HIX, Soho (London)

Of course, the moment I saw Mark Hix, I greeted him like an old friend. "Hi! (old Chum [implied])". Mark Hix is not an old friend. He is not even old. Or a friend. This is merely the cringeful reflex reaction to any "celebrity" sighting which I can't seem to shake.

Naturally, as I am not eminent on-trend artist or a member of the London glitterati, or barely even a sane looking member of society really, M Hix did not return the cheer. However, I decided not to take it personally. For one thing, I did have my nose pressed against the freshly polished glass of his spanking new restaurant while looking slightly deranged in my running gear and an enormous woolly beanie at the time. Also, I really like the food at his Hix Oyster and Chop House in Farringdon. So I decided not to let my pride get in the way of a potentially good feed (while secretly hoping some fabulous revenge would be delivered, like a tough serving of overcooked cod's tongue).

So I couldn't resist ducking back to HIX Soho for a quick lunch time bite yesterday. As I was flying solo, and heading out for a huge evening feast later, I perched myself up at the bar, befriended the barman, ordered a healing glass of red and peered sleuth-like over my menu at the plates on surrounding tables.

Hix does the traditional British fare thing well. The menu offers a tempting array of seafood, poultry and meats all of which looked and smelt as good as they read. Yesterday, I stuck to a dish of herring milts on toast with capers and parsley. Simple, but lovely, with a generous serving of milts, the only drawback was the toast being a fraction too thin. (Me persnickety??)

The delicious side loaf of bread was robust and served warm. Service was surprisingly friendly and I loved the casual but dapper feel of the classic styled room (despite the hospital type white tiles on the floor). Mark Hix was again doing the rounds among the regulars - steering well clear of me of course.

My lunch and wine came to around £14, and I thoroughly enjoyed my midday break. Next time I'm up for a leisurely splurge, I would definitely return to sample a larger feast of what's on offer. I'm not sure I would prefer HIX over other restaurants charging similar prices, and there is better value in town, but if you can get over the hype the man certainly knows how to serve up good British fare.

HIX, 66-70 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1F 9TR