UK Cigar Scene Magazine December Issue 12 | Page 26

The new Rosewood Hotel
London Cigar Terrace
I have rarely enjoyed a warmer and more
comfortable half an hour on a cigar terrace
in the UK than I enjoyed at the Holborn
dining room this week.
I have to say that when the photographs of the
newly re-launched terrace at Holborn’s Rosewood
Hotel arrived I blew them up on my PC and
wondered how such a beautiful and obviously
carefully designed and realised new terrace had
been created without any heating.
I searched the picture, I could see lights I could
even see speakers but there was no evidence of
heating. Now I know we are enjoying a warmer
than usual start to the British winter but not to put
in heating? And then I accepted an invitation from
Bar Manager Matt Sloper to pop over and take a
proper look.
When I arrived Matt carefully ushered me into one
of the bench seats which run around the outside
of the terrace and I got it, in fact I was sitting on it!
The beautiful bespoke wooden benches, created
by specialist furniture makers Benchmark, have
an amazing four stage heating system built into
them. It was a cool evening and the heaters were
only on level three I was told, and I was toasting
nicely with the warmth rising through my body
beautifully.
This is a spot you could easily enjoy a Siglo VI on a
chilly day without the slightest risk of the shivers.

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The new terrace project has been created by award
winning, landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei. It
is designed to work all year round and to change
with the seasons. The food, the soft furnishings
everything is seasonal and the beautiful London
plane trees in huge planters around, indeed inside
the terrace will provide shade and shadow in the
warmer months.
Being currently the British winter, although
currently in a fairly mild form, the menu created
by Des McDonald and his highly experienced
team, includes sharing hot pots and other
warming fare, the drinks menu includes options
such as hot toddies, hot buttered rum, spiced
Somerset cider, mulled wine and British whiskeys.
Matt is a cigar lover himself and comes from a
Mayfair Club land background where he had
considerable experience so he is keen to build up
the cigar element of the business and with such a
warm and welcoming terrace in the very heart of
‘Legal London’ I suspect he will do very well. The
humidor contains a selection of regular favourites
and the next door Scarfes Bar has a floor to ceiling
whisky cabinet that would take a normal mortal
many years sampling to work through.
So it is with great pleasure that I welcome
another truly all year terrace to the UK Cigar
Scene. Whether you come to eat at the wonderful
restaurant and head out for a night cap and a cigar
or go straight for the terrace I know we are going to
be very happy and cosy here.
The Rosewood Terrace
252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Open Monday to Sunday: 11am - late