Reviews of Little Social

This restaurant is an absolute gem. In the centre of the West end, yet hidden away from the bustle of the crowds. It's one of those places that you don't want other people to find out about because you always want to be able to book a table, BUT you must share the love in order for the restaurant to thrive The food is sensational, best Steak Tartare i've ever had, and the sweetcorn risotto was a delight.. I would normally order the steak but I thought I would try something i wouldn't ordinarily order. Alas, I was too full for a desert. The service and the ambience is perfect too. As an often a lone diner, I always appreciate when I encounter no problems in booking a table for one, so thank you. Their prixe fixe menu is superb value, and as someone who finishes at 16:00 it is always advantageous to order from it. I only had sparkling water with mint and lemon to drink in a wine glass and I'm grateful they accommodated my request for it with no fuss, but I hope when I have less busy weeks to enjoy their alcohol too. Really happy to have find this lovely venue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’d highly recommend this place - we went for the lunch set menu, which is something we do often. We’ve never not opted for the full 3 courses, but after the first 2 and bread we were stuffed! Food was delicious and I liked the more relaxing vibe, not white table clothes which is what you get across the road. We also got a carafe of wine which was good value at £15. Overall, £90 for that lunch was very good value.

Had an amazing evening out with the missus, with this restaurant being a huge part of it. Thank you to our Ukrainian waiter who was extremely knowledgeable about the products, friendly and attentive. We especially enjoyed the steak tartare, chicken and the house red wine. Made us feel like we are back in France. Thank you very much, will def go back for sure. :)

I would highly recommend Little Social, a French restaurant located in the heart of London. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate, perfect for a romantic date or a night out with friends. The menu is an absolute delight, offering a range of classic French dishes with a modern twist. The ingredients are of the highest quality, and the presentation of each dish is simply stunning. The flavors are rich, complex and perfectly balanced, leaving you feeling satisfied and wanting more. The wine selection is equally impressive, with an extensive list of French and international wines that complement the food perfectly. The knowledgeable staff are always on hand to offer recommendations and ensure that your dining experience is nothing short of exceptional. The service at Little Social is impeccable, with friendly and attentive staff who make you feel right at home. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or just looking for a great meal, Little Social is definitely worth a visit. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough and look forward to my next visit!

A nice french cuisine restaurant close to Oxford street and Regents street. The welcome for three walk-ins was good, even for a crowded lunchtime. We were found a place at the bar (full menu available) and a separate vegetarian menu was available which was a really nice plus point. Particularly hungry people might question the portions, but the food was rich and well seasoned. The pesto on the Trofie tasted really fresh. The chicken breast was perhaps the least interesting item, a large chunk of meat that was cooked well, but overwhelmed everything else on the plate, and in such a large piece difficult to season properly without destroying the balance of the dish. We didn't have time for desert, but the choices looked good. Overall very pleased with the visit.

I would class this in the 'this could get expensive' category of restaurants. The decor is wonderful and has a very art deco feel. The food lives up to, and often surpasses expectations. The main menu stays with the same core of dishes with the main ingredients being swapped around depending on the season. If you do have the chance the poached egg starter and the roasted cod were our two highlights of the meal. Go to 5 Social if you are looking for top quality food that makes some other similarly priced restaurants look sub-par. Perfect for meals for two, but also suitable for larger parties. This should definitely be on your list of restaurants to try. Try to book in advance to guarantee getting a seat as it was packed when we ate.

