Hix Soho

The first London steak night took place on 13th April 2016 and with an abundance of options peppered all over London, picking the right spot was never going to be easy. To be honest, that is certainly part of the fun. This month’s Steak Night was Hix Soho Steak House.

Hix Soho is situated in the heart of central London only a stone's throw away from the bustling Piccadilly Circus, making it a buzzy central location and an easy commute. Not your traditional steakhouse decor, the trendy interior, funky downstairs bar area and warm welcome set the stage for a great evening. Unlike the Cape Town Steakboyz who celebrated their 50th Steak Night recently, the London boyz were experiencing their first Steak Night and the evening did not disappoint.

FOOD
With the first pre-drinks spot turning us away due to being fully booked out, the night was off to a bumpy start. Not to be undone we quickly regrouped for a couple of cold beverages at the local pub around the corner. After polishing a couple cold ones, the boyz were all ready to tuck in to a tasty cut of meat.

After a welcoming smile at the door, the host kicked in to organising gear and in order to ensure a smooth service experience, the host took the initiative and selected all the starters and sides, focusing on any starter with one form of meat or another. The Steak Tartar with egg yolk, Moyallon Pork crackling and Deep Fried Lamb Sticks were the highlights of the starters all of which tickled the senses and started the culinary journey on the right note.

With the temperature medium rare across the board taken by the waitress, the sides became the boyz next focus. Pretty standard selections included well-seasoned wafer-thin fries, mash potato and a variety of sauce sides. Including the always popular béarnaise sauce. A couple rogue spinach sides did make the table and was largely left untouched and alone at the end of the table.

With Hix Soho specialising in Rib steak (aka Rib-eye) on the bone, the decision to go with the 500g Glenarm Estate rib steak on the bone was unanimous choice among the boyz with 10 Steakboyz selecting it. The host and his guest were the exception and were treated to the 1kg Glenarm Estate 75 day extra aged rib steak on the bone for two to share.

Although the steaks were perfectly prepared across the board with a medium-rare temperature, the quality of the 500g cuts were not entirely to the standard that the boyz expected for the price. It would seem the reviews really speak for themselves with a pretty average, possibly below average Steak score (time will tell), especially when coupled with value. That being said value is never going to be an easy score for London, but here too time will also tell.  

SERVICE
Service was very good and there were no holes to poke, except to say that with steaks pre-ordered prior to arrival and starters and sides ordered in bulk, there was little left to go wrong. London boyz have learnt that for future Steakboyz, the selected venue will need to earn their service scores more than Hix, who had the benefit of this being the first London rodeo.

This does not mean service would have been bad. On the contrary. On the day the service was efficient and always friendly with a smile and drinks kept coming quickly and steadily. The timing from no food to starters and starters to mains was just right and as a group were never rushed to finish up and leave, which is a luxury for most restaurants in the heart of London.  

VERDICT
Our 1st London Steak Night was a special celebration where new friends hung out like old friends and food and drink was in large supply. It was the first for London and with high attendance already confirmed for the next event on the 2nd of June, it appears overall the evening was a huge success.

Steak - 6.6/10
Sides - 3.8/5
Value - 2.1/5
Service - 4.0/5
Ambiance - 3.8/5
Total - 6.8

Hix SOHO
66-70 Brewer St, London
W1F 9UP
www.hixrestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/hix-soho