We’ll be honest, the name – Kitchen at Holmes – made us a little cautious. Having worked on Baker Street many moons ago, I was well used to the throngs of tourists flocking to the area to stand outside Madame Tussauds or the Sherlock Holmes museum. Fearing we might have agreed to go along to a themed restaurant, we were somewhat relieved to discover a smart, newly refurbished lounge bar and dining room.
We began the night in the bar area, perched on comfy seating beside the fireplace (which smelt gorgeous, even on a hot summers day). The pretty menus feature whimsical, creative cocktails such as their signature serve, the K.T.Tea. Served in a glass teapot, it’s a bright pink, sweet blend of gin, st.germain, plum bitters, hibiscus syrup and cranberry and lime juice. You’ll also be able to grab the likes of popped quinoa bowls with blueberries and banana and buffalo ricotta pancakes served with orange marmalade here seven days a week – so get that breakfast meeting in the diary.
Moving through to the main restaurant where we could see the chefs hard at work in the open kitchen, we began with pillowy soft chunks of pita and a pot of creamy tahini topped with tomatoes and lashings of extra virgin olive oil whilst we perused the rest of the menu.
It’s a crowd-pleaser, split into sections of raw, fritti, aged & smoked, stir-fry, pan or roasted, grill, salads and sides. The Jamon Ibérico croquettes are dotted with extra aioli (the dream) and a shaving of fresh nutmeg – proving our theory correct, that we’ve never met a croquette we didn’t like. Alongside that a bowl of yellow fin tuna tartare in a sharp ponzu sauce came dressed with more dots, this time wasabi, along with a delicate rice cracker to scoop it all up.
Fuelling London’s obsession with all things pasta and anything coated in truffles, Kitchen at Holmes have obliged with a sunshine-yellow buttery plate of ravioli stuffed with creamy buffalo ricotta and a generous shaving of black truffle. The king crab & avocado salad was perfect for the warm weather, light but flavoursome, packed with charred corn, radicchio, pea shoots, endive and tabasco mayo.
We’re told that Sundays will see the restaurant offer a hearty roast dinner with a choice of 35 days dry-aged Scottish Longhorn rib eye, grass-fed Welsh herdwick leg of lamb or corn-fed chicken, all served with seasonal greens, roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips, yorkshire pudding and jus.
Head Chef Stefano Motta says, “I am extremely excited that Kitchen at Holmes is now open; for me, it was important to create a menu that is hearty and diverse yet also including a touch of playfulness. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner we have created something for everyone and I am delighted with the favourable feedback from our guests.”
