Hush, 8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London W1S 1EY

Hush, 8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London W1S 1EY

www.hush.co.uk

09/04/2013

She said: The mother-in-law was in town and we needed somewhere local. I had wanted to book ‘The Silver Room’ at Hush which is a newly decorated dining space on the first floor but was told it was closed so our table was in the ground floor dining room which is in the standard ‘contemporary’ style you see at so many restaurants these days. I have always had mixed preconceptions of Hush – it looks pretty from the pedestrian courtyard but always seemed a bit affected so I was curious to check out the reality. On arrival, very poker-faced service staff took our coats and seated us at a reasonable table. However, we had to asked at least 5 times for someone to take our cocktail orders, which at £11 a pop you wouldn’t think we’d have to insist on being able to order (after a word with the manager the service improved).

The menu is a mix of ‘European’ food at middle-of-the-range London prices. I went straight into mains after the long cocktail chase and had the cod with spinach, saffron and clam sauce which was actually very good. To follow, despite my fellow diners passing on dessert and coffee, I had a delicious sticky toffee pudding with crème fraiche and my latte arrived closely behind. We receded into ‘chase the bill’ a couple of times before putting down £110 for three people consisting of three cocktails, three mains and one dessert and coffee. On the basis of the food and location I would consider coming back to Hush, maybe to see what the Silver Room is like but would have been more confident with a less indifferent service.

He said: I arrived at Hush right off the plane from a work trip in Germany, having spent the day moaning and groaning through the last spasms of a nasty case of food poisoning. Perhaps not the best conditions for a night out, but it was planned a while ago, and I’m from the pretend-everything-is-ok school of medicine. Still, I played it safe, ordered a stiff drink as a starter (to kill-off any remaining bugs), and followed with the spiced lentils – no formerly-living creatures on my plate that might have caused a relapse. Both were perfectly nice. The main reason to come to Hush, really, is the very picturesque setting, hidden behind Bond Street on a discreet cobbled courtyard – it has a nice approach and out-of-towners will be suitably impressed with your knowledge of all the nooks and crannies. Hush also has a really nice buzzy and dimly lit atmosphere. My only gripe was that service was haphazard; perhaps they were short-staffed, but the door crew was also a little indifferent. Oh, and also, her cod came on an absurdly large plate – I mean, we’re talking stupid large. Hush, with some minor tweaking, could be really good, especially if the staff worked at making the punters feel as special as the ambiance. Incidentally, my number one tip for eating abroad outside of capital cities: don’t order fish on Monday.