Little Social

A little gem

A contemporary bistro, Little Social is the second restaurant opened by industry heavy weight Jason Atherton. Located near Oxford Circus, just opposite his single Michelin starred Pollen Street Social in Pollen Street, which is one of my all time favourite restaurants in London. Little Social has been on my agenda for a while since it opened back in March, having been to Pollen Street Social a good numbers of time, I wonder what its little brother has on offer.

Little Social, taken from littlesocial.co.uk

We didn't plan to visit and took a chance to walk in on a late evening, luckily we were given a table after about 10 minutes wait. The décor has an antique but modern feel at the same time, very classy. We started off with some bread and it tasted just like the same bread I had from both Pollen Street Social and Social Eating House. Not overly dry, soft in the middle, very decent bread indeed.

bread

I had the raw Orkney Isles scallops and it was heavenly, one of the best scallop dishes I had this year. Fresh, sweet and full of flavours from the sea. Lovely garnish of garlic cucumber, avocado purée and coriander. Every mouthful delivers a different flavours sensation, this dish really show the kitchen understands different flavour combination.

Orkney Isles scallops

Maldon rock oysters

Roasted quail breast with confit leg and sauteed foie gras was also a top class dish, the meat was tender and earthy with the rich and robust flavours from the foie gras worked wonderfully. A hint of cherries and dashes of almonds added some bitter and nutty notes to finish off a quality dish.

roasted quail breast with confit leg and
sauteed foie gras

For main I had the braised Irish ox cheeks. Packed with robust and earthy flavours, the roast bone marrow added an interesting layer of texture and richness while the horseradish mash injected some creaminess and spice elements to it. This dish is all about traditional cooking with bold flavours and it delivered brilliantly.

braised Irish ox cheeks, roasted bone marrow, 
horseradish mash

Bavette

I enjoyed my dinner at Little Social a lot, while it wasn't as elegant and creative as Pollen Street Social, the cooking and use of ingredients were top notch. Service was at a pretty high standard, not too formal but with great attention to detail, just how a top bistro should be. Little Social's casual and relaxing setting makes this a great place for catching up with old friends who enjoy fine food without a heart breaking budget, well worth a visit.

Food 6.5
Service 6
Ambience 7
Value 6

£45 per head

5 Pollen Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1NE

www.littlesocial.co.uk