Hix

Caught up with UK family for lunch at the Hix Soho last month. The restaurant was bright, warm and welcoming on a chilly English summer day. The menu looked delicious from top to bottom with something for everyone.
I started with the Pork Crackling - impossible to go past, then ordered the lamb for mains, with some interesting and delicious sides including black and pink boiled potatoes. We shared mini puddings with custard for desert and left absolutely stuffed to the brim.
Service was brilliant, food equally good. Ambiance was lovely with a jazz duo playing in the corner. Price was a little up there, but for a special lunch, quite acceptable.

The food took too long to arrive, but when the starters appeared, it was love at first bite. The oyster and bacon stew was rich, yet surprisingly light. It was perfectly salted (which happens far too rarely!) and although there were only two oysters, they made all the difference.

Lunch today at the Bar. Service was good. We just ate steak and chips. This was as outrageously good as it was outrageously expensive £37.50 and chips are EXTRA. But I have eaten steak in Argentina and Uraguary and this is amoungst the very best ever. If you don't care about cost eat here for great meat. If you're on a budget of any kind don't even think about it.

Tasty Pre Theatre Deal. Another rainy Friday night in London found me hooking up with my old pal Bernard at the Two Chairmen in Westminster for a couple of pints of the excellent Deuchars while we waited for B and the lovely Mrs Mitton to join us. As ever the pub was filled with a motley crew of "suits", in fine Friday night form, from the various government offices in the neighbourhood and by the time we left at around 6pm the pub was heaving.

The venue for dinner had been the subject of much email traffic during the week and the suggestions had ranged far and wide both in terms of location and cuisine. As we only too rarely have the chance to get together we were after something a bit sophisticated but still conducive to a good natter and at a reasonable price. So it was that we alighted on the Soho branch of the Hix empire.

Situated behind a heavy wooden door on a busy Brewer Street you have the choice of making your way downstairs to the basement bar or entering the light and airy restaurant on your left. The bar was buzzing and packed to the rafters so, as we had just made it in time to catch the end of the pre-theatre deal, three courses for £19.50, we quickly settled ourselves down at our nicely presented and reasonably spacious round table.

It's a well laid out, stylish room with plenty of space between you and your fellow diners. A long bar runs almost the length of one side of the room with some striking artistic installations hanging from the ceiling above which all add to a rather restrained but appealing sense of theatre. I particularly liked the stuffed seagull suspended within neon circles and the mobile made up of a variety of fish set within glass bricks.

It's a popular place, I would definitely recommend booking well in advance, and by 7.30pm the room had reached full capacity. However, unlike many other dining rooms I have experienced recently, I was struck by the excellent acoustics and how easy it was to carry on a conversation despite a very cheerful and chatty crowd.

We kicked off with a fine bottle of Bellarosa Prosecco, and some tap water, while we had a quick glance at the menu. The pre-theatre selection is not going to detain you long as it's a choice from two for each course but in a way that's no bad thing.

The boys had the lamb's kidneys served on a bed on bramley apple purée. Cooked rare these little beauties were soft to the touch and had a distinct but subtle flavour which was well complemented by the slightly sharp fruit. The ladies had the selection of beets with goats curd and walnuts which got murmurings of approval and seemed to go down very well.

We moved on to a reasonably priced bottle of Bodegas Airen which was an ideal companion to the smoked haddock which sat on a bed of buttery colcannon surrounded by a sea of creamy sauce, and topped with a perfectly poached egg. Beautifully cooked and full of flavour this was a tasty piece of fish and was presented simply but effectively. Bernard had the rib eye steak which he proclaimed to be cooked "just right" and suitably beefy. I liked the nice touch of serving it with an accompaniment of three tiny selections of mustard on a small tray. A man who likes his frites Bernard had ordered some chips in addition to his crispy potato "strings" which were gratefully shared amongst the table and again hit the spot.

The dark chocolate mousse for dessert was a very decent size portion and was particularly toothsome without falling into the typical mousse trap of being too sweet or rich. Mrs Mitton's "pixie" apple pie was anything but small and was declared to be a proper job and full of fruit, gaining the accolade of "best shortcrust pastry I've ever tasted".

As ever it was the digestifs that began to bump up the bill despite our restraint in sticking to the pre- theatre menu. However, it's the little details that count and I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Poire Williams and Bernard declared himself well satisfied with his Martel.

All things considered we thought this was a very good dining experience, in lovely surroundings, with great company and at a reasonable price. However, looking at the standard menu I'm not so sure I would have felt the same if I had gone "off piste" as the prices did seem a little steep for what was on offer (the fish fingers, chips and mushy peas will set you back £16 and that's the cheapest offering).

We had another quick look at the quirky, clubby bar, which had thinned out considerably by 9pm. With its bar billiard table and tasty selection of bar snacks it looked very appealing and we decided to add it to our "must try out" list. It was then time to head back into the Soho night and send the Mittons on their merry way back to Cambridge.

Job well done Mr Hix!!

