn’t come around often. All of the food came surprisingly quickly, even the pies that were supposed to take 30mins to prepare according to the menu. Also, my friend asked if he could get some bacon with his fish and chips, and they granted that. And the bacon was very nice too. That was very nice of them. Thanks! Ambiance 5/5 Very beautiful room. Love the marble columns and the red leather benches and the unique lamps. The choice of background music was also excellent. Everything was clean and pretty. My only complaint would be that the tables were a little close to each other, so it was difficult to get out of my seat.

The most delicious scotch egg I had! The atmosphere was really grand. The chicken pie was good but wouldn't say was outstanding. Maybe will go for the lamb next time. Wine was great. Service was OK though forgot to ask us for our food order and we had to remind them to do a couple of things. Front desk seemed annoyed that we were little late (even though the restaurant was not full). Would recommend to try it once and seemed conducive for business meetings.

A good vibe for breakfast. Had some hotel guests and non-guests coming in for a meal. Relaxing and you were left to your own devices, but service was available. I also then went back for lunch which was nice. On the weekend they have a Sunday roast which I highly recommend. Only criticism is that for the lunch service (breakfast was fine), there was a bit of pressure to order more. Whether that be a commercial motive or just over zealous wait staff - I'm not sure.

The dining experience was sublime. The Scottish egg boasted a perfectly runny center, encased in a crispy exterior. The octopus carpaccio was a dance of flavors, both tender and zestful. The cod was flaky and impeccably seasoned, complemented beautifully by the steamed broccoli. The lamb pie, enriched by a robust beef reduction, was a hearty masterpiece. And the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla-rum ice cream? A decadent finale that left us utterly satisfied. Truly a culinary tour de force.

Great experience there. Went with my partner for our anniversary. We enjoyed the lovely dinner and the super friendly service! Everyone was very nice and helpful and we even had a complementary surprise dessert. Thank you for a lovely time!

What a wonderful experience! The staff were attentive but not overly so, food was a delight and the slow roast shoulder of lamb pie was amazing and the scotch egg a delight!