Chez Rose

Pollen Street will forever be etched in London food folklore. This quiet Mayfair lane was once home to the twin stars of Jason Atherton’s culinary empire - Pollen Street Social and Little Social. While the flagship now sits empty, Little Social has been reborn as Chez Rose: a swish, sophisticated French bistro, led by Atherton’s uber-talented protégé (and former Ritz head chef) Spencer Metzger.

A lot has been made of this passing of the torch. The bones of the old site remain, but Chez Rose - named after Metzger’s grandmother - is a far more romantic, seductive affair. The dining room is a gorgeous swirl of pine-green leather, dark timber, gold accents, and vintage wine bottles dripping with old candle wax. Antique mirrors sit alongside old family photos, proving just how personal this project is.

As for the cooking? It’s stupendous. Metzger’s education in the hallowed kitchens of The Ritz shines through every dish, even the down-to-earth bistro classics. An oeuf en meurette is the sort of rich, old-school Gallic wizardry that leaves traditionalists purring. Then there's a Dover sole doused in lemon and brown shrimp butter; because this is a restaurant that doesn’t want you to lift a finger, the fish arrives off the bone, pearlescent and immaculate. Likewise, a fat, grilled lobster tail is served de-shelled in a glossy sauce à la nage - a buttery seafood sauce made famous at The Ritz. It's technically faultless, utterly delicious cooking, though at £62, the margin for anything less is slim.

We ought to mention the chocolate soufflé, which is already a certified Instagram icon. Ostensibly built for two - though it could easily defeat four - it arrives towering, embossed in gold, and roughly the diameter of a side plate. It’s an architectural miracle that a soufflé this size can even stand up, let alone taste this good. Everyone in the room is going to order one; god help the pastry kitchen.

That soufflé clocks in at £34 by the way - another reminder that despite the old family photos, we're still in Mayfair. But unlike so many style-over-substance Mayfair rooms, Chez Rose backs up its prices with rock-solid execution and charming service. Atherton may have moved on, but on this stretch of Pollen Street, the standards haven't slipped an inch.

Mayfair is hardly short on French restaurants, but Chez Rose, which opens this summer on the former Little Social site, offers something special, mastering the timeless pleasure of very good butter, excellent sauces and an expertly curated wine selection.

The new restaurant comes from chef Spencer Metzger, whose CV includes time at The Ritz and Jason Atherton’s Row on 5, but the inspiration behind Chez Rose is considerably more personal. Named after his late grandmother Rosemary, the bistro is designed as an homage to the warmth, generosity and love of food that shaped his childhood. Speaking about the opening, he shared that while his family started with nothing, his grandmother was always very generous with her time and he still puts immense value on coming together with loved ones over food. Metzger is partnering with Jason and Irha Atherton on the opening, and the menu reads exactly as you’d hope from a Mayfair bistro operating at this level.

Snacks include Irish oysters, whipped duck liver with fig, Comté gougères topped with lardo di Colonnata and thick slices of pâté en croûte with Dijon mustard and cornichons. Starters continue in a similarly indulgent direction. There’s oeuf meurette with wild mushrooms, steak tartare with crisp pomme gaufrette and Orkney scallops finished with café de Paris butter. Elsewhere, St Ives mackerel arrives with Charentais melon and almond, while white asparagus with brown butter hollandaise nails it as a seasonal special.

On the larger side, the menu moves between refined French technique and comfort food. Cornish cod comes with mussels and sorrel, plaice with brown shrimp and dulce, while veal T-bone with sauce moutarde and lamb rump with olive, tomato and confit garlic sound destined for lengthy lunches that accidentally consume most of the afternoon. If you have a penchant for desserts, make sure you save space to try the crepe suzette, a flamboyant 1980s classic, and the 70% chocolate souffle for two, served with vanilla ice cream.