Time and money has been well spent in revamping The Square Pig in Holborn. The pubs in that area of town do tend to be quaint and dated and it’s a smart move to make The Square Pig stand out amongst the crowded market place. The upstairs bar is light and airy with an obligatory terrace area for the smokers.
Although if you visit after work, I would swerve this area, as workers tend to crowd around the bar along with their boisterous banter. Preference would be for the quieter, calmer lounge area downstairs, where you can enjoy decent conversation along with their refreshed modern-day menu.
The menu has a decent mixture of the pub classics and the modern-day healthy updates. For starters, I went for the diet-conscious option of seared tuna. It came with healthy doses of avocado, roquito peppers, tomato, coriander and a chipotle lime dressing. The colour was beautifully pink and tasted invitingly fresh.
In terms of the main course, I went the other direction and opted for an indulgent sounding smokehouse burger which had dreamy pulled pork with tasty homebrewed BBQ sauce. Size-wise, it isn’t the biggest burger you will ever see, but it does come with maple bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and house-seasoned fries.
Luckily, the desserts were likewise petite in size, as it would have meant a compulsory trip to the gym post-dinner if I had consumed 5 full-sized donut balls. The dough was incredibly crunchy and warm with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar and came with a salted caramel dip.
Service was of the knowledgeable and welcoming tip with the bar staff walking around offering free shooters for the lounge guests as well as speaking confidently about their favourite foods from the menu.
This is an ideal pub for local workers to gather for lunch or post-work or for the theatre-goers of the West End for a pre or post-theatre meal. I would just avoid the noisy upstairs area where possible and head for the relaxed and welcoming lounge in the basement.
baldwin@townfish.com