Appalling service, tried to serve meat to vegetarian, lacklustre décor.I hate bashing but we have been left with no choice, there is zero concern for customer feedback when we wrote to them directly.  My partner is Canadian and I was thrilled at the prospect of an “all Canadian menu”, Nanaimo bars and furnishings of my partner’s birthplace.  With this in mind I made a reservation as a surprise for her.Sadly our experience was far from what we expected; please allow me to go into detail of our brief time in LS. We arrived to find a few deer antlers, certainly not Canadian moose, some chequered tablecloths, some dirty heavy throws and a sledge and car licence plates attached to the wall.  Air Conditioning set to ice cold.  Not exactly homely.  The menu which was supposed to be Canadian themed, in fact had very little Canadian options, and if you are a vegetarian as my partner is then no main courses at all to choose from?  There were two vegetarian options which are certainly not Canadian (Macaroni Cheese and Spinach and Artichoke Dip) and these were under a “to share” section of the menu.  When we expressed our dismay we were encouraged to choose something from a different menu?  Isn’t the idea of a “2 day only” Canadian themed restaurant so that you can immerse yourself in the experience being offered?   We had at least 4 different waiters serve our table, one was a nice older chap but sadly for us, he had the most appalling breath and it was difficult to engage with him.  We never received the requested and agreed second plate of bread from one of the younger waiters.  At one point those young chaps started arguing with each other about who was collecting the tip having served the large table in the back room.   After our feedback about the menu, the Chef came to our table; we were both stunned to find he was Canadian himself and had drawn up this lacklustre menu.  We suggested a vegetarian Poutine (not the sausage laced version available) which he attempted to get a required ingredient from the restaurant across the street from but he could not source this.  Nor as it turned out could he serve the much hyped on social media Nanaimo Bar as this was also missing an ingredient?  With my partner having been born in Nanaimo this was extremely disheartening.  The Chef did say that he hoped to make her a different option from the dull, non-Canadian to share dishes, but alas when the food arrived, it was the Spinach and Artichoke Dip with no Dipping toast.  This was left on the counter as the Waiter had forgotten to give it to her; he did however come over and offer some Beef Jus?  To a vegetarian?  The Salmon that I had ordered was a mixture of cooked to raw and lacked any distinct flavour.  The warm potatoes that were supposed to accompany this were served cold.   My partner was very disappointed by the whole experience, the barrage of different waiters hovering around the table expecting their tip and asking if everything was ok yet forgetting to deliver the promised food made us both feel very uncomfortable and what was supposed to be a warm feeling of home.

When I take my mother to visit my brother in the capital he has the unenviable task of deciding where to take her for lunch in the city (fussy is an understatement). After a successful to visit to French restaurant Brasserie Zédel earlier in the year, he decided to stay with the French theme and booked a table at Jason Atherton’s Little Social.

After living in Dubai and tried Marina Social couple of times, I wanted to try the "little" original version.<br/>We were welcomed with a big and warm smile despite the fact that they looked very busy.<br/>Service was professional, genuine and friendly. Food as expected was top starting from the butter with a hint of smoke followed by tartare, sea scallop (same dish recreated in Marina Social) to finish with braised Ox cheek and Pork-chop both well executed. <br/>Food was great and service right in line with it. U<br/>Unfortunately something is missing in Dubai.<br/>Great visit!

Popping into Little Social, the more relaxed kid brother of Jason Atherton’s flagship restaurant Pollen Street Social, was always going to be a good decision. Serving up rustic French classics in a bustling setting on Pollen Street, it ticked my boxes for a good meal. With an ice cold Pilsner in hand (fantastic old-fashioned tankards), I sat back and took in a great meal....

I enjoyed the ox tongue main dish and the smoked fish entree. The presentation was excellent and they were trying to balance rich meat dishes with simple salads. The service however was the part that impressed me the most. We didn't finish one of our dishes and the waitress asked us for the feedback - the restaurant thought it was their fault that they didn't prepare a dish that we would want to finish. The manager had a discussion with us and took that dish off the bill! The only thing I didn't like was the music - didn't suit the place. They should play something jazzy/quieter.

It seems that Jason Atherton is becoming increasingly famous and successful.  I think he has opened branches in Hong Kong and Singapore.  Naturally, having being to Pollen Street Social, I felt I had to try another one of his social events.  Little Social.  Slightly fastidious person that I am, I also brought along my big camera.  However, due to my friends’ lack of appreciation for my methodical methods, my photos didn’t turn out that well.  Well, that’s my excuse at least.  I fell victim to expensive camera, lack of skill problems.  Money can’t buy you taste sometimes.

