Social Meat Club



Pop restaurants have been on the increase where for a period of time foodies and chefs showcase their culinary delights to the general public. Its a great way of connecting with people who enjoy their food and at the same time create a reputation and buzz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is where Social Meat Club comes into the picture. Not only do I love the word play but the food is seriously on another level. Located in Soho, its small dining area is situated at The Sun & Thirteen Cantons pub. A pub full of life with its regular drinkers but on the other side, a fantastic environment for people to sample and enjoy a menu designed and created by Matt Young, a chef who is deeply passionate, creative and gets a real thrill with the work he produces.

 



So what can I say about the food? Well I think by looking at the photos below says it all. They do say every picture tells a story and for me the whole experience was ten out of ten. Every dish that came out was perfection, seriously the bees knees. After finishing one dish I was like nothing will top that but as soon as they came one after another it just got better and better.

The mussels were plump, juicy and the broth underneath was just so fresh and clean that thankfully there was a lovely warm crusty bread to mop it all up and leave the bowl dry.

As for the pork belly, it was so tender that it just peeled away with a fork. I bloody love scallops and the sweetness of them worked so well with the sour broth and the poached tomato just exploded in the mouth. Again like the base of the mussels, the flavours were just fresh and clean. Not one part of the dish tried to steal the limelight, they all complimented each other. It really was a delight to eat.

 
 
 


I love a good old traditional scotch egg. Here was the king of scotch eggs and with its crunchy golden brown shell, soft crumbly meat on the inside, it had a nice little spicy kick.

 I love my fried chicken, I could seriously eat it everyday for the rest of my life. I gnawed away at it like no tomorrow, It was salty, crunchy and moist and the slaw and mayo accompanying was awesome.
The pastry on the sausage roll crumbled, it was light and flaky and it was packed with meat.
I admit, I've never been a fan of hot smoked salmon, maybe because I've had terrible experiences but I think that this is the only time where I've actually enjoyed it. The smokiness of it wasn't overpowering and certainly didn't taint the taste of the other components. The pickled cucumber had that sharpness which balanced the flavour of the fish.

It's very difficult to choose which was the best part of the meal but in my opinion the juniper rare venison just edges it. It rocked.
Venison can be rich but the meat was moist, pink in the middle and thinly sliced that it just melted in your mouth. The balance of the sharpness of the pickled trompettes and the sweetness of the jam propelled the dish to another level and worked perfectly with the deer.








Matt is a top guy and such a talented individual who has aimed high and is on the ascendency to bigger and better things. I really do hope he has more little gems like the Social Meat Club because London needs pop up restaurants  like this to get people to be more adventurous and really expand their knowledge and pallet. 
Its great to see that food like the ones Matt has conjured up can be served at a pub for all to experience and enjoy. It certainly was a memorable evening and one that I won't forget in a hurry. I've got to give a special mention to my good friend Courtney who kindly got in contact with Matt and came with me to this quality pop up.