42 Holborn — Restaurant in London

This is a new restaurant around central London and I must say overall experience was alright and there is definitely lots to improve here. The manager acknowledged them as well and I am hoping whoever visits this place in the future could see the improvement.

First of all, the atmosphere and interior were exceptional! The Christmas tree by the entrance was just mind blowing.

Talking about the service, staffs were quite attentive and food were served pretty swiftly. However, I wasn’t amazed by the way the staff cleaning our old dishes and also the way they bring the dirty plates to the cleaning area. It was loud and didn’t feel professional enough.

Right with the food, there was review saying bread was homemade and to die for. We ordered the sourdough bread and was disappontment where the inside of the bread was pretty dry and didn’t feel it was homemade. Little disappointed the staff told us it was how Turkish sourdough was made. We weren’t impressed with this. My tuna tartare was alright didn’t taste too exceptional. The Burrata was pretty fresh though the rest side lack of flavour to complement this. Think the garlic prawn was the only that tasted alright. The main dishes: the salmon dish was really healthy cooking and my steak was quite small thin but cooked beautifully. The side dishes were definitely poorly executed. Green beans and mushrooms were too oily and creamy spinach was really spinach dipped with cream.

The manager told us they will improve and I do hope the food presentation could be improved and the method...

A Disappointing Galentine’s at 42 Holborn – Avoid!

I rarely write reviews, but after my experience at 42 Holborn, I feel compelled to warn others. A group of us went here for Galentine’s, expecting a fun night with good food, but it was nothing short of disappointing.

Let’s start with the starters—bland, uninspired, and not worth the price. The olives tasted cheap (honestly, the ones from M&S would’ve been better). The salmon tartare was forgettable, the beef bresaola lacked flavor, and the tomato and avocado bruschetta was a joke—barely any avocado, which was the whole reason I ordered it! The only thing remotely decent was the potato croquette.

The mains were just as underwhelming. The Galician octopus was tiny and dry, and the grilled salmon? Somehow, they managed to ruin salmon—something I didn’t think was possible! The only thing I truly enjoyed was the side of chips, and let’s be real, it’s hard to mess up chips.

Even the drinks were a letdown. My pornstar martini was way too sour, though I will give them some credit for having a bottle of Moscato, which was delicious (a rare find on a menu). But one decent wine does not make up for an overall terrible dining experience.

If you’re considering going to 42 Holborn, don’t. There are far better places in London where you can spend your money and actually enjoy your meal. You’ve...

Lovely restaurant, with lovely food. I attended a private party in the private area. The restaurant generally wasn't too busy for a Saturday evening. The food took some time to come out (but there were many of us) the food was nice, although the dessert was too rich for me. I love dessert but I couldn't manage it. Unfortunately, the bathrooms are all the way down, on -1, so if you're in the private area, which is quite a lot of steps up already, it is quite a climb. Staff are pleasant, and the floor space in the main restaurant is spacious. The prices are reasonable for London. If you're having a private party, check what the rules are around volume because the volume of the Mic and music were very low and I wasn't sure if this was a choice of the celebrants or restaurant but I highly doubt the celebrant wanted this. The space is not completely closed off and so I can imagine the concern would be around noise reaching the main restaurant, so don't expect a mini party, but more a dining experience. The ambience was very nice. Apparently, there was nearby parking (as an evening visitor), but I didn't want to risk it and took the train, and it was about 2 minutes walk from Holborn underground. I would go back, but more for...