Came to Hubbard & Bell on a Saturday night around 8pm and (to my surprise) the place was emptier than I thought it'd be... Though the Hoxton itself was packed. Since I had done my Yelp research prior to visiting, I noticed that there weren't many mentions about dinner here... So maybe their strength is brunch and people just go for cocktails at night? Idk. My group had made a reservation anyways and were seated immediately.
Anyways, I ordered the following things:
- Kale Caesar: I'd kale for this Caesar ;) I was in the mood for something a bit lighter but couldn't decide between this and the linguine, so I ordered a small portion of both. Why not have the best of both worlds, right? The Caesar was probably my favorite dish of the night. Not too overdressed but not underdressed and bland, the kale was prepared properly and wasn't bitter (I'm assuming they massaged it prior to serving too because it wasn't harsh and tough), and the egg on top was cooked a perfect medium rare haha. They also give you a hefty amount of chicken, so you can definitely order a regular sized portion and get full off of it
- Linguine: their linguine was fairly unique in my opinion. For starters, it's pretttttty spicy so beware if you've got a low spice tolerance!! The dish had a squid ink linguine base, and was tossed with a decent amount of crab, seaweed, and nduja. There was a decent amount of crab, which made the dish fairly fishy. I personally liked it since it tasted like the sea, but my friend was super turned off by it and didnt finish hers. The seaweed was a creative inclusion as I'd never had a combination like that before, but it added to the "taste of the sea" theme the dish had going on, and it made the dish more refreshing (since pasta can get a bit heavy sometimes imo). As for the nduja, I didn't really taste it. It might have been why the dish was so spicy, but I almost forgot it was there until I had reread the menu.
My friends also ordered the Pork Belly and Gnudi. I unfortunately can't comment on the taste of either since I didn't try them myself, but based off appearances... The Gnudi seemed to be a fairly small portion, but it looked good! The sauce seemed rich and creamy, and the pasta looked fresh. The pork belly on the other hand is something I'd go back just to try. The skin looked oh so crispy (pork crackling is one of my weaknesses in life) and they give you two sizable pieces!
Overall, dinner at H&B was better than I expected, and I'll definitely be back to try their brunch. read more