Kitchen at Holmes — Restaurant in London

Kitchen at Holmes is a restaurant in Baker Street offering all day dining inspired by seasonal produce. The bar area as you enter has a sophisticated yet homely feel (no pun intended!) with DJs playing background music. We started off our evening with cocktails on the sofa!

The cocktail menu is fairly limited but you can ask the bar staff to make one of their own creations or one of your favourites. We were drawn to the Sherlock’s Pipe (aptly named after Mr Holmes himself) served with Talisker, Campari, Johnny Walker Black, Smoked Vermouth and Pimento Dram (£13). It is served in a theatrical way with a dome revealing hazes of smoke! This eventually leave the pipe for you to drink out of!

We also tried the KT time (£12) served with Beefeater Gin, St Germain, Plum Bitters, Hibiscus Syrup and Cranberry and Lime Juice. This is a herbal and fruity cocktail blending hibiscus and elderflower. This was a lighter and fresher option compare to the Sherlock’s Pipe but both made for a good aperitif before dinner.

If you don’t fancy a formal sit down dinner, the bar offers a selection of smaller plates including Jerusalem Pitta, vegetable crudities and zucchini. We tried the Jamon Croquettes with aloli and nutmeg (£8) and the Aubergine Tempura (£7) with yoghurt and dukkha.

The dinner menu is split into raw, aged and smoked, stirfry, pan or roasted, grill and sides. From the Fritti section we had the Chipirones (baby squid) with lime mayo (£9). I actually prefer larger calamari but it was still tasty. We also opted for the Ibérico Bellota 5 J Pan de cristal with tomato bread (£ 16) from the aged and smoked section. It sure was mourish!

From the pan or roasted section we were recommended the buffalo ricotta ravioli with black truffle (£19). No wonder this was a recommendation as it was one of the best pasta dishes I have tasted. The ricotta was SO fresh, the ravioli was slightly al dente and the black truffle just completed the dish. A really solid choice.

From the grill section we had the wagyu rump steak 180 g (£16) served with a side of chips (£4). This might sound strange but I’m not actually sure I’m a huge fan of wagyu as it has a slightly different taste and texture to it. We also had it cooked medium and perhaps should have gone for medium rare. Whilst it was still tasty, the pasta was the winning dish. The chips were a very large portion and crispy and fluffy inside.

We just about had enough room for dessert mainly because we couldn’t resist the Chocolate Orange Fiesta served with yoghurt ice cream (£7). Served almost like a fondant, it had a subtle orange taste and the yoghurt ice cream topped it off.

Kitchen at Holmes is a great bar and restaurant in Baker Street offering an eclectic menu in comfortable surroundings. Given the area and the quality of the food, the menu is reasonably priced. We were also impressed with the service which was great from the beginning. Definitely grab a couple of cocktails at the bar and have an...

One review with no name and no comments has given this restaurant a 1 star feedback! In my opinion this restaurant deserves SIX stars. One issue that I have noticed with reviews is that most people read them, “after the event”. The second problem is what I would call “expectations”! If you are used to eat at your local fish-and-chips, kebab, pizza place or restaurant, this is not the place for you. I have read negative comments left by clients on superb restaurants only because customers didn’t have a clue about food. Location is excellent; central London just 2 minutes from Baker Street station. Décor is elegant and part of the experience. The kitchen is open plan and one can view what the chefs are doing. Service is smart and competent. Almost impossible to find any faults for this place and the exquisite dishes. We tried nine different dishes and all delightful. Prawns + scallops + tuna carpaccio, Tempura aubergines, fresh sole, Wagyu beef, courgettes strips and more. The Wagyu beef might have not been one of the best that I have eaten but it was very well cooked and tender. Important to remember that there are different grades of Wagyu beef and some are charged at £200+ per 100grams. Overall, it remained a fantastic meal. Ideal location for romantic dinner, friends or...

We came here specifically for the festive feast menu (as advertised on the website) but when we arrived and we’re presented with just the a la carte menu. We were told the festive menus (which are separate to the Christmas Day and New Year menus) were available for Christmas Day only. I checked the website and this was not clear at all, as it says ‘This Christmas, we have a number of exclusive feast menus that are perfect for get-togethers with colleagues and friends during the festive period’. ‘Festive period’ would imply that it’s not just Christmas Day that these would be available.

A second staff member who was serving us informed us that there is in fact a sharing set menu available which we weren’t informed about when presented with the a la carte menu. Perhaps the first staff member had forgotten. This menu was of great value: £28.99pp for four sharing starters, one main and one dessert. We also added a carafe of red wine for £20 between us.

Standout dishes were the polenta and seasonal mushrooms and chicken thigh pizzaiola.

Overall, we enjoyed the food (although the pumpkin flan wasn’t to our taste) and it’s a nice venue but we were disappointed by the unclear website, lack of festive menu available and being informed late about the...