The menu is French inspired Modern European with subtly innovative twists and combinations....Always lured by the umami perfume of truffles, I ordered the Burrata, pear quince, truffled honey and pickled walnuts – a decadent combination that I imagine would have gone down very well at a lavish Roman banquet.

This was my third time at Little Social but first time at lunch. I had really liked dinner the previous two times and was looking forward to my work Christmas Lunch at the restaurant. There were 13 of us and we did the set menu of three courses plus a lot of drinking and a very fun secret santa. The restaurant was busy and had a great vibe, just like at dinner. What we ate: Smoked Salmon, lemon purée, crème fraiche, charred cucumber, dill & blini: delicious thick piece of gorgeous salmon, slightly smoked and served with little dollops of lemon gelée and crème fraiche. The blinis were almost unnecessary as the fish was so tasty, with a bit of lemon shavings on top that added a nice touch of color and flavor. Pumpkin soup, slow-cooked egg, pepper cured bacon, parmesan, wild mushrooms, and croutons: the egg, bacon and mushrooms were served at the bottom of the plate and the pumpkin soup was poured on top. Very big flavors that one wouldn’t necessarily put together but worked magically well. Country pâté, salad, piccalilli: I am not a pâté aficionado so to me was just straightforward good pâté and didn’t turn me into a pâté fanatic. Aged Scottish beef burger, bacon & cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, chips: this entrée was the envy of the table. John who was seated next to me ordered it but we agreed to try each other’s foods (or I would have moved next to someone who would…). The bacon was perfectly crispy which is not always the case with British bacon), the cheese gooey and melted and the bun lightly toasted. The burger was tasty but could have been slightly juicier for my taste. But still very good. Roasted guinea fowl, crispy bacon, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, cranberry, confit leg & pomme purée, jus gras: this was a perfect winter dish with the sprouts, chestnuts and cranberries. The fowl was very tasty and not too dry, which happens sometimes. The best part was the side of mashed potatoes, which were served in a glass container and layer on top with a delicio

Little Social is a great meeting place with an excellent bar/cocktail menu and refined brasserie food. Even though the lighting is low, hence the rather grainy images, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking for some where romantic, as our neighbouring table that night, as the noise level of the chatter is a bit too high to invoke romanticism – so not a first date choice, but leave it for subsequent dates! (note: plural) :)

Little Social is a lovely “little” upmarket brasserie just off Hanover Square and directly opposite its sister restaurant, the Michelin starred Pollen Street Social. The atmosphere is buzzy and busy, but not too loud. We were greeted by an extremely friendly maître d who walked us passed the speakeasy style mahogany bar and down to our spacious red leather booth.  The restaurant is surprisingly casual, an interesting contrast to the gourmet food. My fellow diners and I ordered some custom-made mocktails. We were asked to provide the waitress with our favourite flavours and we were all given our own personalised drinks which made us feel a bit special! One of my friends wasn’t too happy with hers and it was gladly replaced. To start, we ordered the Scallops with Dashi Jelly, Shiso, Wasabi & Avocado Puree. It may sound odd, but I am always sceptical about ordering scallops in n

Jason Atherton opened Little Social after the success of his Pollen Street Social restaurant across the street. Canadian chef Carl Docherty obviously has a natural talent when it comes to creating cheeseburgers as this one was one of those rare treats that on the first bite you look up, your eyes widen, you quietly moan "MMHHHHH", then sit gormlessly chewing for a moment in a burger trance. That's what the Little Social are offering. A burger trance experience. Seriously, if the fire alarm were to have gone off, i wouldn't have heard it.

Little Social is a cozy restaurant tucked into a quiet alley in Mayfair with Regent Street only a stone throw away. It opened up its doors last year in March just opposite to its Michelin starred sibling Pollen Street Social and has been quite well received. In recent years the success of Jason Atherton, the founder, has given birth to more restaurants in London and abroad in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. He has previously worked for heavyweights such as Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis and Ferran Adria. We went to Little Social on a fully seated Tuesday evening which meant a wait of about half an hour for a table. Meanwhile bar seats were offered for a drink. Little Social is a brasserie styled restaurant with red and dark brown toned interior, elegant but relaxed. The food is French and so is much of the wine list. The clientele is as you would expect in this area at the beginning of the week dominated by a fairly mature crowd.

