Social Eating House: For when you’re in the mood to eat fancily but can’t be bothered to dress up

Jason Atherton’s Soho outpost is pleasingly unshowy but there’s still plenty of glamour twinkling away in this British bistro. The third of his London sites, it was a key building block in his ever-expanding empire. The inconspicuous frontage adds the fun of feeling like you’re heading into a club for those in the know.

Inside, it’s a blend of smart leather seating and bare brick walls: this contradiction runs deep into the experience, which is on the whole fairly relaxed but not entirely – food isn’t fussy, exactly, but it’s not cheap (starters in the teens, mains around £30) and usually plenty of technique on display in the dishes. In fact, to be blunt, it’s for when you’re in the mood to eat fancily but can’t be bothered to dress up. Which means that on those days, it’s absolutely perfect. It also does excellent vegetarian fair and upstairs cocktail bar The Blind Pig is one of Soho’s finest.

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