Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, London W1F 7NR

Social Eating House, 58 Poland Street, London W1F 7NR

18/05/2013

www.socialeatinghouse.com

She said: I thought we’d make it three for three and booked the third in the Atherton Social series. This time in Soho behind a modest, vintage frontage we entered into a smart, trendy yet down-to-earth brasserie. The front half near the bar has larger red banquette seating and the rear half has the greater concentration of seating with mustard coloured banquettes and a more industrial feel. The menu was impressively inventive. I opted for the prix fixe for my starter and main – both fish dishes: the salt cod fishcake to start was delicious but as per the name, salty; the Silver Mullet bouillabaisse I had for my main course was underwhelming due to its simplicity and felt something more was needed. I picked my dessert from the a la carte – a chocolate mouse with chocolate éclair. Again this was disappointing in that it didn’t match up to the sophistication of his dishes and dishes at the Social’s sister restaurants: it felt more like  a diner dessert with a lump of sweet mouse in an ice cream dish with a chunky piece of dry pastry (the éclair) stuffed with salty caramel ice cream that just clashed with what I had hoped would be a delicate, fluffy, chocolate éclair. Given my comments on my food, it may therefore surprise that I actually loved Social Eating House and would definitely come back. At £18 for two courses from the Prix Fixe it’s good value; the service was great as was the setting and atmosphere. It’s about picking well. He picked well and I picked at his selection well – I’ll let him have his say but he chose much better than me and every one of his courses was perfection, including an alcoholic milkshake. It averaged out at £30 each for three courses, drinks and coffees. A welcome addition to the rather mixed Soho world of dining.

He said: Having already gushed about the other two Socials I’m a little worried about sounding like a deranged fan who would gobble-up even Atherton’s toenail clippings. So I won’t say much other than I really liked it, again. From afar the Social group’s success might looked like inexplicable voodoo or mad alchemy, but it’s really pretty simple: equal parts of quality, laid-back vibe, and fair pricing. Blindingly obvious really, so it’s baffling that Atherton seems to be one of the few headliners to have seen the light. This incarnation is the most informal of the three, although the studied coolness of the boho-chic décor might be a little too hip for some. It’s so ‘on trend’ that there was even a boozy milkshake on special (it was awesome). The menu shows the trademark joyful experimentation, which made the classic comfort food even more irresistible to me: I just had to find out what spin Social would put on mushroom on toast, and mac & cheese. Well, let me tell you: the mushrooms had  been cooked in a sealed bag (cut open at your table) with cep puree which delivered a really deep, intense flavour. Mushrooms with a capital m, underlined, and highlighted. Wow. I will go back just for that. As for the mac & cheese, plenty of others have tried to ponce-up this student staple before, which invariably seems like gilding a turd; the toxic yellow, powdered cheese version might be crap but it’s still usually best. But not today, Social’s version was a real winner: no tsunami of cheesy sludge here; instead the pasta was coated with just enough of a thin yet intensely rich sauce. I have no idea what the kitchen did here, but it worked really well. £18 had never been better spent on two course before. Desert was a delicious almond sponge soaked in London honey (such a thing exists: walking home last night I saw two dudes in bee-suits bringing a hive down a ladder, on Wigmore Street!) – it was delicious. I said that I wouldn’t gush, so let me highlight a huge fault: She wouldn’t keep her fork out of my plates the whole bloody meal. Damn you, Social!