Michelin-Star Chef Atherton Plans Bistro in London’s Soho

Jason Atherton, the chef who won a Michelin star within months of opening Pollen Street Social in Mayfair, plans to open a bistro and bar in London’s Soho.

The new venue on Poland Street, called the Social Eating House, will seat 60 to 65 diners, with space for as many as 70 in the upstairs bar. There will also be 10-12 seats in the kitchen, with a range of tasting menus. The opening is scheduled for March next year.

“We want to create a beautiful space where people can have a good meal that is good value, especially in a recession,” Atherton said in an interview. Starters will be priced between six pounds ($9.64) and eight pounds, and mains 12-18 pounds.

The venue will be run and part-owned by Paul Hood, the head chef at Pollen Street Social. Hood worked at Maze with Atherton, who created that restaurant for Gordon Ramsay. The venture will be backed by Atherton and his business partner, Mavis Oei.

Atherton, 41, and Oei have previously opened establishments in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. He is U.K. and Ireland chairman of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Opinions expressed are his own.)

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To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net or http://twitter.com/Richardvines.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

Jason Atherton presides at Pollen Street Social. The chef plans to open a new bistro and bar in London. Photographer: Richard Vines, Bloomberg

The site of Jason Atherton's new bistro and bar in Poland Street, London. The Soho venue will be converted into a dining area and bar called the Social Eating House. Atherton also runs Pollen Street Social. Photographer: Richard Vines, Bloomberg.