Hix Oyster & Chop House, London

Clerkenwell feels right. For all my wanderings across this diverse city it is probably the area where I feel the most comfortable, where it feels that London has it most ‘right’ in terms of being a proper city. It’s here, an in the surrounding streets, that you find some of the oldest (and best) history within London (Clerkenwell, Smithfield, St. Barts, meat, executions, legends), all hidden alleyways and buildings sunken below street level. It’s not softened by the familiarity of a modern high street, or many shops at all. Yet it has an urbanity that apes the best of New York, with designer lofts, modern nightclubs and a thriving independent food and restaurant scene.

Central to the character of this area is the remarkable Smithfield’s meat market (officially London Central Markets). It can be a surreal experience walking home through the market after a late night out as the white-coated porters ferry a city’s-worth of carcasses from the fleets of waiting lorries, but it’s a good one, and the business of the market gives the area its 24-hour nature.

The influence of the market and the area’s combination of ancient and modern, heavily informs the local restaurant scene. Take the area’s most famous eatery, Fergus Henderson’s temple to meat, St John. Here is an establishment that relies almost completely on meat market markets and produces dishes that are reflections of the old, almost forgotten, English recipes; yet in doing so (and doing so incredibly well) it has been at the very forefront of the modern revival of truly British cuisine. The restaurant is so reflective of the area that it probably wouldn’t work quite so well elsewhere in London.

Similar could be said of Mark Hix’s venture, Hix Oyster and & Chop House. Located on the suitably Dickensian Greenhill Rents, tucked down a dark alley behind Smith’s of Smithfield, this is another perfect embodiment of the area, and very enjoyable for it.

FatBanker Snr. and myself sat down at the bar in this purposeful restaurant and indulged in a fine meal. The lighting and buzz of the place were very welcome on a dark evening, and I really enjoy eating at bar which is deep enough to spread out a bit with multiple plates.

As I’m not the world’s biggest fan of oysters, I let FatBanker Snr. indulge in three of Colchester’s finest while I tucked into the best pork scratchings I’ve ever had. Seriously. These pieces of (very flat) crackling were astonishing in taste and texture, and were worth the visit alone. As my eyes are often bigger than my stomach these days, the additional whitebait starter was a little superfluous. My adventurous side saw me plump for a main of duck’s heart and blood orange salad which. While visually stunning the dish was not as tasty as I thought it might be (the heart was a soft livery texture, but lacked flavour) and was definitely the poor cousin of FatBanker Snr.’s dish of roast wood pigeon (if memory serves me).

£40 for plenty of food and £32 on a nice Sancerre means I’ll definitely be back here, specifically with an eye for one of the feasts!

Tagged as: Hix, London, Restaurants