Little Social is owned by the famous chef Jason Atherton. The decor of the place is like the swinging 50s with copper bar top and leather red dining booths and dark wood. The food here is an eclectic mix of French and British dishes but focusing on locally produce products. All the dishes was so tempting but I went for the simple prix fixe menu at £21 that you can get during lunch. Either 3 course at £25 or 2 course at £21. Nibbles of brown and white bread is served with salted butter. Delicious. Crunchy crust and chewy dough. Starters I went for the amazingly delicious combination of burrata, quince, pear, truffle honey and pickled walnuts. Everything compliments everything well. Crunchy walnuts, luxurious truffles drizzle on top of the cheese and sweet pears with tangy balsamico. Delicious combo. For main I got the pork and truffle sausage, onion purée, grilled cauliflower, griotte onions, mashed potato and pork jus. This was another delicious

Little Social is the younger sister of Pollen Street Social and is located directly opposite; it opened in March 2013. The formula here is rather different, with the red banquettes signalling “French brasserie.” The long, narrow dining rom has a low ceiling and wooden floor, with half a dozen tightly-packed seats at the bar in addition to the main dining area. This takes the total capacity of the room, which in this case could perhaps be called the Pollen count, up to 55 diners at any one time. On the walls are Michelin maps of France, just in case you were in any doubt the place serves vaguely French food. There is one further, rather odd, décor touch. The words “silence – logique – securite – prudence” in lights above the staircase are a reference to a signboard with those words seen near the beginning of the Jean-Luc Godard film Alphaville. I guess the designer was trying for some hint of French art film chic, but in the movie the sign demonstrates the sinister Orwellian atmosphere of Alphaville, a city controlled by a computer, which seems rather at odds with the ambience that the restaurant is presumably trying for. Fortunately the friendly staff at Little Social are much more welcoming than the sign might suggest.<br/><br/>The head chef is Canadian Carey Docherty, who was head chef at Foxtrot Oscar, and had previously trained with, amongst others, Clare Smyth at Gordon Ramsay, and also at Zuma. The main menu had starters ranging from £9.50 to £15.50, main courses £15 to £23.50 and desserts mostly at £7.50. In addition there was a three-course lunch available at £25. Despite the décor, the menu itself offers more modern British dishes than Parisien bistro fare. It was a little strange seeing “pea and broad bean risotto, mint ricotta and peppered bacon” being classed as vegetarian, though I suppose that bacon is the nemesis of many vegetarians. The fairly short, almost entirely French, wine list had selections such as Mourgues du Gres les Galet Rouges Costieres de Nimes 2011 at £33 for a wine that you can find in the high street for £8, Domaine Cosse Maison Neuve Fa Fagge Cahors 2009 at £56 for a wine that retails at £15, and Fanny Sabre Beaune 2010 at £75 for a wine that will set you back around £39 in a shop. The excellent Alion 2007 was a steep £165 for a wine that you can find, albeit with difficulty, for around £52 retail. <br/><br/>Bread was supplied by the local Marylebone bakery Boulangerie, and was decent if unexciting. My starter was a salad of crab, radish, tomato and marinated beetroot, with tomato miso dressing. This had fresh crab, some unannounced apple providing a nice balance of acidity for the crab, the beetroot adding an earthy flavour, though the radish was sliced so thin its taste was rather lost. The crab and apple worked well with the miso dressing, but the beef tomato slices were rather tasteless, and seemed out of place (13/20). Papardelle pasta had very good texture, served with a game Bolognese sauce topped with Parmesan. The minced meat was nicely seasoned and had good flavour, the overall dish hearty and enjoyable (14/20).<br/><br/>I was less taken with an apple and blackberry crumble, which turned out to be a rather unconventional take on the classic dish. A plate with marscapone and a scoop of ice cream was presented, with a waitress then spooning the fruit crumble from a pan around the ice cream. I am not sure what this really added, but more to the point there was hardly any crumble relative to fruit, and the apple was rather undercooked. The ice cream was very nice, but this was more a fruit compote than a crumble, and compote with undercooked apple at that (12/20).<br/><br/>Coffee (£3) was from The Drury Tea & Coffee company, and was decent enough. The bill, with just tap water to drink, came to £42 for one. Clearly with a modest wine a typical bill would be more like £65 a head. Overall Little Social was pleasant enough, but the cooking rather more uneven than I was expecting.

