Hix - Menu

"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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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 '.<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ 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).<br/ <br/ 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.<br/ <br/ Job well done Mr Hix!!"