It has been a year now since Pollen Street Social opened its doors to the public and it has, without doubt, been a success story - even a bank holiday lunch time sees every table occupied. What's more, chef-patron Jason Atherton has achieved we think his goal of making the restaurant a 'social' space offering Michelin standard food without Michelin standard stuffiness.
Our return visit to Pollen Street Social was driven by a desire to try the tasting menu, something that was unavailable in the early days when the small plates concept was available. With some guests finding this tricky for the usual small plate reasons like how much to order, how to share a slow cooked egg etc, the menu now is a more recognisable format of starters, mains and desserts so the tasting menu is a welcome addition.
The menu dishes have also changed somewhat as both customer feedback and the restaurant's increasing confidence shape the menu. Certain favourites are still there such as the cauliflower & squid which is featured on the tasting menu and is in itself reason enough for a visit to PSS since it is as clever as it is tasty replacing rice in a risotto with diced squid. The dessert bar also continues to thrive with most of the original desserts having survived, though as we found with the Eton mess, one year on it has become a somewhat more elegant dish.
The menu too is an interesting one, not least because of the Asian influences that are in dishes. The French quail for example come with mirin pickled vegetables while the miso braised leg is one of the highlights of the meal. Another highlight is undoubtedly the 50 day aged pure breed Black Angus rib-eye that came alongside the braised ox-cheek: it's one of the best pieces of beef you're likely to eat. The ox-cheek itself made for a fabulous dish, so tender it's a wonder how it holds its form on the plate, but plated alongside the 50 day aged rib-eye, it hardly puts up a fight. With the likes of Goodman now dominating the steak scene in London, it's nice to see somewhere like PSS hitting back with such a quality offering.
Our return visit to Pollen Street Social was driven by a desire to try the tasting menu, something that was unavailable in the early days when the small plates concept was available. With some guests finding this tricky for the usual small plate reasons like how much to order, how to share a slow cooked egg etc, the menu now is a more recognisable format of starters, mains and desserts so the tasting menu is a welcome addition.
The menu dishes have also changed somewhat as both customer feedback and the restaurant's increasing confidence shape the menu. Certain favourites are still there such as the cauliflower & squid which is featured on the tasting menu and is in itself reason enough for a visit to PSS since it is as clever as it is tasty replacing rice in a risotto with diced squid. The dessert bar also continues to thrive with most of the original desserts having survived, though as we found with the Eton mess, one year on it has become a somewhat more elegant dish.
The menu too is an interesting one, not least because of the Asian influences that are in dishes. The French quail for example come with mirin pickled vegetables while the miso braised leg is one of the highlights of the meal. Another highlight is undoubtedly the 50 day aged pure breed Black Angus rib-eye that came alongside the braised ox-cheek: it's one of the best pieces of beef you're likely to eat. The ox-cheek itself made for a fabulous dish, so tender it's a wonder how it holds its form on the plate, but plated alongside the 50 day aged rib-eye, it hardly puts up a fight. With the likes of Goodman now dominating the steak scene in London, it's nice to see somewhere like PSS hitting back with such a quality offering.
crispy pork skin & apple sauce
Sicillian olives & brandade
Wye Valley asparagus salad, Colchester brown crab, pomelo, coriander
Scallop ceviche, cucumber, radish, yuzu soy dressing, apple
Cauliflower & squid, clear roasted squid juice, sea herbs
French quail, miso braised leg, mirin pickled spring vegetables
French quail with mirin pickled spring vegetables
Miso braised leg
liver parfait on brioche
Wild sea bass, coco bean, squid & langoustine "minestrone"
Before... 50 day aged Black Angus
After... braised Scottish ox cheek, 50 day aged pure breed Black Angus rib-eye, crispy potato, onion Lyonnaise
... with parsley beef broth added
Pineapple & kaffir lime granita, lychee foam
Eton mess, wild & gariguette strawberries, basil ash meringue
chocolate pave, mango sorbet
One year on, PSS is really in its stride. There's more chefs in the kitchen, there's fewer tables on the floor and any FOH issues from the very early days are gone, everything has come together now to provide an extremely elegant meal but in relaxed surroundings. The food standard, high from day one, has nevertheless improved further and everything we tried on the tasting menu was expertly done leading to a very satisfying meal.
It's easy to forget that Pollen Street Social is just a year old, still relatively new then, but already a well loved addition to the London restaurant scene. If like us you visited PSS in the early days but haven't been back for a while, it's definitely worth going back to see what's new. If however you have yet to visit PSS, well, you should, it really is very good.
Return to homepage
related links
Pollen Street Social (April 2011)
Pollen Street Social website
It's easy to forget that Pollen Street Social is just a year old, still relatively new then, but already a well loved addition to the London restaurant scene. If like us you visited PSS in the early days but haven't been back for a while, it's definitely worth going back to see what's new. If however you have yet to visit PSS, well, you should, it really is very good.
Return to homepage
related links
Pollen Street Social (April 2011)
Pollen Street Social website
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