They were very welcoming and had a great sense of fun and humour.
I loved drinking my Prosecco out of the traditional wide rimmed glasses. Such fun!
The wild boar chipolatas were gamey and the deep fried artichokes were light and fresh.
All in all the bar was noisy and lively!(Stargazer)7/10
Naivety and not anticipating the Friday night revellers and traffic made me late meeting Peony Blue. However we did not expect to be stopped in our tracks at the front door of
Hix at Soho.
The big, bold, burly doorman was fully insulated from the cold in his woollen hat and black coat. We only came for Mark's bar but I felt as if we had gate crashed some private members club. This was not the case. Hix was full and we had to wait but in the chilly night outside?
We were soon ushered inside into a small area whereby the restaurant was adjacent and we were facing the front of house staff. They were monitoring the influx of people to a fine art........but what a wait!
All was forgotten as we were greeted by a calm, heavily bearded man with tied back hair, This fashionable bearded trend seems to be here to stay and he was not the only one.Downstairs the bar was indeed full and what a noisy lot they were. There was a mixture of leather sofas, stools and and assortment of tables. One side of the bar had the alcohol fully displayed for all to see. We were topped up immediately with water and I noted the pitcher it was served in.
Stargazer was running late so we had some nibbles and drinks. Mine was a Shirley Temple, which was like Ginger beer but far better, it was very colourful and not too sweet with a twist of lime. The chicken flavoured popcorn went down very well. The staff were entertaining, funny and attentive so full marks for that.
Mark's bar is bit rough and ready compared to the others we have seen but has its' own appeal but a word of advice, come early and you would get the best seats (the sofas). If you wish to bar hop you will be disappointed as the seats appeared to be reserved.
I could not hear the music even though it was on full volume and that is a first and a real shame, so it was all raised voices above the others during conversation. (Monique) 6/10
After a wait at reception since it is a seated bar,hence the wait, we were eventually led downstairs by a waiter who looked more like a guru. Hair tied back with an ample amount of beard,ethereal almost but certainly interesting! On arrival,we were greeted by a finery which was the bar,noisy but bustling. The music dominated the vicinity without apology. Our ordered drinks were tasty and the snax as they call it were nice,my favourite the jerusalem artichokes.
The other male waiters were attentive and helpful. They stood out too,all heavily bearded,attractive,soave and oh so friendly. As the evening progressed,one of them decided to spin his tray on our table and soon we discovered that he was attempting to be a pretend DJ,awesome and entertaining. Fun night all round. Take friends or the other half. You will not be disappointed.
Hix is a fix worth the visit. (Peony Blue) 7/10
