Neil C.
Yelp
When I take my mother to visit my brother in the capital he has the unenviable task of deciding where to take her for lunch in the city (fussy is an understatement). After a successful trip to French restaurant Brasserie Zédel earlier in the year, he decided to stay with the French theme and booked a table at Jason Atherton's Little Social.
Little Social (as well as it's bigger, Michelin-starred older brother) is located on Pollen Street in Mayfair, and like you would expect from a Jason Atherton venture the outside is understated but sophisticated.
The interior decor, however, is slightly less understated (though no less elegant). Ox-blood banquettes, dark wooden chairs and tables, vintage pictures, and map adorned walls are the order of the day. The website states that the food is a nod towards French plates, but using the best of British produce. The decor, however, could only have been more French if Juliette Binoche had taken our order, and Vincent Cassel had poured the wine.
We decided to order from the prix fixe menu (2 courses for £21 or 3 courses for £25) as my mum was paying and it would have been poor form to make her pay for 3 courses from the a la carte menu.
A basket of bread was placed on the table for us to nibble on whilst examining the menu. Three sourdough slices were earthy, doughy and delicious, and the baguette even better. The smoked and generously salted butter was also perfect.
To begin I decided to order the violino pumpkin soup, slow-cooked egg, pepper cured bacon, parmesan, girolles, and croutons. The pumpkin liquid perfectly sweet and seasoned; the croutons adding a lovely crunch; the peppery bacon was a salty chewy delight, and the slow-cooked egg added richness. The girolles were the only slight disappointment as they were lost in the other flavours and didn't seem to offer anything apart from a slightly different texture.
I had both heard exceptional things about the burger from Little Social, so upon seeing it on the prix fixe menu my mind was made up. Often, when you build up something in your mind the reality is a colossal disappointment, this wasn't the case. The burger was served with french fries (obviously), a garden salad, and on a beautifully bouncy toasted sesame seed bun.
The French fries were acceptable; crisp and golden on the outside, fluffy and flavoursome in the middle, however given the level of cooking on show in the starters they felt a little...meh. Although this could be due to the fact that I now struggle to eat any chips that are not cooked in truffle oil and served with parmesan!
Luckily, however, the patty was as good as it gets. The pink minced meat was cooked without fault and was full of flavour with subtle herb additions. Additionally, the accompaniments (pickle, mild cheddar, smokey streaked bacon, and caramalised onions) worked in perfect harmony.
To finish I ordered the cheese selection that comprised of Vacherin Mont-d'Or, Stichelton and Comté. This was a delicious selection of cheeses, and the accompanying fig chutney was particularly pleasant, but when the desserts arrived I suffered from enormous food envy at what everyone else on the table had ordered.
Pretty much everyone else on the table ordered the maple glazed, apple filled doughnuts, cinnamon sugar and Crème Anglaise. When they arrived I couldnt believe I hadn't ordered them. Fortunately, my mother's appetitie isnt quite what it used to be so I managed to bag myself one.
The amply sized square doughnuts were covered with a sticky sweet maple glaze and were accompanied by a pot of cinnamon sugar and Crème Anglaise. On their own the doughnuts were good, but when dipped in the two pots they were elevated to a whole new level of sweet and creamy dessert heaven. The apple in the middle of the doughnuts provided the necessary sharpness to balance out the sugar and custard. Despite their size, I could easily have eaten a whole bag of them.
To accompany the meal we ordered the Pollen Street Social Sélection, from Anjou in the Loire Valley, which the whole table drank with gusto despite our 1pm booking!
There is no reason I can think of not to visit Little Social if you're in the city; good food and expertly chosen wine at terrific value with excellent and attentive service (they were especially good at accommodating my 2-year-old niece). This is an extremely well run and well thought out operation that knows exactly what it's doing, and does it with consummate skill and ease. Bravo!
