LONDON: Pollen Street Social ROUND 2

Chocolate “Black Forest” fondant, praline, liqueur sponge, cherry sorbet

As one of my favourite places to eat in London and one with an ever changing menu, Pollen Street Social deserves a second post. With a friend visiting London for the first time, I was searching for the perfect introduction to London's thriving food scene and I knew Pollen Street Social wouldn't fail me. 

It's rare to find a place with a laid-back, unpretentious interior, friendly service and quality food without the exorbitant prices. I shy away from fine dining places with hard, cold marble floors and ostentatious glass chandeliers that scream pretense and border on tastelessness. Pollen Street Social manages to serve gourmet food without that overt flamboyance and an air of class that does not stifle conversation but is subtle enough to be appreciated.  

Slow cooked egg, home smoked Scottish haddock, curry puffed rice, parsley veloute

Cornish red mullet “aioli”, vegetable salad, Jersey Royals

Roasted cod, cockle vinaigrette, young leeks cooked & raw

 

Lemon & lime flavours, crispy meringue, lime yoghurt sorbet

The meringue was incredibly refreshing, especially with London's eccentric weather on the extreme end of hot. Although the chocolate desserts at Pollen St. have always been slightly too sweet and decadent for my taste, it might appeal to others. 

Much to my delight, I've discovered that Jason Atherton, the chef at Pollen Street Social, is opening a restaurant in Singapore. I can only hope the standards will be on par with the London branch.

Pollen Street Social 

10 Pollen Street
City of London,
Greater London W1S 1NQ

Reservations

020 7290 7600reservations@pollenstreetsocial.com

Taste of London Festival

If there existed a checklist for a successful food fest, Taste of London Festival would tick every single box. Food quality, service, variety and organization-wise, it was incredibly enjoyable despite the rain and occasional mud-dipped boot.

It cost me £20 for the ticket in and another £20 for food vouchers or "crowns”, but it was entirely worth it. Pollen Street Social, Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa and Bar Boulud are just a few of London’s iconic restaurants that set up a pop up booth today. Like treasured excerpts from my favourite books, each food stall was a miniature version of the restaurant - complete with a miniature kitchen, a few waiters and the chefs behind the scenes. What amazed me was the sheer scale of it all. From the simple things like cheese to the more sophisticated like ox cheek and black truffle risotto, it felt like a metropolitan-ized borough market (i.e. London’s local farmers market). 

Pollen Street Social: Slow-cooked ox cheek with apple pomme purée and braised turnip

10 Crowns

Gauthier Soho: Black truffle risotto- Parmigiano Reggiano and light chicken jus 12 Crowns

Michel Roux Jr's starter for La Gavroche: Roulade de saumon fumé fromage frais à la ciboulette, vinaigrette de truffes: smoked var salmon with cream cheese and chives and truffle dressing 8 Crowns

Michel Roux Jr 

Petrus: Suckling pig belly with apple and prune compote and sage jus 

12 Crowns

Bar Boulud: Tunisienne 'Hot Dog'
Lamb Merguez with Harissa, Roasted Peppers, Brioche Bun and Mint Yoghurt 
12 Crowns

Bacardi 

Gaucho: Sea bass ceviche with mango and passion fruit sauce
10 Crowns 

The festival is on for the next two days until the 24^th this month. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, and you're a foodie looking for something to epitomize your summer experience, I highly recommend you do. 

LONDON: Roka

A truly good meal is one not one that leaves you bloated and unable to move, but one that bestows upon you complete satisfaction after the last bite. Roka melds together Japanese cuisine and the French tradition of sharing with exquisite perfection. The sashimi is presented with blocks of carved ice, lending the dish a kind of ethereal elegance that precedes its distinctly fresh flavour as it settles on the tongue. 

What I particularly enjoyed was the contemporary, innovative twist on traditional sushi. I'm not exactly sure what ingredients were combined, but every bite revealed new textures and flavours that I couldn't quite place my finger on yet adored nonetheless. 

This black miso cod made any residue of exam stress I was feeling disappear. As my favourite dish, this cod is a must order.  

I love mushrooms, and these were complemented perfectly with a tangy yet sweet sauce. 

Green tea filled molten chocolate cake - I would've taken more photos but this disappeared within 10 seconds of landing on the table. 

Roka
37 Charlotte Street
London W1T 1RR

BATH: The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

After two excruciating months of study hibernation, the sudden wave of freedom that crashed over me the moment I stepped out of the Lindley Hall after my Criminology exam seems almost surreal. Even the sunless grey skies that greeted us in Bath couldn't dampen my spirits. 

Bath was a wonderfully chaotic amalgamation of eating, attempting to walk to our next activity, being waylaid by the rain and so resorting to stopping and eating. This was interspersed with rowing, cycling and hilariously pointless debates in random pubs. 

One of our cafe pit-stops was at The Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Decked in delightfully quirky Alice and Wonderland themed paraphernalia, it was no wonder the place was packed. I had my first taste of teapigs tea which was so potent that I bought my first pack at Waitrose the moment I got back to London. The scones were exceptionally fresh and retained the moisture that so often eludes scones that have been left lying on a platter on a cafe shelf throughout the day. The choice was between Jane Austen tea and the Mad Hatter's tea but I'm really glad we chose the latter. 

 

Note to self: Not everybody craves adventure - some are perfectly content with familiarity. It struck me that a cafe does not have to serve completely new and innovative food to do well - a simple, generic menu can be equally successful if executed with exceptional skill. 


The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
5 Orange Grove
Bath
BA1 1LP