Pollen Street Social edges the restaurant concept forward and that fact alone hasn't pleased everyone. For those looking for a revolution, it isn't avant garde enough; for traditionalists who want old school fine dining, it is of course still too much. And while there's already talk of Michelin recognition, it doesn't feel like that's a primary aim of PSS either; if they get a star, we're sure it will be welcome but also incidental. So what then is Pollen Street Social all about?
First and foremost it's about enjoyment: they want to create an environment where you can have a good time around food and drink. In the age of informality, that also means creating an informal environment where you can relax: no hushed tones and whispering here, the dining room should (and does) have a buzz. The room too is light and visually interesting with contemporary art and design.
They also want people to feel more involved with the food which has, amongst other things, given rise to the no reservations dessert bar, more of that later. It also gave rise to a very extensive menu in their first week of opening with the purpose of putting the meal construction into the hands of the diners. Some found this confusing while others found that too much choice can itself get in the way of enjoyment. They listened to feedback and rapidly changed up the menu such that it is now simpler and easier to navigate.
The bar area, also called 'The Social Room' is open all day for drinks and tapas, and is likely to be your first waypoint before moving through to the dining room itself. The cocktails are broadly prohibition era but given a modern twist. The Breakfast Martini dates from the Marmalade Cocktail created in the Savoy of the 1920s, since updated by Salvatore Calabrese at the Library Bar in the 1990s and now finding itself garnished with toast and marmalade here in The Social Room. Best of all though was the Prince of Wales (see first picture below) that uses dry ice at the bottom of a goblet no less to produce a magical witches brew that pops, bubbles and overflows. It nicely captures both the lightness and serious intent of what they are trying to do here.
First and foremost it's about enjoyment: they want to create an environment where you can have a good time around food and drink. In the age of informality, that also means creating an informal environment where you can relax: no hushed tones and whispering here, the dining room should (and does) have a buzz. The room too is light and visually interesting with contemporary art and design.
They also want people to feel more involved with the food which has, amongst other things, given rise to the no reservations dessert bar, more of that later. It also gave rise to a very extensive menu in their first week of opening with the purpose of putting the meal construction into the hands of the diners. Some found this confusing while others found that too much choice can itself get in the way of enjoyment. They listened to feedback and rapidly changed up the menu such that it is now simpler and easier to navigate.
The bar area, also called 'The Social Room' is open all day for drinks and tapas, and is likely to be your first waypoint before moving through to the dining room itself. The cocktails are broadly prohibition era but given a modern twist. The Breakfast Martini dates from the Marmalade Cocktail created in the Savoy of the 1920s, since updated by Salvatore Calabrese at the Library Bar in the 1990s and now finding itself garnished with toast and marmalade here in The Social Room. Best of all though was the Prince of Wales (see first picture below) that uses dry ice at the bottom of a goblet no less to produce a magical witches brew that pops, bubbles and overflows. It nicely captures both the lightness and serious intent of what they are trying to do here.
Moving through to the light and airy dining room, we're keen to try as much as we can across the menu and sharing a number of plates seems like the obvious way to go. We start with the Fowey oysters served 'hot and cold'. The hot oyster has been poached in dashi broth and is served with the broth and with onion, and was excellent, the broth giving the dish a comfort angle not expected from an oyster. The cold 'oyster' was an oyster blended with crème anglaise and turned into an ice-cream. Served with a 'silver pearl', a brandade of cod and eel, the 'cold' makes the flavours more subtle than a pure oyster alone though it's an interesting take.
Oysters 'Hot & Cold'
The next dish is considered by many who have eaten it to be one of the stars of the menu, The English Breakfast. Centred around a slow cooked egg that just oozes a vibrant yellow yolk over the plate as you cut into it, tomatoes, bacon and mushrooms are all there making this an absolutely brilliant starter and a dish that puts a smile on your face. Taste wise, it's sensational.
English Breakfast
Two fish courses next, Light cured Loch Duart salmon, avacado, smoked herring roe cream and BBQ mackerel, cucumber chutney, frozen ajo blanco and scallop. Worth noting too is that portion sizes in both of these dishes were generous enough for any sharing scenario. Of the two, the mackerel was preferred with the BBQ flavours coming through nicely and the cucumber chutney providing a contrasting freshness.
