Hix Oyster & Chop House (or, In Defence Of Hix)

Being relatively new to this food-blogging lark, I may well have missed a memo on this, but it seems to have become fashionable to slag off Mark Hix and his restaurants. The latest venture, The Tramshed, in an area I used to call Old Street but is now called Shoreditch or Hoxton or whatever, has taken a particular battering, including what I thought – without having visited myself - was a harsh review by the normally excellent John Lanchester in The Guardian criticising the place for having only chicken and steak on the menu. (Chicken and steak ... what's not to like? I can’t wait to go.) I love places with short menus. I like places where the waiters or waitresses tell you what to order. I like places that focus on doing one thing well, be it Pho, steak, doughnuts, or whatever. I would think the advice on The Tramshed would be: if you don't want chicken or steak, don’t go there. Lanchester's replacement at the Guardian, Marina O'Loughlin, of whom I am also a fan, was equally scathing in her review for the Metro, even suggesting that Hix's reputation was based on having friends in the right places. Various food bloggers have also weighed in to add to the sense that it is quite the thing to disapprove of Hix. I don't know Mark Hix, or anyone that knows him, but I will forgive him if he has friends, including friends in the same business as him. Likewise I hope his detractors have friends that would do them a favour if they could.

A notable exception to this is Time Out, who recently awarded The Tramshed their Best New Meat Restaurant award and generally seem inordinately enamoured of all things Hix. Perhaps their over-enthusiasm has helped spur the mini backlash. While I must admit I am not a huge fan of the Hix restaurant in Soho, despite having met food hero Bruno Loubet in there (he was at the next table so I shook his hand and played the fan boy), there is no doubt for me that Mark Hix is on the side of the angels, fighting the good fight, and has done good things for food in London and the UK in general. Foodies who deride the likes of Hix, or Jamie Oliver for that matter, remind me of Arsenal fans who complain about Arsene Wenger. Don’t they remember what it was like twenty years ago?

Anyway, who cares, right? We are only having lunch. And when it comes to lunch, I do very much like the Clerkenwell branch of the Hix empire, Hix Oyster & Chop House, which, as luck would have it for the purposes of this blog, is in Islington. It is a place I have been back to several times, with classy but relaxed decor and atmosphere, and good simple food. It ain't cheap, but then, I don't go there every day. The trick is to go when the city suit types are at a minimum - weekend lunchtimes are good, or maybe the quiet spell just after Christmas (which is a great time to go to restaurants in general). I enjoyed a lovely quiet lunch in good company one Easter weekend, in a half-deserted restaurant.

I should probably say something about the food. Anywhere that serves crackling as a pre-appetiser nibble has already scored several points on this blog and is half way to ten out of ten. Beer is served in ye-oldey pewter tankards, of which there are mini versions for children's drinks such as blood-orange juice. A starter might be some festive oysters, or a crab and samphire salad. When choosing mains, I generally find it hard to resist a Porterhouse steak for two, with Bernaise sauce. (Mmm Bernaise.) There are other tempting options like high-quality pork chops as well, they are just not as tempting as Porterhouse steak. Although generally a beer enthusiast, I do respect the fact that there are rules on some things for good reasons, and order red wine with the Porterhouse. On my last visit a doggy bag was requested for the steak bone, and a classy long black bag which looked like it should be holding champagne or perfume was provided.

Hix Oyster & Chop House is a place I have come to associate it with quiet, relaxed celebrations, and would heartily recommend it to anyone for that purpose. The emphasis is on quality British ingredients rather than anything fancy or ground-breaking. It may not be the latest thing with the foodierati, and there are no bubblegum-flavoured fois-gras sliders being served, but pick the right time to go and you will have a meal that is memorable for all the right reasons.



Hix Oyster & Chop House
36-37 Greenhill Rents
Cowcross Street
London EC1M 6BN
http://www.hixoysterandchophouse.co.uk