Picture of Pollen Street Social, W1S 1NQ

Pollen Street Social, W1S 1NQ

A restaurant in Mayfair run by chef Jason Atherton (previously of Maze), which opened in early-2011.

This site, formerly a Pitcher and Piano, is split into two large spaces: a bar area with tables ostensibly for more casual dining; and a restaurant. The restaurant menu is served in the bar area, where the tables can be booked. There's also a row of stools along the bar, presumably available for walk-ins. Decor is fairly neutral, with white walls and ceiling, and a lighter-coloured wood for tables and bar. Service is friendly, and diners are given a key at the start of the meal which is redeemed for a small gift at the end photo.

There's a good value set lunch menu for £22 for two courses and £25.50 for three photo of set lunch menu in Dec 2011, as well as a la carte options. There are no amuse bouches, but complimentary bread is served with olives and a salt cod brandade photo.

Ewan started with the "Full English Breakfast" photo, billed as a deconstructed take on the breakfast dish of the same name. It didn't really taste identical to the eponymous breakfast, but the poached egg was gorgeous, with a tomato sauce base, croutons and flecks of pancetta, along with morel mushrooms. Other starters were a Colchester crab mayonnaise served in a cocktail glass photo, not so well-received by Kerry, and an excellent pressed ham hock photo.

For the mains, the braised West Country ox cheek photo got good reviews from my dining partners, while my Yorkshire partridge with game bolognaise, carrots and plum jam photo was lovely, cooked just right with a bit of pink inside. To finish, a pistachio financier with pistachio ice-cream photo was pleasant, while I enjoyed my chocolate "Black Forest" fondant photo.

Ewan's verdict: This was an excellent, well-executed meal that was good value for the area. I would definitely consider returning.

See also:

Last visited by Ewan, Kerry and Melissa, December 2011. Opening hours taken from website, December 2011.
OS X co-ord: 528998 OS Y co-ord: 181031 (Latitude: 51.513487 Longitude: -0.142381)
Last edited 2023-09-05 13:38:20 (version 10; diff). List all versions.