Light cured Loch Duart salmon, avacado, smoked herring roe cream
BBQ mackerel, cucumber chutney, frozen ajo blanco and scallop
We've had a variation of the squid risotto before and were wowed by it then and we were wowed by it again today. This might turn into something of a signature dish in time and it rated as perhaps our favourite of the day. Genius.
Cauliflower and Squid, clear roasted squid juice
At the recent soft opening I had the pork belly as my main course and declared at the time that the pork may well have been the best piece of pork I'd ever had: the flavours were there in every mouthful while it retained a succulence that made eating it so easy (too easy) such that sadness dawns on you when you finish. As a sharing plate, a smaller portion today (more sadness) but still all the flavour. On top of that, the lightest crackling ever has found its way onto the plate; delicious but possibly too light, some things are supposed to be naughty. The final sharing savoury was lamb, again, excellent and developed flavours.
Pork belly
Lamb
We headed to the dessert bar where the real difficulty lies in deciding. Watching the desserts being made in front of you makes you want to try each one and while we didn't quite go that far, but we did manage a few. It's hard to pick a favourite as they are all done so well. Pre-dessert of Eton mess spruced with delectable wild strawberries certainly gets you in the mood.
The PBJ (Peanut butter & jelly) is simply excellent on both textures and flavours while the Tiramisu was fantastically indulgent. Finally, cheesecake and rhubarb that was refreshing rather than acidic. The puddings here are well thought out, well constructed and quite sophisticated offerings rather than just aiming for a bullseye on your sweet tooth. All lovely though.
The PBJ (Peanut butter & jelly) is simply excellent on both textures and flavours while the Tiramisu was fantastically indulgent. Finally, cheesecake and rhubarb that was refreshing rather than acidic. The puddings here are well thought out, well constructed and quite sophisticated offerings rather than just aiming for a bullseye on your sweet tooth. All lovely though.
PBJ
Eton mess
Tiramisu
Cheesecake & rhubarb
A trip downstairs, as required by a washroom visit reveals further elements to the restaurant including the private dining area and a glass fronted meat hanging room where the beef looks spectacular and encourages us (if indeed further encouragement were needed) to come back for the Cote de boeuf for sharing next time.
This is our second time at Pollen Street Social and we've loved it on both occasions. PSS wants to be about 'social' and 'friendly' and 'fun' and it is all those things, it is a place to go to have a good time without pretensions. It is also very good food, very serious food but food that can be enjoyed lightly. The fun element of PSS has in our view led some to underestimate the quality of cooking that's being undertaken in the kitchen, that's a shame.
In their first week of opening, there were clearly some issues, we can't comment as we weren't there, but here in week two, things are running well: food coming to the table is pretty much spot on and service too is settling down. Things are only likely to get better from here as everyone further settles into their roles and the rate of change slows. We can't help but feel that PSS is likely to be increasingly well regarded over time.
We've always enjoyed Jason Atherton's cooking and now he has his own place, he can fully deliver on his (considerable) talents without restraints. And in our opinion, Pollen Street Social achieves its aims in providing a place to go where you simply have a good time, a social time, revolving around good food and drink. On both occasions that we've been, we've left happy, with a smile on our face, mission accomplished. As such, we think it's a great addition to the London restaurant scene and we're already planning another return visit.
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In their first week of opening, there were clearly some issues, we can't comment as we weren't there, but here in week two, things are running well: food coming to the table is pretty much spot on and service too is settling down. Things are only likely to get better from here as everyone further settles into their roles and the rate of change slows. We can't help but feel that PSS is likely to be increasingly well regarded over time.
We've always enjoyed Jason Atherton's cooking and now he has his own place, he can fully deliver on his (considerable) talents without restraints. And in our opinion, Pollen Street Social achieves its aims in providing a place to go where you simply have a good time, a social time, revolving around good food and drink. On both occasions that we've been, we've left happy, with a smile on our face, mission accomplished. As such, we think it's a great addition to the London restaurant scene and we're already planning another return visit.
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