Pollen Street Social, London

This is chef’s Jason Atherton’s first venture on his own after joining the exodus of chefs leaving Gordon Ramsay’s stable.

Since opening Pollen Street Jason has certainly made his mark on the London culinary scene.  First of all in this years ‘Good Food Guide’ he was awarded a score of 8/10 and was the highest ‘New Entry’ in the guide, in at number 8.  He also received a Michelin Star this year for his endeavours.

When I booked the table the restaurant was fully booked but I could get a table ‘in the bar’, the full menu would be available.  I was expecting a high stool at the bar so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact a table.

Jason was behind the pass today.

Table in the Bar

The restaurant was very busy.  Whilst many of the diners were in business attaire the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed.

Nothing seemed to much trouble for the staff at Pollen Street.  My dining partner had some specific dietary requirements and the serving staff were very helpful in helping us choose our food.

We were offered bread and olives as a pre-starter which was very enjoyable.

Olives and Dip Pre-Starter

We had recently found out that Jax was pregnant and she was very limited in what she could eat, following doctors advice to the letter. In most restaurants this would be a problem but not at Pollen Street Social.  Our server was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and allowed Jackie to pick and choose her courses from different menu’s.  This was great service and we fully appreciated his efforts.

Jackies Radish starter

Jackie’s first course came from the vegetarian menu, a delightful radish based salad.  She commented how lovely and fresh the dish tasted and it was an excellent start to her meal.

I opted for the slow cooked egg, chorizo and patatas bravas.  This really was a delicious dish.  The egg was cooked to perfection and complimented the chorizo and patatas bravas very well.  The portion size was decent too.

Venison

For my main, it was a no brainer for me, it had to be venison.  It was accompanied with baked parsley root and golden chanterelles.  This dish was again very well cooked, which as you may gather we were really enjoying ourselves.

Braised Beef

Jackie opted for the braised beef, with the instructions that it would have to be cooked through.  The dish arrived perfectly cooked sadly, lovely and pink in the middle, sadly not the way we had ordered it. It was taken away immediately and a heartier portion was returned to her, with the chefs apologies.  The meat was very tender and melted in your mouth and the accompanying vegetables of baby onions and carrots were also well cooked.

Unexpected Extra

We received an unexpected pre-dessert next of custard, strawberries and flavoured cream.  It was served in a glass and was very refreshing.

Next for Jackie was a white chocolate pave, passion fruit sorbet and a lychee soup.  We quickly realised that part of the dish was made from egg whites, something Jax couldn’t eat so I agreed to swap our dishes around.  I found the dish to be an excellent finish to my meal.

Much to my disappointment I handed over my chocolate pave to Jackie.  The presentation was first class and the chocolate work looked excellent.  The chocolate pave wasn’t too heavy and was very enjoyable. (I couldn’t resist and helped myself to quite a bit of the dessert.

On the way out every lady was given a small Pollen Street Social bag with two small muffins and a tea bag in it to enjoy at a later date.

Overall, this was a top notch meal that we both really enjoyed.  Our server was equally good.  Would I recommend this restaurant, oh yes, this is one of London’s best.

This is one restaurant which has lived up to its hype.