MIXA is a small plates restaurant in Winchester that mixes Mediterranean roots with global flavours, from duck bao buns to pork vindaloo. As the name suggests, the idea is to bring different cuisines and cooking techniques to one table, with dishes ordered in rounds and shared. Inside, green panelling, wooden tables and chairs and an open kitchen give the dining room a warm, buzzy feel. Window tables look out over St George’s Street, and a terrace offers space to eat outdoors in warmer months.
The MIXA menu kicks off with snacks such as gunpowder potatoes with curry leaf, mustard seed and lime yoghurt, beef fat hash browns with truffle mayo, and roasted red pepper houmous with charred flatbread. Small plates follow, including duck bao buns with cherry hoisin and cucumber pickle, garlic prawns with fermented chilli, lemon and sourdough, and bavette steak with weeping tiger dressing and smoked onion puree. Smoked ox cheek doughnuts with truffle aioli and charred monkfish with tandoori butter are among the other options. Vegans can order aubergine katsu or Korean fried cauliflower with gochujang glaze, while roast squash with whipped feta suits vegetarians. Sides include crispy patatas bravas, sweet potato fries and Greek salad.
Desserts, meanwhile, include chocolate fondant with sour cherry, chocolate soil and honeycomb, affogato with an optional liqueur shot, and ice cream in flavours such as fig and honey or vegan pineapple and coconut. Alternatively, diners can build a board of five cheeses chosen by The Winchester Cheese Stall, including Hampshire-made Heckfield, Colston Bassett Stilton and Keen’s Cheddar, with a glass of port. On Sundays, MIXA also serves roasts: black garlic-glazed pork ribeye, lemon and thyme chicken, rosemary and garlic beef sirloin, or a mushroom, cranberry and brie Wellington, each with roast potatoes, maple and harissa carrots, charred hispi cabbage and Yorkshire pudding.