Holborn Dining Room
It was a bank holiday so, naturally, the forecast was rain. But not till midday so we set off to central London to go on one of the excellent London walks; chosen carefully to terminate very near to the Rosewood Hotel where a table had been booked for lunch at the Holborn Dining Room. The attraction, naturally, was gin. 400 bottles of it to be precise.
Add 27 different tonics, including their own signature tonic, and that’s 14,035 possible pairings, I’m reliably informed.
We scuttled in just as the rain started a relentless beat and surveyed the large space. The Holborn Dining Room is a brasserie with décor that is a cross between London gentleman’s club and Manhattan speakeasy; red leather seating, oak, antique mirrors and copper topped bars. Nice.
We hauled ourselves onto bar stools, placed our elbows on the beautiful copper topped bar and stared longingly at the huge array of gins. The choice was daunting. Our anxiety was witnessed by the head bartender who slid over and proffered help. It turned out his name was Simone Marvulli and had tasted all 400 gins and could recommend a good match tonic wise. “But I prefer whisky,” he solemnly intoned. “What a waste,” we replied, as one.
First up for me was Death’s Door from America, which was, paired with Fentiman’s 19:05 Herbal Tonic Water. It was skillfully garnished with cucumber, mint and lemongrass and looked as good as it tasted. I was accompanied by Mrs. Gin who, after much deliberation selected Williams Chase Seville Orange. Simone mixed in Fentiman’s Light Tonic and garnished it with a twist of orange peel, a slice of dried orange and, with an artistic flourish, sprayed orange oil over the ensemble. Oohs and aahs greeted the performance and the taste. It disappeared with alarming speed.
At this point we were scheduled to sit at a table for lunch but were enjoying ourselves so much we cancelled the table and ate at the bar. And had more gin, of course.
Next up for me was a gin closer to home; I chose Brecon Botanicals from Wales. This was matched with the recently launched Merchant Heart Tonic , an excellent choice. Mrs. Gin went for Opihr which Simone paired with Peter Spantons Lemongrass tonic garnished with cinnamon, whole red chillis and dried lemon. Very sub-continent and very exquisite.
It’s not cheap and I am tempted to say you get what you pay for but that’s not always true. I recently had a G&T for the same price at a nearby establishment (at a station) where the gin was sloshed into a glass, ice thrown in, a tatty garnish plonked on top and the glass and bottle of tonic launched unceremoniously onto the bar. At the Holborn Dining Room the drink is crafted in the manner of a serious cocktail, and made into an occasion. We vowed to return. I think we will save it for a rainy day.