I ate this beauty this week and it was excellent. Perhaps I shouldn't have kicked things off with truffle risotto because I felt so full after this. Great crispy bacon, nicely cooked meat (pink, obvs) and cracking pickles combining perfectly. For £15 it comes with fries and a dressed side salad, slightly odd but the burger is a winner.

9/10 for service,7/10 for food. Their service is very good . the Ambience is nice ,bit dark . It looks like old steak house. I really enjoyed Crab salad with beetroots. Amazing dish! My main was Ox cheek. It was way too heavy and rich, It was OK. The portion size is quite big. £50 per head restaurant.(two course meal and one drink) I would be happy to have starter and dessert. I might come back in the future...

Head chef Cary Docherty has totally nailed the burger at Little Social in a way that Phil Carmichael at Atherton's grander recent opening, Berners Tavern hasn't (yet). For £15 all in – with impeccable service in a cosy bistro where you can BOOK A TABLE – this is my new favourite place to bag a posh burger.

I had done some free work. Don’t look so shocked. It happens more often than you might expect. Sometimes it’s pro-bono, sometimes inadvertent and sometimes it falls under the heading of “ good for the relationship ” – the client relationship that is. Having sorted out a standard pack of documents for a banking client, I expected nothing in return, other than perhaps a bit more work. But the client had other ideas. Take your pick, I was told. It’s our treat Anywhere you like. I instinctively knew that a trip to Paris might be pushing it, so I suggested Little Social, which I knew would please at least one of the clients no end. N, who has appeared on these pages before, is my most food-forward client and is constantly trying to out-new  me. He managed to get there first with Hutong and by accident with Newman Street Tavern and he tells me that he’s found something new and interesting in Marylebone, but I think I’ve got the edge. Just.

My new visit searching for a burger was to Little Social . Jason Atherton’s place, the same Jason of Pollen Street Social. Head chef Cary Docherty runs a Parisian little bistro, hide in the small Pollen street in London. Refined, cozy and peaceful, oak and red velvet boots, a decent size bar where you can eat, Michelin maps, and some old pictures complete the atmosphere

Little Social is a sister restaurant to the now very famous Pollen Street Social (MMMM – see my review) which is located across the street facing Little Social, and both are owned by the talented chef Jason Atherton. Little Social is a more casual, less pricey restaurant than Pollen Street Social (on average starters are £9 in Little Social and £14 in Pollen Street Social and main courses £20 in Little Social and £30/£35 in Pollen Street Social), and for me the food is almost as good, if not as good, and Little Social does great value for money as on their fixed menu, 2 courses cost you £21 and 3 courses £25. Little Social serves you British produce cooked in a modern British/ French way.   The interior is also a bit more casual than in Pollen Street Social, and Little Social has a French upscale brasserie type of feel with dark brown wooden c

