tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:151742Karohemd's WorldPhotos, Cooking, MusicOzzy2012-01-25T21:45:49Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:151742:39408[Dining] Lunch at Pollen Street Social, 02/07/112011-07-07T13:23:42Z2012-01-25T21:45:49Zpublic4I'd heard good things about Jason Atherton's first restaurant so decided to book a table for lunch there. Both bar and restaurant are elegant with a rather posh feel. The main restaurant room is bright and airy with a high ceiling, generously spaced tables, with the "dessert bar" on the opposite short side from where you can watch the chefs do their thing at pass and the kitchen through a huge glass window with an automatic sliding door for the serving staff.<br />Service was good, friendly and informative but almost in complete contrast to the lively staff at Roganic, it felt a bit stiff and impersonal. The food, however, was excellent. The choices on the set lunch menu didn't really excite me (one disadvantage of having had a rather unusual and extraordinary dinner the night before) so I went for a la carte.<br />I have to apologise for the quality of the photos, I only had my phone on me as I was going to a concert later in the evening where I couldn't have taken my big camera.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/karohemd/5901679993/" title="Pollen Street Social - Quail by karohemd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5238/5901679993_47e7e7f738.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pollen Street Social - Quail"></a><br />The starter was pieces of quail, roasted pink with crispy skin on an intense "mushroom ketchup". An excellent way to start. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/karohemd/5901680159/" title="Pollen Street Social - Braised ox cheek and sirloin by karohemd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5901680159_795bdda0e5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pollen Street Social - Braised ox cheek and sirloin"></a><br />For main, I had braised ox cheek and sirloin, with carrots and one the smoothest mashed potatoes I ever had (with a hint of horseradish that could have been a bit stronger for me). The generous lump of cheek fell apart when touched and was very flavourful, aided by the strong sauce. Another excellent, solid dish. With it I had a glass of a lovely Italian red.<br /><br />As I was finishing my wine, Jason Atherton wandered past, stopped at my table, introduced himself and asked me what I thought of the food and we had a brief chat about food and cooking. <br /><br />I then moved on to the dessert bar, where you sit on stools and can watch the pastry chefs as they prepare your dishes. I was sitting on the far end so had a good view of the kitchen:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/karohemd/5902242458/" title="Pollen Street Social - The Pass by karohemd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5238/5902242458_0f2942fba2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pollen Street Social - The Pass"></a><br />While I was perusing the menu, I was served a scoop of fantastically light and fresh lime sorbet which wiped away the lingering richness of my main. Everything on the menu looked exciting but I went for "PBJ" in the end and I didn't regret it.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/karohemd/5902242710/" title="Pollen Street Social - PBJ by karohemd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5200/5902242710_86e29f2819.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Pollen Street Social - PBJ"></a><br />The dish consisted of various peanut (parfait, powder) and cherry elements (rich sorbet, coulis and "linguini") with a drizzle of vanilla syrup. This was a lot of fun and a great contrast of crunch, softness, tartness and sweetness. A perfect end to a nice meal.<br /><br />On the way to the toilets, I walked past the caged wine stores and there's even a window with hanging meat next to what I assumed was the prep kitchen. <br /><br />As I left, the purpose of the little key I'd been given became apparent. Behind the reception counter is a wall of small post boxes which contained a branded bag with two teacakes and a bag of tea to take home. I nibbled the cakes later on but I still have the bag as I don't really drink tea.<br /><br />Overall, the food was excellent but the atmosphere was a bit too stiff for my liking. The prices of the food are acceptable for central London but I thought they took the mickey a bit with the wine. A 175ml glass of Malbec for £14 sounds a bit steep to me. I would definitely recommend it for the food as the standard of cooking is excellent.<br /><br />[<a href="http://bit.ly/khpss11">Short URL to this post</a>]<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=karohemd&ditemid=39408" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments