Hana: One of Jason Atherton‘s plethora of restaurants, Social Eating House is headed up by Michelin Star Chef Patron Paul Hood, who has worked closely with Atherton over the past six years, moving across from flagship restaurant Pollen Street Social.
Social Eating House fairly claims “[t]he simple yet carefully created dishes are complimented by a relaxed and attentive service in the comfortable, humble setting”. Many of the lunchtime diners were young couples, taking advantage of the very reasonable lunch menu that Angelo will tell you about. I ate from the A La Carte on this occasion.
To start, poached Caledonian prawns, onion squash & vanilla, sea aster, orange & cardamom syrup (£13.50) was clean, light, sweet and wintery, but most importantly, delicious. Thin toasted sourdough added a nice crunch. My, fancy fish ‘n’ chips main (tempura John Dory, charred fennel, curried cauliflower, duck fat chips (£29.50)) was yummy but not mind-blowing. The John Dory was nicely cooked but lacked a little flavour, though the tempura was light and crisp. There was too much charred fennel for me and the duck fat chips just weren’t up to standard (particularly after recently trying Tom Kerridge’s food at Harrods): the centre needed to be more fluffy and the outside more crisp. The curried cauliflower really was King here, it was reallllly good. I could have done with some more of that in stead of all that fennel.
For dessert I, along with most of the restaurant it seemed! ordered the Chocolate Nemesis from the lunch menu: 70% Chocolate nemesis, lavender, creme fraiche and honeycomb. It was. So. Good.
Social Eating House also has a bar, so their wine list is really extensive. I had two glasses of white with my lunch. First a Macon (priced at £49 a bottle) which was a little sweet. I’d recommend instead the more affordable Pollen Street Social Selection (Clos de l’Elu, Anjou, Loire 2013) at £6.50 for 125ml. It was much more complex, woody and enjoyable.
Ange: Restored leather furniture; cold, exposed brick and neon signage: the Social Eating House screams Soho.
For a Michelin-starred restaurant the prices are very reasonable. I tried the three course Prix Fixe menu for £25. My starter was a Confit chicken leg with sweetcorn, celeriac, a mustard remoulade and a side of sourdough bread. The portion was huge. The confit chicken was circular and roughly the same size as a can of tuna (and it kind of resembled the contents). That said, it was pleasant.
For my main I opted for the slow-cooked Saddleback pork belly, parsnip and carrots with a black pudding crumble. Soy and ginger were supposedly present but I couldn’t see their value. I had worried that the pork belly might be too fatty but it was pretty much perfect. The vegetables were forgettable if I’m honest, and I found myself reaching for Hana’s accompanying chips for a carbohydrate fix.
I definitely didn’t need dessert given the portion sizes preceding, but I felt obliged given the price. With chocolate not an option (3 months to go with my resolution!) and cheese simply not being a dessert (something I’m sure I’ll touch upon soon), I was left with vanilla rice pudding with victoria plum, mascarpone ice cream and crystallised pecans. The mascarpone ice cream and plums were delicious, but, the rice pudding seemed like an afterthought served in a jar on the side. That said, it was the first time I even nearly enjoyed a rice pudding since primary school.
Oh, the Pollen Street Social selected wine is beautiful. They do all the hard work for you, slap their name on it and you can enjoy. Overall: beautifully cooked food and outstanding value, perfect for the twenty-something foodies (like us).
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