It might strike you as a little surprising that someone would open their new restaurant right opposite their old one. . . but when that someone is Jason Atherton, you don’t need to worry. Pollen Street Social was the Big Daddy of 2012 eating for me, so I certainly wasn’t going to turn down an invitation to Atherton’s latest venture, Little Social. Forget the sleek, chic PSS. Little Social is all about comfort: tucking your serviette into your collar, drinking a bottle of the excellent house wine, and getting stuck in to some hearty food. <br/><br/>But this is no pub grub. Instead, expect warming, flavoursome dishes – perfect for this time of year – with the usual Atherton flair. Especially comforting were the Cauliflower and crayfish risotto and Pan fired sea trout, roasted baby gem, sardine, watercress, and crushed potatoes. Oh, I’m forgetting that bacon; a fatty, salty and naughty accompaniment to the fish. And to finish, we sampled an excellent Goat’s milk rice pudding, rhubarb jam, jam ripple ice cream served in its own kitsch copper pan. To wash it all down: the PSS Selection, Anjou, Clos de l’Elu, Thomas Carsin, Loire, 2011.<br/><br/>It’s hard to believe you’re in Mayfair when the price-quality ratio is so appealing (expect to spend around £30/person).The usual Atherton staff were on hand to ensure a smooth operation that evening (leaving PSS rather in the lurch, as we found at a pre-dinner drink…) But, as ever, Gareth Evans – who is to move to Atherton’s next venture (Social Eating House) – charmed and mixed up a few boozy surprises for us. With questionable décor as befitting any Parisian bistro (mirrors, banquettes, eclectic music) and excellent food to match, Little Social really fits its brief.<br/>

Little Social is the younger sister of Pollen Street Social and is located directly opposite; it opened in March 2013. The formula here is rather different, with the red banquettes signalling “French brasserie.” The long, narrow dining rom has a low ceiling and wooden floor, with half a dozen tightly-packed seats at the bar in addition to the main dining area. This takes the total capacity of the room, which in this case could perhaps be called the Pollen count, up to 55 diners at any one time. On the walls are Michelin maps of France, just in case you were in any doubt the place serves vaguely French food. There is one further, rather odd, décor touch. The words “silence – logique – securite – prudence” in lights above the staircase are a reference to a signboard with those words seen near the beginning of the Jean-Luc Godard film Alphaville. I guess the designer was trying for some hint of French art film chic, but in the movie the sign demonstrates the sinister Orwellian atmosphere

Little Social, the casual offshoot of Pollen Street Social, has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, and I finally booked a table way in advance. Even though this is the ‘cheaper’ version in the 'Social' group, it is still a pretty upmarket restaurant. We got a great table, the only one by the window. Nevertheless it was quite dark, due to the dim lights and the dark leather booth interior. There were some nice maps and pictures on the walls, but I don’t think they quite managed to achieve the relaxed, bistro look they were going for, as it looks a bit fake. The menu is a fusion of English and French food. I went for the Steak Tartare with a quail egg, which was very cute, but I did want a bigger egg. The meat tasted very fresh, it was almost the perfect steak tartare. For my main I had the braised Irish ox cheek with bone marrow and horseradish mash. The ox was amazingly tender and yummy, and the roast marrow tasted kind of like caramel. My companions who h

Dinner with a friend.. Er S.... Dinner with a friend..<br/>Er Shared a bottle of red wine. We had green risotto and sautéed foie gras as a starter and ox cheeks and pork chops as our main course selection. A desert (brown sugar tart) and two glasses of white wine included, we paid £150 and gave been really happy with our choice. I will come back for sure!

Little Social, is nothing like it’s older sister venue across the road: a French bistro, where waiters are aloof, the décor shyly charms you and whose diners remind you that you are not in a quiet Paris backstreet but most definitely in Mayfair. The menu which is inspired by British produce with a French twist to it has a good selection of both meat and fish dishes. There are also the specials

The cooking was highly respectable, and with dishes such as the wonderful haddock “BLT” and the sublime brown sugar tart, there were aspects of the ‘interesting’ in the menu to embody the fact that this is a Jason Atherton restaurant. But Little Social isn’t meant to be a visionary fine-dining experience, and while its respectable, its not necessarily inspired. It’s not particularly overpriced, but portions have been meticulously judged and bordered on the small side for the prices charged. Perhaps challenging pricing is a curse that plagues this Mayfair address of 5 Pollen Street, a property that no doubt incurs exorbitant rentals. We found the service to be decent and all in all it was a good meal. But Little Social does not make for a special ‘Go-To’ restaurant.

