Hush

I walked into Hush at 12.15 needing a quiet table for 1pm the same day to conduct a lunchtime interview with a talented jazz singer. The staff were incredibly polite, welcoming, and helpful and although the best tables by the windows were already booked I was able to reserve a discreet table for two in a corner. By the time my guest arrived we had been upgraded to the best table in the room and spent the next 3 hours very happily in discussion. The recommended bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc was excellent, the food was wonderful and inventive, and the service was perfect – always there and yet never intrusive. Since neither of us felt able to tackle a main course, we had two starters each – delicious lentil soup with welsh rarebit, a fantastic globe artichoke with a wild salad poking out of the top like a wild hair-do, and carpaccio of beef sliced so thinly it simply melted in the mouth. Nor could we resist the amazing salted caramel ice-cream and the intriguing Mars bar cheesecake which we feel may have had a crushed Snickers hiding in the biscuit base. We left at 4pm, an hour later than we intended, feeling incredibly light-hearted and well-fed but not too full. They even had soft Brazilian jazz playing in the background. Hush Hush – it's how I've always imagined a cocoon might feel like and it was such a shame we had to leave.

First time at ‘Hush’ for a long time yesterday. Called in at around 6pm for a meal without a reservation. Brasserie virtually empty but told we only had 1.5 hours to eat – OK – place could have been booked out later. We didn't want to linger.

Menus dog-eared and shabby. Partner's crab starter had a big metal staple in it. Manager apologised and said that it would have come from the bag that the crab came in. We could have free desserts as compensation.

Main courses – belly of pork and a hamburger – served on cold plates. Partner said that vegetables were cold when he came to eat them. Waitress asked if all OK – he said (very politely) that the food cooled quickly because the plates were cold. She looked shocked that someone had said anything other than ‘fine thanks’ and mumbled something and went away. The burger bun was just sliced – not really an issue, but I suppose I would have expected to be toasted.

Partner ordered a dessert wine – no sign of it with his dessert. Had to ask for it before he had finished eating.

Staff look disinterested – not easy to catch their eye – going through the motions. One obviously had a cold or bug and made no attempt to defer his cough over plates of food.

Glass of champagne each, average price starter, average price main courses, free desserts, no coffee – £140 quid for two.

A very average meal, averagely served with a staple garnish. Would I bother again? Hell no.

I have to disagree with most reviews about Hush… this is one of my favourite ‘catch up dinner/ drinks’ places in the west end.

Hidden away in a tiny courtyard that you could blink and miss, it makes it feel special. The atmosphere is lively and fun, whether you are sitting in the downstairs brasserie, upstairs bar or restaurant. I think this is probably a great place to have a bottle of wine and a good chat… you can hear eachother talk, people watch and be as loud or quiet as you like!

On my last visit, the service was lovely. The waiter was attentive although not overly, and we had lovely food. We ended up staying there for hours until they very politely had to kick us out! It is a little more on the expensive side when a pizza express could do for a girly catch up, but it has a very nice feel to it and if you can nab an offer online like we did, then why not?! Give it a try… I have a feeling that most wont be disappointed.

A useful setting if you need to be in the West End, and set in a pleasant courtyard. The bar and downstairs are comfortable and buzzy, although upstairs is better for dining. Outside would be lovely, but not in January. The food is all perfectly competent without any particular excitement., and aggressively priced (£25 for ribeye and chips?). It's never a good sign when they seem to always do 50% off food deals, although we were too large a group to qualify. Reasonable wine list, and commendably all available by the glass, although at markups of 400-500% they needs to be. Service is tolerable, although relentless glass-filling became tiresome.

In summary: Good location and an enjoyable place to be, but probably not if thrilling food or value for money are important criteria.

Hush was a lovely venue to vist tucked away in a hidden little street just a short walk from Bond St Station. We started off in the bar upstairs while we waited for our table outside which was perfect. Though when the menu came out i was very disappointed to find not much of a range at all. The only thing that looked appealing to me was the dessert menu, as they had a wider range than usual places. The food arrived before our wine which was annoying after asking the waiter a few times where it was. And the service just got worse from there really. We watched a waitress walk off into a corner of the restaurant and go a bit crazy muttering to herself really angrily and standing there for ages thinking about it before she carried on with her work. I watched about 2 other tables complain to the waiters about where their meals were so I knew it wasn't just us that was having trouble. Then they didn't want to accept our voucher but eventually was ok with it. The food and service really lets this place down because it really is a fantastic place otherwise and quite unique. I love the various levels of the restaurant and the photos of celebrities on the walls before the toilets. But don't come here for the food or service!

