Holborn Dining Room – Rosewood Hotel, High Holborn.
Holborn Dining Room
No, I have not spelt the word wrong “Pyes” – this is the old English spelling from the 12th Century of what would have been a predominantly meat Pye. Initially designed as a storage vessel, the crust and pastry encasing the meat was there to protect and preserve the nutritious insides, and was often discarded as being simply the packaging. 9 centuries later and we arrive at Chef Calum Franklin, Executive Chef at the Rosewood Hotel, Holborn, who is making the humble Pie a piece of art work – playing right into the hands of today’s Instagramming hordes of Diners.
Indeed Chef Calum does not only have a selection of pies on his menu every evening but also has initiated a Pie Room that is selling upwards of a 100 pies a day for take away Monday to Friday. He is also behind an initiative to utilise the Hotels Courtyard as an Artisan market during the weekends, and is helping to teach old skills to younger chefs in his kitchen, who can work 5 at a time on one specific design for a pie. Calum Franklin himself has had experience in various restaurants but has been most recently employed as the Senior Sous Chef at Roast in Borough Market. Having been invited to take over the kitchens at the Rosewood, he apparently found an old Pate de Croute mould in the kitchens and was interested to discover how to fill it. This curiosity rapidly expanded to an obsession for design and structure of all things “Pye” and the Holborn Pie Room and the brasseries new Menu was born.
With some of Calum’s recipes now appearing in Newspapers and online, I, and many others have already tried to replicate them, and Calum has adapted some to assist the typical home chef, even utilising – dare I say it – shop bought Pastry – Sacre Blue ! or maybe as we are talking an Old English recipe, more appropriately, Gordon Bennet ! ( This is also a nod to my good French friend, A, accompanying me at the restaurant, and currently discovering the humour of “ Only fools and Horses” but being quite mystified by Delboys exclamations with reference to Mr. Bennet !)
To the restaurant itself. One end of the space – Entrance area- is occupied by a Gin Bar claiming to house approx 300 varieties of Gin and offering various cocktails derived from their voluminous stock. The remainder of the room offers itself as a dining space in what A described as a typical French brasserie style but “chicer” – think lots of brass and red leather. High ceilings and many little lampshades around giving it a buzzy but welcoming atmosphere. They can handle 200 covers an evening. I do recall this space from maybe 10 years ago when it was a restaurant by the name of a Pearl. It only stands out in my memory as I had a monkfish starter that so impressed me I asked – jokingly – if I could have the recipe, and at the end of the menu the Chef came our with a hand written A4 sheet with all ingredients and method. This is the first and only time I have experienced that – makes me think – where is that sheet of paper now ?
Anyway back to 2018 ! We are seated at a comfortable enough round table, meaning that 2 of us will get the comfy sofa and one of us the rickety chair. No surprises for guessing how that one went ! Upon presentation of the Menus the waiter informs us that the Curried Mutton pie is no longer available – that’s one of the 5 pies on offer already gone, and it’s only 19.30 ! Due to my haphazard stalking of Chef Calum on Instagram I know he has been on Honeymoon in Mexico – utilising the Rosewood Myokoba ( which I have also been lucky enough to visit), and enquire if he has yet returned. Unfortunately not the Waiter replies, so there goes my ambition of meeting with him and touring the kitchens – another time !
The menu is unexpectedly extensive, and in addition to the pies there is on offer a Cold Counter offering specialised English charcuterie ( Hackney Culatello anybody ?) , a Seafood Counter ( with all produces coming in from Padstow), and a wide ranging expanse of Starters and Mains. Not cheap, but we are in an expensive Hotel, so maybe I should not be surprised.
Jersey Rocks – and Rolls !
My other Dining companion ( C – also French), wants Oysters, and the Jersey Rocks are on the menu at £18 for half a dozen. Very traditionally served with the extras you would expect but all shunned by C who does not want Tabasco or Red Wine Vinegar corrupting the sweet juicy flesh of the molluscs. She is very happy with them,very fresh, not too salty and of reasonable size. C wanted a glass of White to wash them down, and the Sommelier here excelled himself with service and recommendations. He offered a Furmint from Hungary (£12 a glass) or a French Viognier (£18), but poured both and allowed all 3 of us to smell/ taste before C made her choice. Looking at the Reds to accompany our main courses, then the wine list was starting at around £45 a bottle. I advised our Sommelier I was interested in the Chatea Musar Cabernet blend from 2009. He provided a knowledgable and engaging story about the wine and how usually it is drunk young, but that he discovered a 2009 which he was impressed with and contacted the producer direct to secure a few cases. At £62 not something you would be drinking too many bottles of in one evening, but scanning down the list, this price was still at the bottom end but appeared to offer more value for money, and something a little different – which indeed it was. Peppery and Honey like on the nose, and more Pepper than honey on the palate, but very enjoyable and not what you would expect from a typical Bordeaux blend.
