HIX Albemarle in Browns Hotel.

Gave this place a spin last night after some last minute last minute Christmas shopping. Expensive, yes but very tasty. It is in Brown's Hotel. I'm fond of Donovan's bar in the same hotel, especially for their discretion in picking up women who slide off their leather pouffy things, by that I mean seating not some louche chap. Browns is also basically London's oldest extant Hotel and thus has, technically, the Capital's oldest restaurant. Due to the festive season the bar was packed with strange braying post-office types and the staff had the demeanor of  soldiers manning Rourke's drift. We opted to have our drinks in the lounge area where I was rewarded by the pianist smiling at me as he launched into a twinkly version of 'nature boy'... is there something I am not getting?

Brown's Hotel Albemarle Street.

Hix has taken over the dining room, you can tell because it is full of slightly silly art, which is of course supposed to be cutting edge. Browns is full of Paul Smith designed Christmas decorations including a lot of pine rabbits and at least one Christmas monkey, good silly. Otherwise what you have is a classic hotel dining room with classic attentive service.

Donovan's Bar minus Yahoos.

 The food is English and fairly typical of Hix, I had the Morecambe Potted Shrimp, nice but not really potted (should stand in stiffened butter with a bit of mace and look a bit brown) more a slightly solidified tasteful prawn cocktail. The bearded one was very happy with his cured British meat and soused Alexander starter. Soused Alexanders turned out to be burdocky veg in vinegary stuff and very tasty. For main courses we went for venison and for me, mallard. Both dishes were excellent, really tender, properly cooked and...what a pleasant surprise, actually came with veg and potatoes. This was lovely savoury gamey Winter fare. I felt what the food delivered here was plenty of taste, great big mouthfuls of it. The wine we had (Arg chardonnay, NZ Pinot Noir) both very good.

Interior of Hix Albemarle.

 Wasn't cheap but the food was filling and well served. Mayfair doesn't have as many good eateries as it should so Hix is welcome. Being in such a well run hotel you leave to a parade of uniformed staff saying good night, putting your coat on and opening doors for you. The feeling of civilised well being lasts all the way to the...Victoria Line.

The White Lady Cocktail.

Some drinks are naturally summery, the Pimms cocktail tastes like a deconstructed trifle, minus sherry and jelly and condensed cream. Then there are the exotics: the Daquiris, big creamy Pina Coladas and Margaritas. The latter is a favourite of mine. Because I like my cocktails very very cold and in little triangular glasses. When I say cold however I do not mean full of ice. My Californian friend raised the curious disparity in transatlantic drinking. The Brits are mean with their ice and the Americans are over-generous. My idea of a summer drink is not a long glass tube filled with flavoured ice. But I like my drinks icy, that is strained and shaken through ice. Martinis are too strong and the taste of Manhattans and Cosmopolitans only occasionally pleasing. My favourite summer tipple is, after a medicinal Margarita (well they seem to cure all my ills) the White Lady. It was invented by the venerable H. Craddock at the Savoy in 1930 and was Laurel and Hardy’s favourite tipple. More recently LeCarre’s Fred Leiser insistently tried to press it on other characters.

It ticks my boxes, small stylish glass, enough booze and a fresh light taste. But like all good cocktails it is possible to bicker over it. In this case it is egg white vs no egg white. I am pro the egg white, the bearded one is predictably anti. I like the velvety slightly sherbetty edge the egg white provides. It makes it a trickier and slightly more elegant drink, there is nothing gaudy about it, it was after all Lord Peter Wimsey’s favourite tipple. Here is the basic recipe:

• 2 ounces London dry gin
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1 egg whites (works with less egg white

Glass Type: cocktail glass of Martini type

Instructions

Shake well with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Do not decorate with a cherry! Glace cherries are nasty things.

Variations

Pink Lady: add a dash of Grenadine.

Blue Lady: add a dash of Blue Curacao.

Balalaika: replace gin with vodka.

Where to buy?

Can’t be bothered to faff around with ice and bottles and wotsits, want some nice young person to make one for you? Try:

Brown’s Hotel

http://www.brownshotel.com/dining/the-donovan-bar/

Dick’s Bar below El Camino's (no egg white)

http://www.urbanjunkies.com/london/10/0126-a-local-place-for-local-people.html