Kitchen at Holmes

Grilled octopus on a bed of romesco at Kitchen at Holmes
Grilled octopus on a bed of romesco

From Downing to Oxford. Abbey to Regent. London has many streets known around the world. For fans of a good mystery and saxophone solos, you’ll also be familiar with one Baker Street. It is here nestled in the heart of Marylebone village you can find Kitchen at Holmes, an award winning all-day Mediterranean restaurant and bar that nods to our nation’s favourite fictional consulting detective, without overdoing it.

With open fireplaces (and kitchen), warm lighting and white marble, I couldn’t help but relax straight into my evening. The bowler hat, signature pipe shaped cocktail glasses kept up appearances of the address, but the Mediterranean influence is strong enough to almost take you away from a British night in January. A fact confirmed when browsing the menu. Led by Head Chef Stefano Motta his à la carte menu is inspired by the seasons, his dishes are full of vibrant and colourful flavours simply organised by the land, field and sea. Stefano has created a menu that takes a classic dish and adds a fusion of Modern European and Mediterranean influences.

If the food is Sherlock, what is the Watson? In this case it would be the also seasonal cocktail menu curated by Bar Manager Giuseppe Corallo. It is here the evening really began.

Sampling a Holmes’ signature – Windsor, a sophisticated flute of Monkey 47 gin, orange and rosemary shrub topped with champagne and decorated with edible paint. And a Holmes’ classic – Holmes Melody, Titos vodka, chambord, apple and cranberry juice garnished with cucumber ribbons. One sharp, one refreshing, something about cocktails makes ordering so much easier.

Deep fried padron peppers at Kitchen at Holmes
Deep fried padron peppers

The menu offers a range of starters and small plates. You could easily spend an evening tapas style and not be spoilt for choice. But knowing the mains were on the way, my guest and I restrained ourselves to a modest four plates. The evening’s special of deep fried padron peppers (my absolute favourite tapa for anyone taking notes) seasoned with sea salt, and dukkah cuttlefish croquettes with tabasco mayo. Grilled octopus on a bed of romesco, burnt leeks and zaatar which could almost be a main itself; this beast could have a sea shanty sung about it. And finally, another strong tapa dish, morcon iberico. These succulent cuts were served with a refreshing dried grape and acorn chutney.

Well and truly started, the mains landed. At this point it is worth noting the knowledge and attentiveness of the service at Kitchen at Holmes. Set with the challenge of finding a nice bottle of red that could pair and balance the sort of similar choices of… veal cutlet with cavolo nero and green harissa (which I will be thinking about for a long time yet) and sea trout with puy lentils and salsa verde. Our host for the evening, completely unphased, provided two options! I feel I made the right choice, selecting the medium bodied Marie Antoinette, Corbieres – Aubert & Mathieu 2021, as it naturally favoured the veal. Or at least so I was told.

Kitchen at Holmes seemed to be serving up my favourites from start to finish. Rounding out the evening with a solitary (by choice) scoop of pistachio ice cream, unbeatable. More decadence was certainly on offer in the style of a tiramisu or white chocolate and lemon panna cotta, but it seemed it is for bigger stomachs than mine to explore. Or perhaps I’ll just go easy on the starters next time.

This is fine dining without too much of the fluff. You can feel equally at home for a date, dinner with friends or just stopping by for a drink or two. Especially as those days start getting longer, Kitchen at Holmes has two terraces to enjoy, one is somewhat of a secret, so be sure to book.

You know my methods. I would wrap this up with a Sherlock based pun, but like this fine establishment. I won’t overdo it.

The Details

Kitchen at Homes, 108 Baker Street, London. W1U 6LJ, England.

Tel: +44(0)207 958 5210

Website: www.kitchenatholmes.co.uk

Email: info@kitchenatholmes.co.uk

Located inside the Holmes Hotel on Baker Street in the heart of Marylebone Village with the closest Tube station being Baker Street on the Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. The restaurant is open Thursday to Saturday from 5:00pm to 9:15pm.

Type of Restaurant: Mediterranean Fusion Restaurant

Price Band: Medium

Insider Tip: I love a seat by the action. Try and get a good view of the kitchen.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10

Author Bio:

Sam Brady is a London based freelance writer and photographer covering travel and lifestyle.

Photographs courtesy of Kitchen at Holmes and by Sam Brady

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