Having wanted to go for quite some time we eventually managed to go to Hix Soho for my birthday on a Wednesday evening. When I say we had wanted to go for some time we were informed by the maitre d' that we had in fact booked in February (some 3 months in advance) and asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. This did have its plus side as after explaining we were out for a birthday treat we were offered a move to the corner table allowing both of us the perfect view across the whole restaurant (and conveniently, the chance to create a bit of distance from our neighbours somewhat pretentious and overtly loud conversation which had become somewhat irritating during our brief stint at the original table).
One of the main selling points of Hix to me was the inclusion of Crackling with apple sauce as an appetizer… So along with a bottle of excellent Montepulciano (we had polished off a bottle of champagne before arriving) … (it was my birthday) and some water we mulled over the menu whilst getting stuck into the crackling. I must say it wasn't mind blowing but probably the best crackling that I have eaten out. Homemade crackling fresh from the oven will most likely never be surpassed but this was warm, crispy and with a nice amount of salt, plus it had been broken up into manageable chunks and avoided the embarrassing struggle of trying to get a "reasonable" sized portion without creating an almighty mess. The apple sauce was a bit plain though and could have been a bit sweeter, but still, it was a nice addition and a good entry to the evening!
Quite a range of starters on offer but after much deliberation I opted for oysters… I decided to mix it up and chose to have 3 Maldon rocks and 3 Cumbrian Rocks. The difference in size and taste was incredible. I am quite an oyster novice and having the selection really highlighted the variety available and the contrasting flavours. The Maldon rocks were a lot meatier and packed quite a punch where as the Cumbrian rocks were silky and light and became the first oyster enjoyed by C my partner. C herself decided on the Asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Fresh flawlessly tender asparagus that was steamed to perfection and served with a decadently thick and creamy hollandaise and the start to the meal could not have gotten much better. I have got so carried away that I have forgotten the bread, well technically the butter that was served with the bread. This was delicious, the right amount of salt, so creamy that you could have wanted to eat it on its own and served at a nice nearly melted temperature! I really dislike it when the butter seems as if it has just come out of the fridge! Is this just me? It feels somewhat lazy on the part of the restaurant?
On to the mains and after we toyed with the idea of sharing the porterhouse … when I say "we" I probably mean that I thought this would be a good idea and toyed with it in my head. I always seem torn towards steak whenever I read it on the menu, must be something to do with red meat and my hunter gatherer instincts (?) or not as the case may be! Anyway after toying with the idea of a masculine steak, no, the most masculine cut of steak available, I decided on……… sea bream. A whole bream cooked with a touch of rosemary. Beautifully presented and cooked excellently, the fish was a lot lighter than I remembered from the previous time I had eaten it but was really flavoursome and the delicate rosemary really cut through. C had decided on the John Dory and this was again delicious. A huge beast of a Dory was served and the meaty fish had bundles of flavour and was eventually all demolished which is the best sign of a truly enjoyed plate of food!
We ordered some spinach on the side and as it was my birthday decided on the creamed rather than the steamed! It was very nice but I think somewhat too heavy for the dishes it was accompanying (plus I had already eaten most of the butter brought to our table with the bread). We also had some chips, well fries really which were good. Crispy on the outside with some fluffy potato waiting inside and lightly salted; what more can you ask for. We were tempted by the in season jersey royals but watching the smiles of a table opposite as they tucked into the chips closed the deal for me!
After all that food I could find no room for any desert. Nothing had really jumped out at me so I settled on an Irish coffee. Before the coffee was served I was given a treat of a happy birthday decorated plate and a selection of truffles, compliments of the maitre d'. This really was the icing on the cake on what had been a wonderful dinner. All the staff seemed genuinely very friendly; they were attentive and made the effort to engage us in conversation, which really added to our experience of the restaurant. I had been somewhat apprehensive about the pretentious stigma that has been bandied around with this restaurant but this can only be applied to some of the clientele, which has to be expected in this location. All in all I would recommend Hix to anyone and everyone and will definitely hope to go again.

NRose. My favourite restaurant at the moment by far. Oysters to die for and fish fingers w mushed peas just divine! Light airy interior, simple yet complimented by fabulous D Hirst mobiles and perfectly balanced service. Don't go in fear of stodge as they have mastered the return to Brit Trad Fayre with the lightest of touches...

Always great experience. Friendly bartenders and surprisingly down to earth prices. But you don’t go there for the smiles and prices, you go there for an education in mixology. The bartenders are creative and more than eager to explain to you the intricacies of the cocktails or whatever new whisky or gin they have on offer. Go there for there to truly enjoy a special cocktail and hear someone who is passionate about making it. Stay for the music and New York speakeasy atmosphere.

This is second Hix restaurant I have been to and I can say that they were both excellent! I went for pre theatre menu at a very reasonable price of £23. This included beautifully tender pieces of squid for the starter and perfectly cooked monkfish for the main course. What was the star of the show for me was the pudding, gooseberry pie with elderflower ice cream. Although the ice cream was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth I still find nostalgic elements to the dishes served. The pastry on the pie was exactly like my grandmothers, I had discovered this before at the Tramshed where I had some minced pies that tasted like she had cooked them that day. The stuffing in the whole roast chicken reminds me of picking herbs in the garden for her as a child.

Excellent meal that can start with a variety of fresh sea food and follow buy an excellent porterhouse and end by a delicious ice cream. All plates that I tried were perfectly cooked and presented. Wide selection of wines and alcoholic drinks as well as their own oyster beer (not bad). Friendly and professional service. So if you are searching for an excellent meal in London Hix Soho would be one of the best. Reservations are required 😉

Best set lunch place! Try the soup, interesting decor, seafood n fish kind of placd

Good food and good selection of wine, great service, very friendly and efficient. Really recommend a visit here.