Social Eating House

Oh London, how I've missed you! The driving rain and blustery winds have done nothing to deter me from returning, hence the delay in posting (apologies!). With double the population of Sydney, you can definitely feel the buzz of this place. In this little window of opportunity I thought I'd explore London's dining and bar scene to dispel those myths about stodgy English food and figure out what the heck 'modern British' grub actually is. Batter up, Social Eating House!

The hand of Russell Sage Studio has given the place a rather eclectic interior that works well with its über comfy booth seats. Day or night, it beckons to you... Photo credit: Russell Sage Studio

Why not start from the top with this one Michelin starred bistro in London Soho? Chef Jason Atherton is certainly filled with ambition and a quiet confidence. His 'Social' brand of restaurants literally dot the globe whilst his London venues continue to win accolades and local fans. He is also due to open yet another in Dubai. Pollen Street Social, his first restaurant was to win a Michelin star within just 6 months of opening and Social Eating House was not far behind.

If you've been left waiting (and wanting), cosy on up at the bar to a pre-meal tipple Photo credit: Russell Sage Studio

With all that spare time, Atherton has gone on to host the UK version of My Kitchen Rules (sorry to say but their version pales in comparison to the Aussie's) and continues to juggle his restaurant empire (what a cinch!). But let's get down to business here. Thankfully, C and I were able to get a booking, mind you it was on a Monday night! This is just how it goes in old London town, be prepared to dine whenever, wherever (in the immortal words of Shakira). 

Cornish mackerel tartare, horseradish cream. A gorgeous way to start a meal with a  fresh as fresh tartare. Being such a keen bean on seafood I think I'm in the right place

Appealing to my design eye the interior is practically faultless and probably came well over budget at that! The menu is rather intriguing with the addition of 'jars' to the menu which are a selection of potted <insert protein/veg>. These would make such spectacular picnic food I would think. You'd also be pleased to know that each sourced ingredient has the food mileage printed for it for all to see. Delicious food with a conscience - I like that.

Smoked Shetland salmon, miso crème fraîche, BBQ cucumber and winter truffle. Wow, what a looker of a dish. With distinctly Japanese influences, this salmon was certainly rave worthy. A lovely smokiness came through and it was still under in the middle...Parfait!

Smoked duck ham, Braddock white egg and chips. This dish has graced the interwebs and with GOOD reason - it is unbelievably yum! The duck ham is surprisingly delicious and that egg is just done perfectly. The only shame is that you only get half!! Those chips were also excellent (you'd hope, anyways). Make sure you order this one :)

Charred côte de porc, heritage carrots, white polenta, spring cabbage, savory (the herb, thanks wiki). Presenting meat and three veg (almost)! Accompanied with a luscious cabernet sauvignon sauce (good), I thought this dish was rather confused on the plate. All those elements didn't seem to gel. There was also a lot of fat still on the pork which hadn't rendered off - a great shame!

Social Eating House definitely sells itself as a bold and brash bistro. The full house every night doesn't lie, even on a Monday. For refined bistro style food, mark this 'Social' on your to-do list. Be prepared however that it is rather expensive (throw booze into the mix and you're a goner), which seems to be the norm around these parts. A small consolation is perhaps that you can easily find food to this quality in Oz for a fraction of the cost, and they say Sydney is the 5th costliest city to live in (London doesn't even factor in the top 10?!). Michelin hasn't quite made the trek to Oceania yet so for now we can keep our gems secret haha. Ciao for now ;)

HOLY MACKEREL.

I know it's been a long time between drinks so...
Thanks for reading!
xGourmand