One of the best lunches I have been to in the last few years was at Pollen Street Social. The food was beautiful and interesting, and I loved the idea of their Dessert Bar. My favourite part was their special touch – when you arrived they gave you a key, which you presented to one of the barmen at the end of the meal. They then unlocked a little drawer behind the bar, and inside was a box, with a little bag with 2 tiny and delicious almond cakes and their home-made tea bag, for your afternoon tea. A really playful and memorable attention to detail.

I’ve heard Little Social mentioned in the same breath as Brasserie Zedel, but that’s really doing it a disservice. While both are harking back to an idea of French dining circa 1920 – Little Social isn’t afraid to branch out and play with the concept and delivers it to a far higher standard (with a higher price tag).

I really wanted to like Balthazar. It was the hottest ticket in town and I, unlike Jay Rayner who moaned about it for weeks, understand how to press redial on my phone and had managed to get a table. Bethnal Green to New York restaurateur Keith McNally’s wet dream of a Brasserie somehow didn’t add up to the sum of its parts. It was too cliched and the frites weren’t right-maybe we are too close to Paris here in London…?

Mixed feelings. A perfectly pleasant meal but nothing exceptional. The service was mostly good when it happened but took a long time coming. Drinks before the meal had to be asked for as not offered on arrival. Coffee was offered three times, before, with and after the dessert. They were obviously in a hurry to get rid of us. At 1hr 58 mins we were "reminded" that table bookings were only for two hours! and more or less asked to drink up our coffee and leave. No chance of post dinner drinks then. Of the two hours we were there at least an hour was spent just waiting. Normally I wouldn't mind this, I don't like to be rushed, but if I'm being thrown out on the dot of 2 hours then it is they that need to get a move on and that does not mean serving coffee before or with dessert!

It’s interesting how Jason Atherton’s two restaurants at Pollen Street can be so divided. Pollen Street Social , the more formal, one Michelin starred restaurant was entirely packed with business lunches. It was difficult to spot anyone not wearing a suit or not men. Directly across the narrow Pollen Street, no sign, appears to be the new Little Social, which seemed to have stolen all the casual guests: families with children, more women and guys with shirts instead of black suits (or maybe they just felt comfortable enough to take it off).  The restaurant I really liked Little Social, especially the casualness. Like an upscaled Cafe Rouge but in a good way. Still in its first month I believe, the whole restaurant was packed and since tables were closely together, noise levels were rather high. The food and price   You can choose from the a la carte, set menu or daily specials written on the blackboards scattered

Little Social is all about comfort: tucking your serviette into your collar, drinking a bottle of the excellent house wine, and getting stuck in to some hearty food. But this is no pub grub. Instead, expect warming, flavoursome dishes – perfect for this time of year – with the usual Atherton flair. Especially comforting were the Cauliflower and crayfish risotto and Pan fired sea trout, roasted baby gem, sardine, watercress, and crushed potatoes. Oh, I’m forgetting that bacon; a fatty, salty and naughty accompaniment to the fish. And to finish, we sampled an excellent Goat’s milk rice

Little Social definitely lived up to the hype and expectation. With Jason Atherton's name to it, it couldn't possibly go wrong. It reminded me of the Corner Room by Nuno Mendes, a side project that offers casual dining after the Michelin star success from the main dining room. And they were equally brilliant. I need to go back, I'm hooked.

So far it looks like 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the French bistros and brasseries. The trend started in full earnest in 2012 when Zedel opened its doors. Since then a host of new French bistros and brasseries have hit London, such as The Green man and French horn , Balthazar and Bouchon Fourchette just to name a few. The trend looks set to continue and in fact two high-profile new French restaurants opened this week (Little Social and Brasserie Chavot ); we decided to visit both Little Social and Brasserie Chavot in their coinciding opening week. Foie gras rilette (8.5/10) Foie gras rilette (8.5/10) Crayfish risotto (8/10)   Little Social is the brainchild of famed chef Jason Atherton, whose Pollen Street Social has proved a huge success with the London foodsters and Michelin.  Little Social (which is located directly opposite Pollen Street Social) offers a completely different dining experience from the haute cuisine at Pollen Street Social. The theme here is rustic French a

