Any regular reader of this blog should be aware that it ain’t what it used to be. I hardly post restaurant reviews anymore. In fact, I hardly post at all.
The reason behind my lack of online activity is because of significant (and mostly extremely good) changes to my home and work life. Nonetheless, I keep this tikichris thing going. Having a blog comes in handy. It’s become a small fry extra income side hustle. Plus, I don’t want to be without a blog if any potentially amazing idea ever hits and I simply must share my blather about it with the world.
That’s not what this review of the Colonel Saab restaurant is. Rather, it’s a chance for me to hone my chops, share an experience with folks who might be interested, and write for the sake of writing at a rare moment when I have the downtime to do so.
When an invitation landed in my inbox asking if I’d like to visit for review this upscale Indian restaurant in Holborn. I realised I had the time to visit and to write about the restaurant. Also, it was a high time for date night with my partner. Stars aligned, I agreed to visit.
Where’s a bit of “wow” factored into the design of the dining room with excess of art and bric a brac adorning almost all available wall space here. It’s kind like a Berners Tavern/Dishoom mashup – pleasant enough as it aims (and mostly succeeds) at striking a tone of splendour.
Food was tasty, some of it especially so.
Creamy almond soup with Malabar smoked duck (£7.95) had a subtle but undeniably present fiery undertone that would have me slurping it again on a subsequent visit. Purani Dilli (mini samosas with masala chickpea, orange zest and pomegranate, £9.95) was yummy too! An unexpected hit that actually could create a hankering for me to return was the Cauliflower 65 (£9.95), a plate of batter-fried cauliflower purportedly flavoured with a mix of 65 spices. A more expectedly savoured dish was Colonal Saab’s “Tooni” smoked lamb shank (£26.95). Robustly flavoursome meat fell off the bone and all but melted in my mouth with every bite.
Cocktails pleased as well. I enjoyed a Memsaab (Bulleit Bourbon with pepper and soda, £16.95) followed by an Old Fashioned.
Dessert options looked good, but … well, keep reading.
A Word about Service
I’m going to moan a little about service at Colonel Saab. However, I should say upfront that service here was no worse than I’ve experienced at a plurality of eateries since Brexit rocked the hospitality industry or indeed no worse that at probably the majority of places where I’ve dined since Covid-19 did its double whammy on this same sector. Something always seems to get overlooked these days … or take longer than it normally should … or isn’t available at the moment … or simply isn’t being done in the same efficient way anyone living in London might have come to expect during the previous 15 years of dining in this city.
Still, I feel I should mention that service was a little lopsided during our visit. Upon entering the restaurant, a flurry of staff descended upon us. Hardly before we had a chance to take a breath we were being asked about coats and what we wanted to drink, being handed menus before we could settle into our seats.
Starters, main dishes and sides were served efficiently and presented in an attractive manner. But then when our main course was finished, it took a while for our table to be cleared. Asked if we would like to see dessert menus, we agreed – and then waited and waited and waited and then eventually decided simply to seek out (as in get up out of our seats to find) a member of staff and leave without having the opportunity to order dessert, after dinner coffee etc. It would have been nice to have been looked after as attentively throughout the entirety of the dining experience not be left hanging for more than 10 minutes after we’d finished our main course and been asked if we would like to order dessert.
Please note! I’m not singling Colonel Saab out. As I said service seems to be similarly so-so across London. And I’m definitely not saying don’t go there. Go there! Enjoy the food and the art on the walls. Have a few drinks. Just be aware it suffers the same Brexit/Covid hiccups as so many places seem to do.
Colonel Saab is located at 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD. Find out more at colonelsaab.co.uk.
