Sharmila on Food

Hix Soho

This is going to be a short post in light of the fact that I spent all of 55 minutes in Hix Soho one lunchtime a few weeks ago. However, they were a seriously tasty and enjoyable 55 minutes, and I would urge anyone to go and try and at least stay in there for a bit longer.

I looked at the menu of this place online and immediately emailed it to my boyfriend, who promptly replied saying, let’s go for lunch, like, tomorrow. Brilliant. So we did. This is a really great space, and instantly reminded me of NYC - a spacious room, lots of light, trendily designed but still somewhere you could be happy and comfortable in for a few hours. The bar downstairs (managed by the supremely talented Nick Strangeway) also looks wonderful, and i can’t wait to partake of a few exemplary cocktails there when I get the chance. As I was working, there were unfortunately no cocktails for me on this occasion, but my boyfriend’s Scoff’s Law cocktail was very good indeed.

On to the menu - I could have eaten everything, pretty much, but restrained myself to just a main course in the end. I was initially going to go for the lamb and kidney pie with oysters. However, on noticing the dish on another table, I decided against, due to the lack of a pastry bottom on the pie. This is a not a pie in my eyes - this is a stew with a pastry lid. I’ll save my puritanical views on pies for another time. Instead, I plumped for the thornback ray with capers, parsley and lemon, and I’m glad I ordered it. This was perfectly cooked, the flesh coming away from the bone in delectable strands, with the capers and lemon cutting through the richness. This was a joy to eat. Similarly, the other half’s monkfish tails were hard to fault too. These aren’t complex dishes, but it always amazes me how often restaurants can manage to cook a piece of decent fish badly. In contrast, our fish at Hix was just bang on, exactly how you would want it. The creamed spinach on the side was pretty damn good too.

And, that was that. I stumbled back to work a very happy bunny.  I can’t wait to go back and have a full meal here. It’s not cheap (especially allowing for the fact that you will try some of the wonderful cocktails), but for a special meal, I can’t think of many places I would rather like to be.

Details: Hix Soho

66-70 Brewer Street

London

W1F 9TR

T: 020 7292 3518

Nearest transport: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus tube Price: moderate to expensive