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4. July 2014: Restaurant Social Eating House

| July 22, 2014 | 0 Comments

If you want to go to a posh, nice, fancy place which still somehow manages to remain down-to-earth and simple while serving great dishes for fair prices, you should visit Social Eating House. One hint already here, make sure you book in advance as else you are most likely not getting a table.

The tasting menu (GBP 65.00) starts with “scallops served with fennel, broccoli and citrus”. The scallops are served as a carpaccio which make them pleasantly thin and you have an ideal possibility to let them suck in the flavour of the citrus sauce they are served in. The mini broccoli which comes with the dish is astonishingly matching with the dish providing somehow an element of crunchiness.

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The next course was “beef with radishes, horseradish and egg yolk” and again I was very pleased about what was served. The beef was good, the combination of the different radishes and the horseradish proofed to be a tasty one – last but not least the egg yolks were only partially liquid but provided the whole dish with a perfect creaminess.

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The first main was a “turbot with millet, and black curry sour cream”. I have never tried black curry before and I must say that I was a bit undecided of how much I liked the black curry sour cream. On one hand it was very new and interesting but on the other hand it did not entirely persuade me. However, the fish was great and the bed on which the fish was served was aromatic, refreshing, and flavourful.

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The “lamb with miso, aubergine and coconut” was absolutely tasty. The lamb was nicely red, smooth and rich in flavour. The aubergine was very soft and smooth and last but not least the coconut rounded up the dish perfectly with the flower blossoms.

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While you do not see much on the picture of this particular dish, it was absolutely great. It was called “Gin & Tonic” but was basically a combination of yoghurt icecream with kaffir lime granitée prepared with gin making it really taste like a gin & tonic. Although I am not really a gin fan I must say in this combination the dish was absolutely great.

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The last official course of the menu was “Jelly & Ice cream (tarragon, vanilla, rose)” which was a nice combination of different ice creams with jelly although frankly speaking I did not entirely get the jelly part as I do not see any additional effect (in either direction) by adding the jelly to the dish. However, the combination of the other elements was definitely a successful one.

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To round up the tasting menu, two small chocolates were served – one was a berry lollipop and the other one was comparable to almond paste with a dash of green tea flavoured liquid.

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The place itself is absolutely nice but quite dark and the background music is also at the upper limit of acceptable volume. The service is generally dedicated and does a good job although it took them quite a while to get warm as initially it took them quite long before the table was served but once things were up and running the service was actually good. As reasonable as the tasting menu is in price, the very same applies to the beverages (e.g. sparkling water, GBP 3.50; double espresso, GBP 3.75, a bottle of “Nero d’Avola ‘Sherazade’, Donnafugata, Sicily, GBP 35.00).

All in all, I can recommend the Social Eating House as the place is very atmospheric, the crowd is good, the waiter does a good job (once he realized that he has a job), and the food is actually quite excellent – especially considering the comparatively low prices for what you get.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Social Eating House

Poland Street 58

W1F 7NR London (UK)

Tel.: +44 20 79 93 32 51

Homepage: http://www.socialeatinghouse.com

About the Author:

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.
GBP 145.97 (incl. tip) Filed in: London (UK), Restaurants
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