Once you have entered the front door you proceed through a curtain to find a long, rather thin, well polished room with low lighting and lots of waitresses in smart unifrom. There is a dark wooded bar on the left hand wall with bar stools so you can be seated. There are two small tables by the window at the front of the restaurant with the rest of the seating split on either side running all the way to the back. Deep red leather booths on one side and tables of two and four on the other. A  secluded curtained table area is situated right at the back for perhaps those more private indiv

Service-wise, while we had been thoroughly impressed by the smiling maître d’, we were slightly less taken with our waiter. Efficient and brusque, he seemed intent on whisking our plates away the moment we put down our cutlery after each course, and brought our bill without us ever having asked for it, but then when we were ready to pay he failed to appear with the card machine and we had to wave several times to catch his attention. With our bill coming in at just over £62 per head for three courses, wine and service, Little Social is not cheap, but our meal set us back no more than we would have expected for food of this quality in this area of London. Having said that, the total could easily have been significantly higher had we invested in a higher end bottle of wine, or ended our meal with coffee and tea, for example. Had I been rating our food alone, I would have given Little Social full marks, but factoring in the slightly hurried service, faintly intrusive 1990s soundtrack, and

The decor of Little Social is fabulous, very different from its light and airy, modern art smattered older sibling over the road. Here it is all about cosy and warm (which was utterly welcome on a snowy Saturday) Squished elbow to elbow with your neighbour on a leather banquette, warmed by a early 20th c style lamp, you felt as though you could have been in the dining carriage of a Belle Epoque steam train flying through the French countryside. This sentiment was emphasised by the vintage Michelin roadmaps papering the wall down to the kitchens as well as the Art nouveau style French tourism posters. Clichéd? Maybe slightly, but lovely nonetheless.

The menu is short and concise; 5 each of starters, mains and desserts fit onto one A4 sheet, accompanied by a smaller Dinner specials menu containing an extra 2 options of each course. Each option providing enough variety that I had trouble choosing. I can’t really comment too much on Duncan’s choices (neither of is were in a sharing mood that night), but he was definitely more than happy with his choices, in particular the hot chocolate moelleaux (essentially salted caramel fondant. I chose to start with the umami flavour-bomb of slow-cooked egg soup with parmesan, mushrooms and croutons. It wasn’t much to look at, but the flavours were rich and bright a

Little Social is the new new restaurant by Jason Atherton, over the road from Pollen Street Social, on a site that used to be a restaurant but has been derelict for about a year now (though it was difficult to tell exactly when that transition happened, it was so perennially empty even when open). In its new guise of Little Social, it's broadly a brasserie, but not in the Balthazar kind of way. If Pollen Street Social aimed to fuse fine dining with a more relaxed social approach to eating, Little Social actually bigs up the social element further and is the kind of place where you meet friends, not business colleagues, and where you might drop by after a day's shopping on Regent Street and recharge with a hearty plate of food and a glass of red. While then it is less of an occasion restaurant than Pollen Street Social, and while the food has moved more towards accessibility, it is still a Jason Atherton restaurant, so in both quality and flourish, expect to be happy diners. On the main

There is much to like about Little Social- from the considered charm of the continental floor staff, to the cosy ambience and serious food at pretty darn sensible prices. The Hungry One might like to see the drinks list expanded to include some more European craft beers, and in time I’d be interested to see the full wine list (at the preview house wines were poured). And I’m sure that in time the vegetarian selection will be expanded and the kitchen will develop a little more consistency in the sizing of starters and mains.

From the moment we walked in to the time we walked out, service was friendly and relaxed. All the staff were engaging and it was nice to talk to the general manager for the group, Michael West, about their plans. Even better was meeting the man himself, Jason Atherton. He was relaxed and happy with the way the preview days had gone. I would be happy too based on the experience we had!