For my latest trip to London for a hospital appointment Mr A and I decided to go back to somewhere we both liked, but hadn’t been to in a while; Pollen Street Social (“PSS”). PSS is the flagship London restaurant of a growing global portfolio from Jason Atherton, and it has 1 Michelin star.  PSS is a ‘fine dining’ spot, but the “Social” in its name hints at the friendly and relaxed vibe of this restaurant just off Regent’s Street, and when we arrived for our 8pm table the joint was packed and buzzing! (But I accept that some might not like such a hubbub bouncing off the floor and walls; PSS is not conducive to a whispered romantic conversation.)

We began our dinner with a glass of 2012 vintage Moet et Chandon, which was light and refreshing with subtle yet complex undertones.  At first I didn’t think canapés or an amuse bouche were going to be served, but after we chose from the menu and the bread had been delivered, we got the lovely surprise of PSS’ fun take on “Afternoon Tea”, the highlight of which was a delicious mushroom essence being poured into cup containing a parmesan foam.

The mushroom “tea” was accompanied by three light, delicate and tasty canapés, but I can’t recall what they were apart from the salmon or trout roe on soft brown bread discs.  It was a great way to start a meal: the theatre of the “tea” pouring, the brilliant flavours, and the signs that this was a very talented kitchen at work! 10/10

From our table I could see through the glass walls of the compact kitchen that Proprietor Jason Atherton was on the pass, so I timidly slinked over to try to grab a photo. Jason’s back was to us and it was his Head Chef Dale Bainbridge who warmly beckoned us to enter the kitchen!  And then Chef Jason very warmly engaged us in conversation.  He enquired what had brought us up to London that night, and when I told him it was to do with appointments at The Royal Marsden, his warmth and empathy astounded me, as he revealed he’d had a friend treated there.  He even signed and gave me a copy of one of his books!  Wow, I was in awe of a man I thought I would be intimidated by; he was genuinely lovely!

We got back to our table in time for our starter; “Braised Dorset snails, parsley & garlic risotto, mimolette cheese & horseradish” (£19.50). Some clean but still earthy tasting snails sat atop a vivid green risotto alongside sautéed mushrooms and shavings of black truffle. The mimolette was in the form of discs of tuille/wafer.  This was a lovely bright dish of comforting food, though the parsley risotto and oil was a little bitter eaten on its own. 9/10

For our main course we really fancied one of the 2 dishes on the menu intended for two, but we actually ended up tossing a coin to decide between a whole Goosnargh duck and a cote de boeuf. The toss chose the latter (£97) and we received a terrific charred rib of beef from the Lake District, pre-sliced for us to help ourselves to the thick and tender pieces of perfectly cooked (medium rare) beef. Alongside the meat we spooned out a lovely ‘mac & cheese’ with a bone marrow crumb, some soft and silky roasted carrots and then we drizzled over a rich bone marrow sauce. The richness was offset by a sensational chilled fine bean salad which included truffle and hazelnut and a topping of grated frozen foie gras.  Without any doubt these were the best French beans I’ve ever tasted; it was absolutely divine! 10/10

We accompanied our meal with a bottle of 2014 Pied a Terre Cabernet Sauvignon from California (£105) which drank very nicely with both the snails and the beef.

By this time my stomach problems had started, so we both declined a dessert, but to our surprise a wooden box was brought to the table and we were set the challenge of identifying the flavours of 5 seemingly identical quenelles of white ice cream, each hidden in their own section of the box.  Diners write down their guesses and then check the correct answers contained in an envelope.  My sharp palate, but hazy olfactory memory got 2 out of 5 right!  I thought this game was a superb idea, and each ice cream was delicious 10/10

Before we’d finished the ice cream challenge we were brought petits fours, which included a moist cherry bakewell tart. I thought this was very generous, as we hadn’t even ordered coffees! 10/10

The total bill was £313.88 which I thought was good value: we’d had a terrific meal complete with generous ‘off menu’ surprises, the service was on point, and we got to meet the lovely and generous Jason Atherton; it was a great evening out! 10/10