Hicce

Hicce in King’s Cross is a refined eatery that’s helmed by famed chef Pip Lacey and her partner Gordy McIntyre and takes a contemporary look at European cuisine. But first things first – it’s pronounced “ee-chay” and means “of the moment”.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business. Hicce’s head chef Pip Lacey, a graphic designer who was forced to retrain due to the 2008 financial crisis, trained under chef Angela Hartnett and eventually became the head chef at the Michelin-starred Murano and won The Great British Menu before venturing out on her own and launching Hicce. The slick, industrial-style restaurant with a terrace is located above the Wolf + Badger shop in the redeveloped Coal Drops area and takes advantage of its location to also sell dishes and ingredients in the shop below.

The cuisine at Hicce is designed with sharing in mind – as clearly stated by the proprietors, there’s no hogging here. You can choose from a variety of starters and small dishes to fill up your board, including cheeses, kohl rabi kimchi, different breads, cured salmon with wasabi and more, then continue with larger plates. These are divided into meat, fish and veg dishes and include, for example, carrots with aubergine caviar, walnuts and nasturtium, sea bream with fennel, radicchio and pine nuts, or lamb rump with celery, kumquats and smoked almonds. You can also let the chef take the reins and choose the four-course Hicce Experience with optional wine pairing. Sundays, meanwhile, are reserved for brunch. But whatever you choose, you can be sure it’ll hit that sweet spot between classy and comfy.