Whilst waiting for my guest to arrive, I enjoyed a delicious glass of Henri Giraud’s, Hommage à François Hémart, Grand Cru Brut Champagne, served (as was every wine) in beautiful Zalto glassware. The Champagne was delicious and went down a treat whilst I read through their impressive bar drinks menu – The list of available gins is notable and imaginatively divided by their aromatic profiles. I was similarly impressed with the list of wines served by the glass, courtesy of a restaurants best friend, Coravin.

My guest arrived and we were escorted into the main dining room, which was bustling with activity and jam-packed. The ambience was, as by the restaurant's very title, social rather than stuffy, which some Michelin restaurants can fall victim to. Both the front of house and restaurant staff were incredibly attentive, relaxed and happy to converse with their lunchtime guests. My guest is a vegetarian which is why I chose Pollen Street Social as Jason and his brigade have designed specific menus for vegetarians and vegans.

Whilst my guest read her menu, I spent the time quietly digesting their wine list. Again, I was impressed with the depth and obvious names you would expect to find in a London Michelin restaurant. However, one name jumped out and I quickly ordered a bottle of the stunningly good 2009 dry Riesling, Dalsheim Hubacker “Grosses Gewächs” from arguably Germany’s finest winemaker, Weingut Keller.I adore Keller wines and would love to share them with you however, it is simply an impossible task as demand always outstrips their miniscule supply. Keller wines are something ethereal and magical and I believe he has no equal. A little time in the bottle (which all of his wines require) has served it well - The wine is full-bodied and showing incredible depth with laser like focus.

Simply put, this is a flawless wine which worked in perfect harmony with my starter of Lincolnshire smoked eel, buttermilk, beetroot reduction & “jellied eel”. The dish was a work of art however, I do believe the two slivers of smoked eel were rather miserly. My guest ordered the salted baked beetroot tartare, apple, sourdough croutons & herb salad. In truth, raw beetroot (aka ‘tartare’) although surgically prepared and perfectly positioned with tweezers wasn’t exciting in the least and sadly disappointed.

*I digressed as two amuse bouche were served prior to our starters which were a delight. In particular a deep, autumnal mushroom tea and parmesan foam – delicious!

Next came the much anticipated main courses. My guest opted for the new forest mushroom pearl barley with autumn truffle and I the Cumbrian suckling pig, roasted chicory, braised red cabbage and pickled date. The flesh of the suckling pig was cooked perfectly – unctuous, rich, and oozing moisture however, the Michelin curse killed the crackling which should be the highlight. I believe presentation (understandingly important) took precedence over the carnivorous satisfaction of perfectly puffed salted pig skin, which can be heavenly when served without the frills (or in this case – wafer thin and pressed flat between two bricks!). The roasted chicory and braised red cabbage helped cut the richness of the suckling pig as did the superb acidity from the wine.

My guest's dish was a perfect picture of autumn and much love and care was clearly evident during the plating. However, we both agreed the dish lacked a little lift – It ate rather one dimensionally and was screaming out for something with a flavour pop.  Perhaps parsley or tarragon oil would have given a much needed lift. Even crisp sage leaves would have elevated this dish enormously.

I chose two glasses of the 1997 Château d’Yquem which were served ‘en-imperial’ and via the useful Coravin which allows restaurants to pour wine by the glass, without the need to pull the cork – It’s quite a nifty bit of kit and a cracking Christmas present (add it to your stocking filler list). ’97 was a superb vintage for d’Yquem and was a real treat. Dark in colour with the nose and palate similar to each other – A metallic saffron twang coming in front of the unctuous acacia honey. Delicious but I am going to be uber critical and declare the wine lacked tension.

Pudding was served - Chocolate Pavé with olive oil ice cream, which I was very excited about. Lovely dark chocolate (not too sweet) however, I could not pick up a single note of the olive oil in the ice cream. Delicious it was, but resembled more of a clotted cream richness than olive oil...