As the Hound of Holborn, I probably ought to have a view on the best restaurant in Holborn. For my money, it is the Holborn Dining Room at the Rosewood.
The place oozes old-hotel grandeur: dark wood, leather, brass and that slightly theatrical sense of occasion which makes you want to settle in rather than rush through dinner. The service is invariably impeccable and the food consistently excellent.
But the real reason I keep coming back is the pies.
I have a considerable weakness for pie and mash, and I have yet to find a posh version that beats theirs. Proper pastry, generous fillings, excellent mash and gravy — comforting food given the full five-star-hotel treatment without losing sight of what makes a pie worth eating in the first place.
The rest of the menu is superb, but I find it remarkably difficult to come here and order anything else.
Given its location, for me this tends to be somewhere for lunch or dinner with colleagues, fellow solicitors and professional contacts rather than a family outing. For that sort of meal it works particularly well: smart enough to feel like an occasion, but still comfortable enough to have a proper conversation over good food.
Is it expensive? Of course it is. You’re eating at the Rosewood. Nobody walks through those doors expecting a Big Mac and chips.
I cannot really fault it. One of Holborn’s finest, certainly worth a visit and, for me, the home of London’s best posh pie and mash.
