Pollen Street Social in London
Show-cooking is in vogue. The number of cookery shows on television has reached an all-time high, with many top chefs achieving celebrity status. One such star is Jason Atherton. In April 2011, he opened his first restaurant in London’s Mayfair. Freed from the constraints of studio kitchens, he created a space tailor-made for his culinary style. Here, guests observe the aesthetics of the dish from conception to consumption in a perfectly adapted environment. The sightlines and views, the cooks handling gleaming cookware and colourful ingredients merge with the fine materials and diverse styles of the dining room. Even outside, the large windows draw attention to the goings-on within. To see and be seen appears to be the motto of the multicultural, widely travelled clientele. The menu is similarly international. Ingredients and spices from all over the world are assembled into extraordinary dishes created, not in secrecy, but in a spectacular manner in full public view.
