Food, Glorious Food
From selling donkey rides on Skegness beach to providing some of the best culinary experiences around the globe, Jason Atherton’s Social Eating House is a heroic feat
Review by Sophie Aghdami
“I am totally absorbed by the process of turning raw ingredients and space into something people want to indulge in. I just love it.”
Jason Atherton
Background
Choosing a suitably impressive place to eat for a group of people who are securely submerged in the restaurant industry is no easy feat but as I enjoy a challenge; when appointed to find a venue for drinks and dinner I get to work on researching somewhere befitting. After casting aside the usual suspects and classic ‘safe’ choices I start unearthing some of the more exciting destinations that have been rocking the food world in recent years.
Jason Atherton is somewhat of a food hero to me: after working for Gordon Ramsay for almost ten years, his last role being Executive Chef at Maze (and overseeing five other openings for the group around the world), he opened Pollen Street Kitchen and gained a Michelin star in its first year of operation. Hence why his second Michelin starred restaurant Social Eating House, run day-to-day by Paul Hood, caught my eye. The key concept of this place seems to have been to create a restaurant where guests can enjoy ultimate quality cooking and food from London’s top chefs in a social atmosphere. If you’re looking for a special treat it’s also worth remembering that the basement houses a hidden chefs table for eight guests.
First impressions
After walking through the entrance of the ground floor restaurant we head upstairs start with cocktails in The Blind Pig bar. The mood throughout is chilled yet exciting with a vintage feel from the interior design of copper-topped bar, reclaimed wood and antique mirrored ceiling.
Food
Food is at the heart of this restaurant and, in fear of boring you with repetitive praise as the quality is so high, I’ll summarise and then list the extensive amount we try between the six of us.
All beautifully presented and put together with clear precision the dishes are fabulous and truly capture the essence of Jason’s vision. Every single dish that arrives is met with twelve excited gleaming eyes, nods across the table and appreciative noises. If there was one negative comment it would be to point out that we all felt like we’d been on an evening’s truffle hunt: the generous level of this beautiful ingredient had been applied a little too liberally on most dishes, which overpowered a lot of the other flavours. Other than that, tasting all of the following was quite possible one of the best gastronomic experiences I’ve enjoyed in London.
Starters:
Bread and smoked butter
‘Jars to share’ are smoked beef tartare, egg yolk and radish; and whipped foie gras & duck liver parfait, red wine and pickled shallots;
Raw swordfish, cucumber juice, ginger, lime syrup, pickled onion, sorrel and soy
‘Wild mushrooms from a bag’ with cep purée on toast
Salt-baked Jerusalem artichoke, Iberico de Bellota, Burford Brown hen’s egg, Langres, dandelion and autumn truffle
Smoked Lincolnshire eel, salt & vinegar Cornish potatoes, macadamia nut, rock samphire
Mains:
Tempura Dover sole, charred fennel, curried cauliflower, duck fat chips, gremolata
Haunch of slow cooked venison, truffle polenta, savoy cabbage, truffle honey parsnips
Roasted South Coast hake, smoked celeriac mousseline, celeriac and truffle sauce
Macaroni & cheese, Montgomery cheddar, Parmesan, mousserons and shaved truffle
42 day aged Native Cumbrian rump cooked over charcoal, mixed leaf salad, duck fat chips and Béarnaise sauce
Service
As expected we are looked after extremely well throughout our visit. I must admit that we’re left slightly disappointed that, at the end of the evening, we’re strictly told that it won’t be possible to buy the birthday girl at our table a glass of champagne as they’re closing. Working in the industry ourselves and after spending a rather large sum of cash on the meal we feel it’s slightly inhospitable not to offer her one ‘on them’ despite understanding that they need to keep to their legal obligations, however now I’ve mentioned it, it feels like an utter ‘toys out of the pram’ comment that’s perhaps unfair to have mentioned. No more will be said on the matter.
Final word
Jason once said that “the biggest compliment someone could pay me would be to tell me that I was a great chef who had made a real difference within the industry” and I think it’s clear that he’s accomplished that aim. From the initial website visit and booking process to finishing our meal the experience was fabulous. I’ve been utterly seduced and if I ever have the pleasure of going back to dine at the chefs table I’ll report back. I’ll borrow the words Mr Atherton once said himself about a restaurant visit: “I don’t care if I have to take out two credit cards. I’m going. It’s freaking great.”
Enquiries: Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, Soho, London W1F 7NR / 0207 993 3251 / www.socialeatinghouse.com/