“Mary’s” sounds like a biker bar in Missouri, but it’s actually a smart-casual brasserie from Jason Atherton close to Hanover Square, London. It was, until recently, Pollen Street Social, but it’s now a case of new name, new menu, softer edges, and more of a come-one come-all, pre-theatre, boozy-treat, long-lunch vibe.
Taking a Michelin-starred restaurant and turning it “casual” is always controversial in the foodie world. Not only are you pricking the bubble of those who adore pomp and small portions, but you’re also annoying people who like telling you that they’ve experienced this pomp everywhere from Dundee to Dubai. So when the likes of Atherton suddenly tells staff they can wear jeans, begin serving steaks and doughnuts, and allow the words “Mary’s dirty burger” to enter the fray, pearls will be clutched. Or, more accurately, someone called Douglas in a cummerbund in Cirencester will insist furiously that Mary’s was better in 2012, when his meal took three hours and there were more dishes with translucent, 42-hour consommé and shards of yeast. The paper tablecloths, the soft-serve ice-cream sundaes, the offer of curry mayo on the two-course £29 prix fixe are all daggers to the heart of fancy diners.
