Monikers, Hoxton Square, www.monikers.co.uk

Monikers is sat in the top corner of Hoxton Square in (what seems) an old school building which has been popped up as various bars in recent years, it brings a more upmarket feel to the various bar / restaurants on the square churning out burgers of various guises. The building has reclaimed the former school vibe and offers specials on a school blackboard, various old maps and periodic tables dotted around and they have dug out the old wood flooring found in multipurpose school assembly halls / gyms / school lunch room (presuming you went to a school that didn’t cost money). Oh and water came from a beaker – convenient for measuring how little hydration you’re getting as you pile through wine.

The food is mainly a range of small plates at the normal costing from £4 – 12ish depending on if it is a small small plate, a small plate or a big small plate. There were also some proper big plate specials on the blackboard, which we didn’t have a chance to try. We sampled quite a few of the small plates which offered a nice range of dishes – I went for chorizo sausages in honey and mustard sauce, a tasty pre-meal snack, buttermilk chicken wings with tartar sauce, an interesting combination with tartar sauce seemingly working well with anything battered and deep fried.

The bigger small dish of steak salad, was very good, a rare hangar steak thinly sliced over an Asian style salad dressing. My girlfriend had mushroom gnocchi which came in a cream sauce. This was good but not a dish to go for following the leeks with truffle oil and parmesan – ironically a meal with about 20 dishes and the leeks were the most accomplished dish, they tasted like they had been poached in butter (in a good way) and were sumptuous with a spikey parmesan punch. As we went the day before St Davids day I am also claiming this is a distinctly Welsh dish. A vat of chocolate mousse desert was very good and the cheese board could have done with another cheese but it did have an amazing soft cheese which looked like brie but tasted of a blue cheese which was worth getting on its own right.

The restaurant was still in soft opening mode when I went there so I wouldn’t assume that this is the finished product. But on this outing the only negatives from Monikers was that if it is quiet then you can feel like you are in an awkward detention and when the music came on it was 90s indie. This was a step in school memories too far. To be clear, Oasis is suitable for pre-lash drinks music on a sat night but not restauranting. But am sure the quietness and music was down to it being the first week. However Monikers offers is an enjoyable, friendly and relaxed (non-burger) restaurant in the heart of Hoxton Square. Although I didn’t try any of the specials they showed that this is a pretty ambitious kitchen which won’t turn out your standard small plate fare and it will deservedly get busier over the next few months.

 

Also, for those of you with an inane curiousity about what a 'moniker' is - it is the graffiti on the side of a freight train, of course.