A new look and feel for Jason Atherton’s spiritual home
I guessing I was not alone in feeling sad when I heard Jason Atherton’s announcement that Michelin-starred Pollen Street was to close. Pollen Street Social was a breath of fresh air when it opened in 2011 and remained popular with diners, including myself until it closed a few months ago.
So I can imagine the raised eyebrows when Jason announced that the was opening a new restaurant on the Pollen Street site, and it would be called Mary’s. Was Jason opening a tea room? As it turns out, the name was in honour of a regular diner at Pollen Street, an American Lady who would order steak and Martini. I suspect that the lovely Mary’s regular dining habits gave Jason that lightbulb moment and triggered the concept for his new restaurant.
Mary’s website describes itself as “Quality food without pretension; Mary’s is a place for all.” The staff, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, add to that description perfectly.
The restaurant has a relaxed feel with three separate feature areas. The first is The Blind Pig bar is in front as you walk in. It has an impressive drinks menu and offers cocktails at £12 each, which is cheap for Mayfair, but we won’t tell Jason that.
On entering the restaurant, the end that used to be a dessert bar in the former Pollen Street restaurant is now a smash burger bar, such a clever idea; if you are limited on time, you can pop into the burger bar and enjoy a great burger with Koffmann fries and be done and dusted in an hour, ideal for those of you who have a proper job or on the way to the theatre. I’m delighted to report that the seats at the burger bar were full during the two-and-a-half hours it took to eat our lunch. Yes, thankfully, I don’t have a proper job.
Like the burger bar, I’m pleased to report that the restaurant had a good crowd when we visited, which is pleasing to see at a midweek lunchtime.
The A La carte menu is split into two sections: the top section has starters and lighter mains, and below that are dishes from the wood-fired grill. There are also daily specials on meat cuts and fish.
The grill section plays a big part on the menu, however, there are no refrigerated cabinets full of large cuts of meat; it is not that sort of restaurant.
Chef Alex Parker has put together a menu that will delight those who previously might have raised eyebrows. The food will turn any frown into a wide grin. A lot of thought has gone into balancing innovative new dishes with favourites from the grill; it reads well.
We were lucky enough to try four of the starters. First, we tried the duck croquette with pickled cucumber and a very yummy satay sauce. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “yummy” before in a review, but it perfectly describes the satay sauce. We could not stop eating it. If not already, this dish is going to be a signature dish. Next came, and I will give its full description, a Lyonnaise onion agnolotti, cheese custard, leeks and chive beurre blanc, and Monkfish tempura with warm tartare sauce.
I fear that agnolotti pasta might be overlooked when diners select their starters because the duck and monkfish are destined headliners on the menu. If you do choose the agnolotti you will not be disappointed. It tasted so fresh and was a beautifully balanced dish.
The tempura Monkfish was bathed in warm tartar sauce. One thing that frustrates me is when chefs go to the trouble of making a stunning sauce, and when the plate arrives, it has a couple of dots of the sauce on the plate. There were no such issues here, as the sauces played an integral part in all the dishes we tasted. As I hinted, the monkfish tempura is destined to be another popular dish.
Finally, the last starter arrived: Cumbrian aged beef tartare, pop-over, truffle sauce and wasabi cream. This is an exciting twist on the classic steak Tartare. I have to admit I have no idea what “pop over” is, and forgive me, dear reader, I should have asked, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the topping, which gave the dish crunch and a different texture. As you can see from the picture, this version came with no raw egg; instead, it was replaced with the truffle sauce and wasabi cream.
The dish packed a punch with the heat of wasabi and truffle flavour, but the beef remained the show’s star—so clever.
So that was our quartet of starters. As you can see, even from my pictures, all four looked appealing and were presented beautifully. Whilst looks can never replace taste, they certainly help elevate the dish. If I went back tomorrow and could only pick one dish, I would struggle, but the satay sauce will live long in my memory.
With four starters finished, the mains would have a tough job to compete with. We were going to choose from the wood-fired grill section. My wife and lunch partner Leigh had no problem selecting the Hereford dry-aged fillet steak on the bone. I was tempted to try the Barnsley lamb chop, but eventually, I sided with Cumbrian dry-aged sirloin (I loved the Cumbrian beef in our starter). For sides, we ordered Koffmann fries and heritage tomato carpaccio salad.
There is so much written about cooking the perfect steak, probably too much, so I’m not going to add my thoughts but simply say however you cook it should have a good searing and crust on the outside and be pink inside (it has to be well rested) seasoned well and then I’m a happy man.
When our steaks arrived, we were both very happy. The photos show that they were well seared, but you can’t see that they were cooked perfectly to our liking, pink and juicy inside.
It was so good that Leigh said it was the best steak she had eaten since a meal at the original Hawksmoor on Commercial Street over 15 years ago.
Pierre Koffmann is a culinary legend. Many of the top chefs today, including Jason Atherton, worked under him. Koffmann is a true legend in the industry. So when you see Koffmann fries on the menu, I have to order them; whatever else I’ve ordered.
The Heritage tomato salad is the perfect accompaniment for meats from the grill; simply dressed and seasoned, they pack so much flavour; those who know me well will be relieved to know that I’m not going on another rant about tasteless supermarket tomatoes; the heritage tomato is what all tomatoes strive taste like.
Next up, pudding time and for me it was a fig creme brulee. I love figs, and this is fig season. Leigh went for soft-serve with lemon and honeycomb. No words were said on our table during the time it took to eat our desserts; that’s all you need to know.
So, to sum up, Mary’s is a restaurant ideal for all occasions: a quick lunch, a big group dinner, or an intimate meal for two. Mary’s works hard not to be pigeonholed. It achieves an informal feel without sacrificing food quality and cannot fail to impress.
On leaving Mary’s, I’m left with one question: can I have the recipe for the satay sauce?
Mary’s London
8-10 Pollen St, Mayfair, London W1S 1NQ
If you enjoyed reading this, you might enjoy reading about our guide to other restaurants in the area, including Little Social, and Pollen Street.
Our guide to Maddox Street and review of Atul Kochhars Kanishka. Finally, check out our guide to the best restaurants for the very best Christmas party.
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