Particularly for students who want to give themselves a treat, this place offers a reasonably priced 2-course meal for £22.00 and 3-course for £25.50 for its lunch set menu.
It's located at Pollen Street, a tiny walkway off Regent Street, London.
It's website is easy to use and allows quick reservations online, which they will re-confirm with you a day before your reservation: http://www.pollenstreetsocial.com/.
The place was definitely bustling with energy since 2pm that afternoon, filled with busy office-goers on their lunch breaks which was ideal for me and my boyfriend as it was more relaxed and didn't demand a great amount of etiquette from us. The waiters were incredibly suave, who each had a different task. Certain captains and waiters were in charge or food or drink exclusively and did not hesitate to let you know every detail on your order. You would first be provided with butter, olives and a selection of bread from a basket, which they would happily offer you more after you've finished.
Starters were slightly underwhelming. I had a slow-cooked egg with smoked haddock, finished with smoked haddock and parsely soup. Louis had foie-gras with ham and chickpeas topped with squid. While I thought my little dish was far too smokey, Louis thought his looked like something out of a spam can (but was nevertheless tasty).
The main course was probably the best meal of the day. I had a slow-cooked lamb neck fillet with mashed potatoes and parsnip while Louis had hake and leek in what I imagined was a beautiful butter and cockels sauce. The meat and the fish were cooked so perfectly; the lamb flaked at the touch of my fork and the sauce combined perfectly with the whole meal. The hake too, was soft and was a great combination with the leek which made it refreshing.
Not to mention, the house wine for both red and white were very good, particularly the Pollen Street white wine. At £8.00 a glass, it was worth it!
The dessert was not incredibly impressive for the cheese selection. You were given the choice to select your own cheese or have them select it for you, which you will be given different flavours of crackers, accompanied by pickled chutney of somekind. The sliver of cheeses were very thin and I wouldn't recommend it for the price paid. Possibly better off buying yourself a nice block of expensive tasty cheese.
However, the blackforest sorbet, chocolate mousse with cherry liqueur was amazing. The combination of chocolate with the sour sorbet was gorgeous and I would definitely recommend that.
Overall, the restaurant had a good ambience for the energetic (definitely not for one who is looking for privacy) and you'd be surrounded by friendly waiters and receptionists who are willing to cater to your every need. While the food didn't tick all the boxes, it was still a great experience but I would remain skeptical on the lunch menu on the website as it changes and was not updated, which was initially a little disappointing when we first sat down.
