AIL talks to Paul Hood, Social Eating House

In 2011 Jason Atherton opened Pollen Street Social, his first solo restaurant, where he combines the casual atmosphere of a bistro with fine dining. He now runs five eateries in the capital, among them Social Eating House, which was awarded a Michelin star within a few months of opening. It’s a high new entry on our All In One Ultimate Restaurant List, to be published in early July, so we caught up with chef patron Paul Hood, who shares their signature recipe for cured smoked salmon with miso crème fraiche and BBQ cucumber.


“All our restaurants offer something a little different. Social Eating House split over three floors offers great food and great cocktails in a separate stand alone cocktail bar on the top floor. There’s great service with a laid back Soho vibe in the restaurant, different upbeat music on each floor, and a chef’s counter feet away from the main pass in the kitchen. We offer a little bit of everything from bar food snacks to a six or nine course tasting menu with matching wines.

Pollen Street social is an amazing place, it is really on the edge of becoming a two star restaurant and I think it deserves to be. Even though we are both relaxed environment bistros and have no dress codes, Pollen Street Social is more of a fine dining restaurant. They offer the longer tasting menu, and they have a big team of sommeliers for their wine service. Our service staff are in dark denim, brown brogues. Tattoos and beards are the norm for a Soho haunt. Even though we are only five minutes away at times out clientele can differ drastically.

We like classic cooking, roasting meat and fish the old way in a pan with a little foaming butter, thrown into that a little sous vide and water bath cooking for quality control.

The Michelin star was an amazing achievement, it’s something you aspire to for years. It’s a chef’s dream to be awarded one, it’s a great feeling to be classed up there with the top restaurants in the UK and hopefully be able to drive for more in the future.

The opening of Social Eating House was the toughest job I’ve had so far. So much trust gets put into you and you have a lot of people that look at you to deliver a great product. Are we getting it right I always ask myself? I’m always looking at where we can improve, not just the food but the restaurant as well, we must never get complacent and always drive the business forward. We are always being watched so we need to keep our eyes on the ball, that’s what makes this job tough and will continue to do so.

The best way for someone to start in the hospitality industry is to realise it’s not going to happen overnight, it takes years of hard work, dedication, working long days and getting very little sleep. You have to be prepared for that. So many youngsters think they are a sous chef by the time they reach 21. Basically they’re not, there is so much to learn and to keep learning. This is an industry that you will never stop developing in as a chef or as a person.”


Social Eating House’s cured smoked salmon, miso crème fraiche, BBQ cucumber and summer truffle
This recipe requires you to start prepping the salmon and the crème fraiche a day ahead, but it’s easier than it looks.

For the salmon cure
400g rock salt
80g sugar
8 lemon zest
8 lime zest
8 orange zest
20g fennel seeds
20g coriander seeds
20g mustard seeds
3 star anise
Salmon fillets - all bones in, skin on, collar attached. 1 salmon fillet will give you 14 portions

Toast the fennel, coriander, mustard and star anise. Combine with the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle liberally over the salmon, leave to cure for 15 hours, wash off the salt, then cold smoke for 4-5 hours. If you do not have a cold smoker, the salmon can be served simply cured and sliced.

For the miso crème fraiche
650g crème fraiche – hang for 24 hours
75g light miso
10ml truffle oil
Lemon juice

Wrap the crème fraiche in a piece of muslin and suspend it over a bowl to catch the excess liquid. Leave the crème fraiche to hang and drip in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, tip the crème fraiche into a bowl and stir in the miso, truffle oil, lemon juice and some seasoning to taste. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

For the cucumber
Baby cucumber – peeled
5g salt
5g sugar
15ml lemon juice

Compress cucumbers for 30 minutes. Blow torch cucumbers, slice into neat 1cm discs, then place in a single layer in a sealable bag. Stir together the oil, vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then pour this into the bag. Seal well, pressing out as much air as possible and refrigerate for a few hours.

For the lotus root crisps
100g piece of lotus root
Squeeze of lemon juice
Vegetable oil, for deep-fat frying

Thinly slice the lotus root using a mandolin and place them into a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. This will prevent them from turning brown. Drain well and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Heat 6-7cm of oil in a wide pan or wok until hot. A piece of lotus root should sizzle immediately when dropped into the hot oil. Deep fry the lotus root in small batches until lightly golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a tray lined with several layers of kitchen paper. Sprinkle with a little sea salt as they come out of the hot oil. If preparing ahead, keep the cooled lotus root crisps in an airtight container for a few days.

To serve
4 heads of baby bok choi, blanched in salted water
1 summer truffle, for grating

Place a portion of salmon on each plate then drop spoonfuls of the miso crème fraiche around the plate. Drain the pickled cucumber slices and arrange them on the plates. Add the blanched baby bok choi and top with the lotus root crisps. Finally, grate a little summer truffle over each dish and serve at once.