Some of the best parts of a meal rarely sit at the centre of the table. They arrive slightly later, get passed around more casually, disappear without much discussion. A spoonful here, another forkful there. Then suddenly the bowl is empty. At Hg, the sides tend to do that.
Spring changes the way people order. Tables become lighter without really trying to. More colour turns up. More things shared between two or three people instead of held onto individually. We notice it every year, especially once asparagus starts appearing again and the evenings stop feeling quite so grey.
Roasted Pumpkin & Feta comes with chipotle, avocado cream, spirulina, cashew, coriander, jalapeño, tajín. Sweetness, heat, salt, something cooling underneath. The kind of plate that settles into the table quickly.
Glazed Aubergine with Herb Salad arrives with maple glaze, onion, basil, coriander, parsley, lemon dressing, agave, capers, pomegranate, hazelnut dukkah. Soft aubergine underneath, sharper edges around it. A side that quietly becomes the thing everyone keeps going back to.
Asparagus with labneh and pink tahini comes with green beans, mint, parsley, hazelnuts, sumac, flaky salt. Asparagus only really works when the timing is right. Too early and it feels forced. Too late and it loses something. During spring, though, it earns its place naturally. We see more tables ordering it without even looking twice at the menu.
The same thing happens with the Seasonal Veggies. Carrot, sweet potato, courgette, onion, broccoli, pepper, tomatoes, asparagus, green beans, tarragon chimichurri, microgreens, chilli. The combination shifts slightly depending on what is coming through the kitchen that week, which is partly why people keep ordering it. It never lands exactly the same way twice.
Nikkei Guacamole with avocado, green sauce, apple, cucumber, jalapeño, shiso leaf, lime, chilli still ends up beside everything from grilled plates to slower weekend brunches. It sits somewhere between familiar and unexpected, which is usually enough.
House Hummus with Pistachio comes with tahini, schug, tomato, sumac, olive oil. Creamy, sharp, nutty. Usually one of the first bowls to come back empty.
There are other regulars people return to without thinking too hard about it. Smashed Truffle Potatoes with garlic, herbs, chives, sea salt. Moroccan Rice with brown and black rice, spice mix, lentils, raisins, chickpeas, pomegranate, almonds, mint, parsley, orange curry glaze. Roasted Sweet Potato with tahini, balsamic, hazelnuts, cranberries, chilli powder, microgreens. Not centrepieces. Just the kinds of plates that make the rest of the meal feel more complete.
At most restaurants, sides exist to fill space. At Hg, they tend to shape the table instead. A few extra plates ordered almost absentmindedly. Something shared across the middle. Something people remember afterwards, even if they did not expect to.
The spring sides are on now across the full menu, whether you stay for a slower lunch, pick up something on the way home, or order in when cooking feels unlikely.