I've eaten at Hush a number of times in the last ten years and unfortunately, each experience has been worse than the last. Initially this was a happening, chic restaurant that was worth its hype, but now it's just trading on its reputation and serving below average food at very serious prices.
My last experience, a month ago was typical. After a morning of shopping, I booked a table for 1:30 because the location was convenient. When we arrived at 1:25, we were told there would be a 5 minute wait and would we like to have a drink in the bar while we wait. Ok. After 20 minutes of walking past ignoring us, the waitress finally took our drinks order. At 5 to two, I approached the girl on the front desk who said that the table was now available. With armfuls of bags, and no spare hands, we had to ask the waitress to carry our drinks to the table. Her reply: ‘Just a minute’ and off she went. After another 5 minutes I had had enough. No table in the sunshine (despite its charmless interior) is worth this much hassle – and anyway I knew the food was going to be underseasoned and badly cooked, as usual. I swiftly made my way to the japanese across the street.

Even with the 50% discount off the food via the squaremeal special offer (which, despite enquiring when we sat down and being told it was off anything off the food menu, we had to see the manager to get as we had both not eaten two courses) this is poor value for money. Five things were not on the menu, leaving a vegetarian with an uninspiring risotto as the only option, and my partner who had the burger found it unworthy of the price (comes with nothing but a slice of tomato, a slice of onion and ketchup in a pot). The service was plain rude. I won't be going back!

We chose to dine at the brasserie on the ground floor on an early weekday evening after having frequented both the bar and neighbouring venues in Lancashire Court. Upon arrival the brasserie looked liked it had the potential to serve up a good evening and we were promptly seated at our table. Service began swiftly and attentive but as with all not quite bar/not quite restaurant type venues as soon as the crowds horded in (mainly hedge fund types and socialites) the waiters were becoming difficult to spot. Luckily this happend after we ordered our mains, which came in good time. The Seabass Fillet with truffle dressing and artichoke lyonnaise appeared to be a nice dish but upon taste I realised it could have done with a little more seasoning and if an ingredient such as truffle dressing is substantial enough to add in the dish's description on the menu, than a little generosity on the plate wouldn't go amiss either. My fellow diner's risotto was so-so and could have done with a little more oomph as well as a few more grains on the plate considering it was the main option. Desserts were rich and chocolatey and wine selection was good too. Altogether an average dining experience in nice surroundings but still leaves me unconvinced on brasserie dining being an evening option. Something to also bear in mind is the price, we had the good fortune to dine with a 50% offer but had it been full price, the sight of the bill would have been hard to take!

Great place to end up after having after-work drinks in one of the many places around Lancashire Court. Upstairs has a nice cocktail bar and the downstairs dining area is quite lively and usually crowded. The real selling point for Hush is the outdoor area which for obvious reasons only is useful around 1 month a year, but during that time it is a great place to spend Saturday afternoons drinking wine and eating tartar.

The one thing that surprises me is the bill. The mains aren't really good enough to be worth up to 25 pounds.

I went with a good friend of mine to sample this restaurant after having heard so many good things about it. We decided to go to the Brasserie on a Friday evening to sit outside in the magnificent courtyard. The restaurant is a wee bit tricky to find but it's secluded and beautifully decorated. The staff were initially attentive and helpful, seating us outside and taking our wine order from us. After a rather prolonged delay our food order was taken. The staff appeared to become innocuous and robotic within moments of taking our order. Perhaps it had been a long day and perhaps they were tired, however, after witnessing my wine being deposited on an adjoining table we were then treated to luke warm wine served after our starters arrived. I ordered an Eggs Benedict starter, I was greeted with what can only be described as a value bap and some cheap cooking ham with a rather hard boiled egg. This did not bode well for what was to come. My friend ordered a small salad as a starter which included some small burnt bits of bacon and rather limp spinach leaf. My main choice was a burger, served with “hand cut chips” direct from McCains' microwave and an entire quarter of unwashed lettuce deposited on the side of my plate. My friend ordered mussels, the absolute highlight of a rather dreary experience. When we eventually received our bill from the nomadic waiting staff I was expected to pay for two bottles of luke warm white wine rather than the one disappointing one which we received. This is a fantastic venue, the decor is stunning and it has the potential to be a fantastic restaurant, I for one however, will not be in any rush to get back to ‘enjoy’ the experience again.