My introduction to Pollen St Social was through a private function. It had been a memorable event, made even more special by the restaurant’s superb cooking and service. I had enjoyed the experience so much that I went home and made a booking for a more leisurely lunch in the restaurant with a friend a couple of weeks later.
Pollen Street Social, Jason Atherton’s new venture, is fine dining with a difference – it’s relaxed, informal and fun. The whole atmosphere is indeed ‘social’. From a cocktail at the bar and the relaxed approach to dining ‘one course, no problem’; the main restaurant for a more formal meal; or just a dessert and coffee at the dessert bar everybody is made to feel welcome.
The décor is relaxed, fun and elegant – large windows, lots of wood, simple banquettes and chairs and expensive-looking art work. The table linens a soft white and of a slightly more open weave than the usual fine dining establishments add to the less formal atmosphere.
The cooking is amazing but not only that, by the end of the meal the front of house staff are your new best friends – yet they are still utterly professional and never over-familiar. From the reservation team, the warm greetings from reception, to the attentive wine waiters and the fantastically helpful head sommelier Laure Patry, to the restaurant waiters under the direction of Martin Renshaw and his assistant Amy they all have the ability to make you feel you are a special guest.
We were lucky enough to have a table in the main restaurant close to the delectable dessert bar and not too far from the kitchen so we could watch the team of chefs finalising their dishes, under the watchful eye of Head Chef Paul Hood, and the waiters heading to the kitchen on the summons of ‘Service’!
Menus change regularly so there is not too much point in eulogising over each dish, but the slow cooked egg and chorizo ‘potatas bravas ‘ had us both asking for more of the excellent bread to mop it up. The roasted Creedy Carver duck was amazingly succulent and delicious. And as for the chocolate tiramisu with its cup of hot mocha chocolate on the side – I sigh at its memory – just heavenly.
The set lunch menu is fantastic value at £22 for two courses, £25.50 for three. We ate from the £22 menu but chose our dessert from the dessert menu which averages out at £8 per item, adjourning to the dessert bar to watch them being assembled. Our wine by the glass was £10.50 each.
If we had a criticism it was that when service was in full swing it was rather noisy, epecially for anybody trying to have a quiet tête à tête.
Jason Atherton opened Pollen Street Social in April 2011 and was swiftly awarded a well-deserved Michelin star. He says of Pollen Street that it has allowed him to create exactly the sort of restaurant that he would love to eat, drink and socialise in, not only for special occasions, but also for simple everyday affairs. He just wants people to come and have fun. He has, and they do! A.H.
Pollen Street Social. 8/10 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NQ Tel. +44(0)20 7290 7600. www.pollenstreetsocial.com