Hix Soho – good food, middling service

A few months ago, my flatmate and I bought a Time Out voucher for Hix Soho. It seemed like a steal at £25 for three courses and a cocktail, and we felt slightly cheated when we realised that only the cocktail was discounted, as the normal lunch menu is £25 for three courses. But nae bother! Good food is good food.

Having been to Tramshed before and knowing Mark Hix’s excellent reputation, we were intrigued and excited as we sat down. It took us an age to decide what we wanted, which was partly due to the misguided direction of our first waitress, who didn’t seem to understand the terms of the voucher. We were led to believe we could order any starter or main course, which later proved to be false. We were also told too late that there was only one cocktail for us…

The decor in Hix Soho is somewhat confusing. There is a beautiful oyster bar and live jazz music, a goose hanging from the ceiling and a profane Hemingway poster in the bar downstairs. We were intrigued, to say the least!

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.

The pigeon and rabbit salad was the perfect mash-up of flavours, and beautifully presented.

My flatmate ordered the salmon as a main course, which was aesthetically pleasing and boasted mouthwatering flavour combinations. The fennel was crunchy but not too overpowering, and the whole dish was nice and light, as the salad had been.

After much deliberation, I had decided upon the lamb, and unfortunately, it was quite disappointing. Whilst most of the flavours were interestingly sweet, the meat was difficult to cut and rather chewy and the radishes were unpleasantly bitter.

But this was almost completely rectified by the dessert. Oh. The dessert.

Rich, but not too rich. Sweet, but not too sweet. Melty, but not too melty.

Too perfect.

Hix Soho is definitely on the upper end of my budget, even with a voucher. But apart from the slightly chewy lamb, all the other food was excellent. The service was a bit hit and miss, so I’m not sure I would go back. I would like to try some other locations though, if I find a good deal!