Review: Noble Rot, Holborn

This was supposed to be a review of Noble Rot’s new place in Soho. But someone booked the wrong branch. I can’t get huffy. It was our friends who booked, for a long overdue get together, but then COVID went all tier-2 on us and mixed meet-ups were suddenly outlawed. Our friends were lovely as ever and let us keep the table. At the wrong restaurant. Hmf. Okay, tiny bit huffy.

For the record: I’m joking. We’ve only been to Noble Rot in Lambs Conduit St for a glass of wine before, so it was a new place to eat anyway and worth a review. I can confirm the seats are uncomfortably basic, with the slightly raised wooden edge that puts your legs to sleep after an hour or so. Okay for a glass of wine, less so for three courses. The wine choices by the glass were great, as you’d hope.

Maureen started with a slip sole in smoky paprika butter. Lovely little fish, good grunt of flavour in the butter. My starter of smoked eel, boiled egg and celeriac remoulade couldn’t help being delicious; a slice of smoked eel makes everything delicious.

My main was the star of the evening. Beautifully roast pheasant, gamey and the breast was good and squidgy. Plentiful bread sauce for the perfect savoury accompaniment, super-scrunchy roast pots cooked in duck fat, and a dollop of quince jelly just to make the smile on my face even broader.

Maureen’s turbot was excellent too, cooked just translucent and served on a bed of 50/50 butter-to-potato mash, simple braised leek and a creamy white wine sauce. Totally classic and very good, though so insanely rich that her eyes began to bug out with that “this is going to kill me” look over the last mouthfuls. Pear and almond tart with a dollop of sturdy clotted cream was an excellent finisher.

You’re looking at £45 for three courses without drinks. And really that’s the only issue. The cooking at Noble Rot is excellent, it’s straight-forward classics done very well. I just struggle to quite square it into that price bracket.