The Holy Birds

2 Reviews on “The Holy Birds”

• Cook & Pour

  The Holy Birds is an interesting name. I am sure it is steeped in history or is a great story to tell but having worked for restaurants for years in marketing, I tend to ignore these tools of the marketing trade and head straight for the offering. What is the food and drink saying? With Holy Birds, there is much more to say than just about the food and drink though. So, you happen upon a forgotten part of Spitalfields. It is not quite Devonshire Terrace and not quite Bishopsgate. But hey, that’s a good thing. Its ‘space; individuality ensures the crowd are carefully curated. No drunkards working their way down a high street of venues, no flashy city boys keeping in with the in place, just a super slick secret tucked away nicely. You enter the entrance and you are immediately drawn to the row of colourful phones. It’s like being a kid at the supermarket check out, all those sweets you want to touch. You try to curb the urge, but you want to know if they are working or take a quick selfie with these cool objects straight out of a 1960’s TV set. The fear got the better of me and chose not to touch it and I am not one for selfies, so I just opted for a instagram worthy shot my friends and followers would dig. The ground floor space is big with a open kitchen and dining space to the right and a large lounge bar to the left. This is the tip of the iceberg, but let’s start at the beginning and work our way through. The restaurant is a good size with well spaced table. I must say I am not a fan of tables where you are almost on top of the person you are no actually dining with. There is something to be said for personal space and the fact that this place honours it, is a big plus. Built for couples or small groups, the room gives you a good view of everything that matters; the kitchen and the bar. Partner with that with a wicked funk soundtrack, you are really onto a good start. So the food and drink menu. There is a cocktail menu which I imagine the bar team have worked tirelessly on. A solid amount of classics versus new fusions appear to wet the pallete before dinner or seal the deal as a digestif. My recommendation is that you dine in the restaurant and take yourself into the bar, so you can see first hand as the gorgeous boys translate their passion into theatrics. Having played it safe with a starter of wine, we ordered our starters which was for me, a cheese lovefest. I love cheese. In fact, to be more precise, I love blue cheese. So my starter of Shirred Hen Egg, Beenleigh Blue and Spinach was devine. All hot and bothered with chives sprinkled on top with a side of sour dough bread. If I was certain i would not be returning someday, I would have dipped my finger in it. Oh the sensuality of this dish. Yum. I felt for my dining companion who ordered Heritage carrots, roasted parsnips, curd and curry oil salad. It appeared like hers would be bordering boring in comparison to mine, but apparently it was a wee unassuming salad which packed some punch. So fresh and so clean clean (that’s a song lyric). I was excited, not because of the sensual cheese experience but because the bar was set for the mains. It would have been so easy for me to go for chicken, it is my go-to dish after all, but as is the case recently, I shook things up with duck. Roast duck breast (tender and pink), butternut squash (lush) and chicory tatin (a welcoming bitter partner to the sweetness of the butternut). Miss thang went for a half rotisserie chicken with hand cut chips and gravy. The moistness of this birds meat was on point (I am talking about the chicken). You see a theme here (not the sexual inuendo), but the appreciation of what The Holy Bird has granted us with. I pray this will never end, but it did. Table cleared and a pukka old fashioned later, we went a tour. Yes, this is where the ‘more than food and drink’ comes into play. Underneath this ground floor fabulousness is a groovy lounge bar which is not dissimilar to a members lounge where you would hope you are part of the in crowd. Not because its elitist, as this vibe was majorly inclusive but because its that cool place you search for which no body knows. You walk down some stairs in the quiet, then open doors into a hype of smooth activity. Cheeky chicas and funky menfolk stand around with cocktails, perch on sofa arms, lounge on sofas and pretty much look like they are here for the eve. As if that wasn’t enough, there is a wee private dining room which may well be where I celebrate my 30th (cough).This is probably the longest review I have written in a while and it’s because I am sold. I dig this spot to the max. It is near home and work. My mates would love it. It ticks a lot of boxes. A big yes from me!! cookandpour.co.uk

  June 8, 2017, 4:05 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Alice Gee

  We attended the first night of their discounted soft launch so there still a few minor hiccups in service. It’s a glam looking space with a 60s feel and a stunning chandelier. Cool retro soundtrack focused on 60s soul. Acoustics amazingly good even with music playing in the background. Flatteringly dim lighting but enough to read the menu by. Nice space.There was a bit of a wait for our shared starter of pigeon and almond bastilla, but hey, we went on opening night. I am sure that will get sorted out soon enough. The bastilla was tasty and served piping hot, much to the delight of my companion who is very fussy about food temperature. It wasn’t altogether a traditional version of the dish, but not really a bad thing. I remember eating authentic versions in Morocco that were much sweeter and contained more cinnamon. This one was only very subtly sweet, but I liked that. Also the traditional recipes call for pies full of little bones making an old fashioned bastilla really difficult to eat. This one had been thankfully de-boned. Served with a little rocket and radish salad on the side. Very nice. I am glad we shared it because it would have been rather rich for one person.For a main I had the char grilled whole quail with blackened onion. Both elements were clean, tasty and tender having been cooked on the grill. The quail had been removed from the crown, making it muss less fussy to eat than expected. Holy Bird is really good at making fiddly food easy to eat. I would have preferred a contrasting sauce such as chimichurri with this dish rather than the pan gravy it came with.My companion had the half rotisserie chicken. This was one of the best roast chickens we have eaten. There is a choice of three brines (he chose garlic and herbs). Meat was very tender and well seasoned, having been brined. Skin was a beautiful thin crispy texture too.For sides we had the sauteed mushrooms and duck fat potatoes. Duck fat potatoes were dull. Roasted skin on new potatoes tossed in the duck fat. The mushrooms were meaty quarters of large portobellos and very nice. Though I think the dish could be improved by serving it with more parsley and a wedge of lemon.I liked all of the food, but my only criticism is that the flavors were all in the brown and comforting spectrum. Both poultry mains would have been lifted with a little bit of dipping sauce that added some excitement with acidity or heat. A little bit of salsa verde, romesco, zhoug or toum would have lifted the mains to the next level.The quaffable house red was 20 a bottle.

  February 28, 2017, 1:40 pm

  Log in to Reply