Whether you’re yet to grace restaurateur Chris Lucas’ opulent Society with a visit or you’re a die-hard dinnertime loyalist, it’s well worth a look in for a weekend lunch. From Friday to Sunday in the afternoons, the swish restaurant is hosting the Society Social, an extravagant multi-course affair featuring a generous array of savoury dishes and a roving dessert trolley to dazzle you at the end.
The offering was inspired by Lucas’ recent adventures in Paris and New York, cities where palatial dining rooms reign supreme and lunch is a social occasion in and of itself. Expect a fine dining experience but with a casual, unstuffy air and minus the enormous price tag (it costs just $77 per person for your choice of two courses or $99 if you opt for a third).
You’ll start with artisanal housemade bread and butter and a rainbow of market-fresh crudité hand-picked daily from local farms. Opt for a crisp disc of radish dunked into taramasalata or a tree-like cauliflower bud smothered with smoked eggplant or crème fraiche. Repeat and relish the lavish assortment of textures and flavours before easing into your meal with one of Society’s signature drinks – or a bottle of Champers to make it a long and lazy one.
If you’ve got your eye on another varietal, just ask for the beverage director Loic Avril and his team of sommeliers, one of which will assist you in selecting the perfect drop from the impressive 10,000-bottle cellar. A selection of Society’s cult favourite snacks follow, from lobster and leek croquettes with a fresh herb emulsion to foie gras parfait tarts and parmesan cream-filled Comté doughnuts – a rich and toothsome start to your afternoon.
But the mains are where Society really sings, curated to showcase some of the best dishes in Lucas’ arsenal. Each waiter has a different favourite so if you ask for the best, prepare to be met with a deliciously encouraging conflict of opinions. Grilled Murray cod comes with sugar loaf cabbage and desert lime beurre blanc, a tempting option for seafood lovers.
There's also an impossibly juicy and tender heritage chicken breast with celeriac, walnut and chestnut mushrooms, and a plate of silken cavatelli with squash blossom, pumpkin and hazelnut. A leafy mustard-dressed salad for sharing is the standard table accompaniment, but you're also offered optional extra sides, such as the confit potato fondants or butter-wilted Malabar spinach with zingy capers. Can’t eat something? All dietaries are catered for.
Now for the question that’s on every sweet tooth’s lips: what’s for dessert? The short answer is a lot. A custom multi-level cart is laden with jaw-dropping cakes, pastries, macarons and tarts, alongside a tower of freshly whipped Chantilly cream and fresh berries. You’re encouraged to design your own plate, which will be prepared and served by white-gloved waiters at your table. It’s a luxurious touch, one that sets Society apart from other lunchtime destinations in the city of a similar calibre.
The Society Social is available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from midday in the Society Dining Room. Bookings are recommended on the website.
