Social Eating House in the heart of Soho is another of Jason Atherton’s renowned restaurants. We’ve dined at City Social and Social Wine and Tapas, and although we didn’t particularly enjoy either of those restaurants we were still very keen to dine at Social Eating House. For one thing, Social Eating House has a Michelin star. Another is that Jason Atherton has so much acclaim so we couldn’t possibly go 0 out of 3 in regards to enjoying his restaurants. Well…

Social Eating House serves locally sourced seasonal British cuisine in a rustic although elegant atmosphere. There are beautiful pieces of art beside exposed bricks all over the restaurant, and the waiters are dressed up somewhat formally but have a very friendly vibe. We were booked for dinner at 6PM last Friday and we were dressed very casually (Shiima was in a hoodie lol), but everyone around us seemed to be celebrating a special occasion and they were dressed for it. We didn’t feel out of place though.

What we ordered

The menu was incredibly limited for Shiima’s preferences (essentially only chicken) so she ordered from the vegetarian menu.

We ordered the Smoked hummus with spiced aubergine jar to share. For starters, Shiima ordered Truffled Heritage Breeds Royal Legbar egg (names are a tad long, so I’ll shorten em) and I ordered Roasted Foie Gras. For mains, Shiima ordered Hazelden Charlotte potato, I ordered slow cooked Cornish venison saddle, and we ordered the Macaroni & cheese to share.

Review of the Food

Jar

Before the jar arrived we were given complimentary freshly baked bread and salted butter, which we enjoyed.

The smoked hummus with spiced aubergine was really good. It was served with four slices of toasted bread as well. I particularly enjoyed the spicy meaty aubergine.

Starters

Shiima’s Truffled egg was served with Jerusalem artichoke, vacherin, dandelion and winter truffle. All those complimented the truffled egg really well and give it a good crunch. The truffled egg itself was delicious, although it left a weird aftertaste in our mouths, which was the exact same experience we had after eating the crispy duck egg at Social Wine and Tapas.

My roasted Foie Gras was unusual but really tasty. It was served on a bed of green beans and peas, which I always enjoy. The foie gras itself was very buttery and rich. If you like foie gras at all, you’d love this.

Mains

Shiima’s Hazelden charlotte potato was essentially a fancy jacket potato, stuffed with Brittany cream and truffle butter and topped with more truffles. Shiima wasn’t a fan. She ate about half of it and tapped out.

My venison saddle was served with five spice & honey swede, candied walnut, and red cabbage. It looked beautiful and you could see that there were a lot of elements to the dish, but it didn’t taste as delicious as I would’ve hoped. Mainly because of the venison saddle, which I didn’t really enjoy. Maybe I’m just not a fan of venison. All the other elements of the dish were really good though, especial the five spice & honey swede.

We didn’t like the mac and cheese. It was like any other mac and cheese we’ve enjoyed because the macaroni was too large and the cheese wasn’t as creamy. Beyond that, we didn’t even like the taste.

Dessert

Shiima wasn’t keen on dessert, but I love peanut butter so I really couldn’t help ordering the peanut butter parfait.

The Peanut Butter Parfait came with cherry sorbet, almond thins, and griottine cherry. Err… I didn’t like it. Which was surprising because it looked beautiful. Everything besides the peanut butter parfait, which itself was just okay, was not good. I really didn’t like the cherry sorbet or the griottine cherry. The almond thins too… and I love Almonds. Oh well.

Verdict

Our experience at Social Eating House was just like our experience at Social Wine and Tapas and City Social… underwhelming. But that’s really all due to the food. The atmosphere was really vibrant and everyone seemed to be having fun, and that’s includes the staff. We’ll recommend for special occasions and dates, but only if you particularly enjoy British cuisine. Social Eating House is fairly expensive as well, so bare that in mind. And for those that drink (we don’t), there is a really cool bar upstairs called The Blind Pig.

Cuisine: British
Dress Code: Smart Casual is ideal, but casual is also welcome.
Price: £40-£50 per person
Rating: 2.8 out of 5

Social Eating House
58 Poland Street, Soho, London, W1F 7NR
Book via Opentable
or call 0207 993 3251