HIX

I recently went to Hix for the first time taking a friend out to dine there for her birthday. The service was extremely attentive from the get go, we were greeted warmly and immediately taken to our table. We were lead into a buzzing and very cool dining room where most of the modern artwork – from the likes of Hirst and Tracy Emin – hangs from the ceiling in the form of mobiles. I had expected these pieces which I had heard about to be more prominent, some were rather small and easy to miss, but when they were nonetheless an attractive feature.

The food began great. Crisp crackling with near perfect apple sauce was brought as a snack while we ordered and got our drinks. On recommendation I ordered the ‘heaven and earth’. This was exactly what I had expected form the much lauded Mark Hix, it was simple food made great. The black pudding was succulent and sweet while the mash worked as a perfect accompaniment. My guest had the duck and apple salad which she was very pleased with. Unfortunately the quality of food deteriorated from here on. My mallard was just ok. It was a bit too dry and the jelly it was served with didn't compliment the duck. My guest left most of her liver and bacon. We then opted for a light desert as we were quite full – a shot of sloe gin jelly and cream. There was nothing amazing about this dish.

Hix doesn't come cheap and at rates this high I would expect better consistency with their food. They can obviously do very good food, as proven with the dishes at the beginning of the meal, but not everything is executed this well. I tried to really like the place, and I did a bit. It’s very trendy, modern in just the right way and has an exciting crowd; I just wish the food was just as good. I would like to think we went on a bad day. I'm not sure I will go back, but be sure to try Mark’s Bar downstairs. 

Hix’s kitchen has status among the fashionable. For those of us not on the A-list, Hix is just as welcome and sums up what dining should be all about. It’s permanently buzzing, the design’s cutting edge and the clubby bar downstairs is exceptional and worth a visit on its own merit.

Was here for a work event. No part of it was bad.
The wines were exceptional, the starter and main was fantastic… But it was the cox’s apple crumble for dessert that did it for me. Unbelievable.
But then… I wasn’t picking up the tab. :)

Came to HIX for a friend's leaving dinner. Atmosphere, Service, and Price = 5 stars. But the food was disappointingly bland. I had 2 starters for my first 2 courses. Chilled soup with scallops then a duck salad. The chilled soup was missing a kick. The duck salad was quite good but you can't really go wrong with duck breast. My friends around the table said they were also disappointed with the food.

Verdict = I will come back for the atmosphere and service but will leave my food expectations at the door.

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!!

Stuffed sea gulls hanging from the roof, a blood pudding and potato dish called “heaven and earth”, “professional mentalist” Derren Brown in the basement. Surely this was a weird dream brought about by unbalanced humours or lack of red meat?

But there I was sitting in the peculiar high ceilinged space, a cross between a glam speakeasy and a chop house. Hix himself has had a long association with the YBA’s, which explains the hallucinatory artwork hanging in the restaurant,

The food itself tended more towards well-grounded than high falutin' artistry. The signature “Heaven and earth” tasting deeply earthy with a deep, strong meaty flavour and texture, offset very well by the creamy smooth potato.

Lincolnshire onion tart, unusually for such a meatily masculine restaurant was the star of the meal. Smooth and unctuous onions were not at all overpowering, and it came topped with a poached egg. A shade overdone for my taste, but still delicious.

On to the mains. Hanger steak with roast brown marrow was tasty, but not as tender as some I’ve had. The bone marrow was very marrowish, dressed with parsley and garlic, it was richly glutinous and almost too much.

My hogget chops were delicious, marbled with thick veins of lamby fat, the pink meat was tender with an almost gamey taste. It came "garnished" with massive wedges of roast squash and cobnuts.

I can’t speak for the partridge because, by the time I moved in to take a nibble, it’d been hovered up, a neat pile of bones left gleaming on the plate. I suspect it was pretty tasty.

The food was hearty, heavy and unashamedly English. The cooking was as robust as the ingredients. This was not the place for subtle textures and delicate touches. I waddled out feeling like i had swallowed a cannonball. Albeit very tasty cannonball.

While the food is pretty good and the dishes creative, one can't help but feel that everything does not fit very well together.

The food has creative touches, but the menu tries to be mass-market appealing. However, the prices are sky high for an ordinary meal - it almost approached 1 star michelin prices.

Inside, the decor and restaurant is very ordinary, and the secret door to the restaurant with a bouncer outside makes it look like a seedy club in Soho.

I think this place has been a bit over-hyped and over-priced, for what it really is.

Hix Soho is the latest venture from Mark Hix on the former Aaya site in Soho. The head chef is Kevin Gratton, formerly of Scott’s in Mayfair, who retains the quality that has become expected from Hix restaurants. The bar downstairs, serving some great cocktails, is worth a visit as well.

Took some out of towners to HIX in Soho and didn't want to leave. Friendly staff, brilliant food and the bar downstairs is genius. Cold cocktails, warm cocktails (warm cocktails?!) all served in unique glasses alongside yummy pork scratchings and apple sauce. Yum-my!

Our group of 5 let the bartender choose drinks for us but the warm ale with bramley apple with spices was a favourite! Once my girlfriends were finished fawning over said gorgeous bartender, we headed upstairs for lunch. Well, we just had to try almost everything. Cod's Tongue, Black Pudding, Fish Fingers, Partridge with Bread Sauce and hello! the rice pudding with drunken plums.... Everyone say it together now, "Dee-lish!"

The Maitre D' talked us through the unique art hanging around the place (must be nice to have friends like Damien Hirst), but the atmosphere was unpretentious and I'm going back - again and again and again.

A great spot if you want to impress the man in your life.

I went to Hix last week and had a great time. The service was personable from the off and the ambience was very relaxed. I liked the novelty Fray Bentos mobile. The menu was compact but had lots of good stuff on it. I went for smoked haddock with poached egg and colcannon, and then the treacle tart and clotted cream. Both very delicious, filling, simple, no nonsense dishes, exactly what I expected from this place. £45 for two courses & wine. We went to the downstairs bar afterwards, service a little slower, and the drinks very expensive, but a very nice way to finish off the evening.

If you ask me to sum this place up in one word I will go for: "meh..."

I was quite disappointed with Hix as the menu looked fantastic and the place very slick. However my sea bass although very well cooked was cooked in too much butter and my partner's pie was very average altogether. The wine was one of those overpriced rattle-palate. And the service completely messed up our order yet it was quite late and the place was only half-full.

Having said that the bar downstairs looks absolutely fantastic with a great quirky decor, I will come back to check it out.