The humble Scotch Egg elevated to Fine Dining !
My starter choice was the Scotch Egg (£10) – but not any Scotch Egg. This was advertised on the menu as a Monkshill Farm Scott Egg which had been a Winner of the Scotch Egg Challenge. How can you resist a champion Scotch Egg ? The waiter explained it had been a Winner 2 years ago, and used Burford Brown Egg encased in a combination of White Pudding and ( I established later) pork sausage meat from the pig equivalent of Kobe Beef – a domesticated Mangalitsa Hungarian Pig. This was all nestling on a bed of Caper mayonnaise. Undoubtedly the best Scotch Egg I had ever experienced, with a golden creamy perfectly prepared yolk, and a delicate consistency of sausage meat that I was quite surprised about, elevating a Scotch Egg to a Fine Dining experience. Caper mayonnaise was also a wonderful salty accompaniment, and ensured the potential dryness of a Scotch Egg was avoided.
Taking into consideration I had chosen the restaurant due to its Pie status then my eyes would not allow me to linger elsewhere on the menu. The choices were Chicken, Girolle and Tarragon, Steak and Kidney ( using braised cheek), Hand raised Pork Pie ( Pork Shoulder, Smoked bacon, fennel seeds and sage), or a Vegetarian offer Of Potato, Comte and Caramelised Onion with Parsley Sauce. All pies priced at £20 other than the Chicken at £22. We all individually reviewed the options, and then incredibly all came up with the same choice – 3 Chicken pies. Not good for a reviewer as I can now only comment on 3 Chickens ! 
Elsewhere on the menu there were many options from Shrimp Burgers to Fish and Chips ( £19), Rare Breed Sirloins (£34) to Holborn Beef Burgers (£24) Not untypical of any variety you would come to expect in a Brasserie, and seemingly hoping to cater for its Global Hotel guests – from couples to families.
The Pies ? Good, but not exceptionally so. Visually perfect, sitting on a vibrant Pea Purée, Pastry excellent, interior – chicken soft, good punch of Tarragon, but missing a little Oomph ? Something ? Maybe needed a stronger sauce, more girolles. Just seemed to lack something, to the extent I was thinking I could have made better at home ? Never a good thing when you paying £22 for the benefit. As mentioned, as we all went like sheep ( or chickens) for the same pie, I cannot comment on other pies, so it means a second visit to perform a proper critique. Do not misunderstand me, I enjoyed eating the pie, and it was a lovely feeling of comfort when doing so , but I just had a lingering doubt in my mind that I was expecting a little more.
Sides – nothing to shout about here !
The sides did not impress. A Green Garden Salad that went almost untouched. White Cabbage, Fennel and Apple slaw which was just boring, and Champ which is basically pimped up Irish mashed Potato. The later worked well with the Pie and Peas, but £5 for a small dish of mashed Pots ?
As reported on previous reviews, my friend A is a Dessert fiend, so whilst we were all pretty full from our Pies he was avidly perusing the sweets, anticipating dessert Pies, which were surprisingly non existent. The nearest you came to a Fruit Pie was a classic Tarte Tatin for 2 persons at £16. As an alternative he chose a Paris Brest, and with being French I realised A was the perfect Friend to ask – what is it ? . He explained that Paris – Brest was a cycling race, and the Dessert had been invented to celebrate, or commemorate this race, and in doing so was designed to resemble the wheel of a bicycle.
Paris Brest – apparently a Bicycle inspired Dessert
Basically it is a choice pastry cut open and spread with a creamy praline with hazelnuts inside and almonds outside. He enjoyed it, but he would enjoy anything sweet ! As we discussed, some people complain when they experience a sugar rush – he is the opposite – and needs to maintain the high levels of sugar in his body or he will experience a “sugar down” which could be fatal !
Not sticky enough toffee pudding
As C and I did not want to sit and watch A eat alone we ordered a Sticky Toffee Pudding to share, simply because C did not know if she liked this or not. It was served with a Tonka Bean Ice Cream, and was extremely rich, slightly overbearing on the cinnamon side, and relied heavily on its bed of caramel sauce to overcome its dryness. Ok, but not the best – not sticky enough for my liking !
Did we like the Holborn Dining Room ? Atmosphere was good for a Hotel Dining Room, and Service – especially from the Sommelier- was excellent. Food highlight for me was the Scotch Egg, Pies good, and enjoyed eating it, but a certain “ je ne sais quoi “ missing. On reflection maybe there is a certain aim towards the Hotels International guests – especially Americans as I really don’t think they are familiar with such Pies. For myself, maybe upon a return visit I can understand a little better, and would like to see the kitchens and the pie making at work. Come back Calum, your restaurant and I need you !
Rating – Food Hot Pan 3/5
– Service. Very Hot Pan 4/5
Holborn Dining Room, 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN
Tel 0207 747 8633
holborndiningroom.com