Top London chef develops taste for our food
Top London chef and successful restaurateur Mark Hix is developing a taste for Northern Ireland food! And taste is paramount for the award-winning chef when choosing ingredients and in creating the dishes that have earned him a deserved reputation as one of London's most innovative… and coolest chefs, committed to British products with provenance.
"Taste and originality are what diners everywhere demand. We aim to guarantee them meals that are deliciously different and therefore we demand materials and ingredients from suppliers that are consistently excellent.
"In addition, we look for beef and pork from animals that we know have been well-treated and well-fed. Evidence of good animal husbandry and hygiene on the farm and also in processing operations is an important issue for us."
Among the products now featuring regularly on the menus, which lean heavily on local and seasonal food suppliers, in his critically acclaimed restaurants is beef, especially sirloin steak, from Glenarm Organic Shorthorn and Hereford animals and bacon and pork chops from a local processor, Moira-based Hannan Meats, a leading supplier to five-star hotels and high-end restaurants in the UK and Ireland. He has visited the Hannan operations in Northern Ireland and is keen to learn more about food produced here.
He's on record as describing the Moyallon sweet-cured, smoked bacon chops from Hannan as being "fantastic". The chop also struck 3-star gold in the prestigious UK Great Taste Awards last year. Unique curing techniques associated with the Moyallon brand were developed by Jilly Dougan, now marketing director at Hannan Meats
Hix, in addition, is aiming to feature an innovative steak product, 'Mighty Marbled', from the same supplier in an exciting new restaurant, the 10,000sq, 200-seat Tramshed, a unique development at Shoreditch, slated to open in May.
Hix opened his first restaurant, HIX Oyster & Chop House, in 2008 in London's Smithfields, then followed HIX in Soho (Mark's Bar), HIX Restaurant, Champagne and Caviar Bar at Selfridges, Oxford Street, HIX at the Albemarle in Brown's Hotel, and HIX Belgravia and Mark's Bar in Belgrave's Hotel, his most recent venue. He also has a restaurant at Lyme Regis in Dorset, where he keeps a boat for fishing sea bass, his favourite past time. Accolades garnered for his London venues include the Time Out Award for Best New Restaurant in 2010.
He admits to falling into food largely by default. "I did domestic science in fifth year at secondary school instead of metalwork and won a prize for my culinary efforts." Catering college followed, then, in 1981, a fairly menial job in the kitchen at the Hilton, London. He moved on to Grosvenor House Hotel, then under Anton Mosimann as Chef de Partie at the Dorchester Hotel.
At the tender age of 22, he was appointed Head Chef at the renowned Candlewick Room. He subsequently held a series of top management posts for Caprice Holdings, owners of Le Caprice and Ivy restaurants. He was there 17 years and oversaw the group's operations as chef director.
In 2008, Hix decided to take control of his own destiny and to develop restaurants that reflected his approach to food and meal preparation. He continues to mould attitudes to British and international food through his developing portfolio of quality restaurants, cookbooks, television appearances and newspaper and magazine columns.