FoodieOnTour | Food, Family and a Sprinkling of Fitness: #OxTweatUp

So if you were reading the blog a few months back, you'll know I met up with a few others from Twitter, for an #OxTweatUp at Atomic Burgers. Time had flown by and we were all itching for our next #OxTweatUp, so votes cast and availability confirmed, we were off to Sojo on Hythe Bridge Street for a sumptuous Chinese banquet.

I'd been hankering to try Sojo for ages, supposedly one of the best places for food in Oxford and certainly one of the best for Chinese (along with My Sichuan, which I also want to try). This is one of the select, nationally reviewed restaurants, currently leading the field in Oxford amidst a sea of 'could do better's.

I was pretty excited. Can you tell?

Firstly, it's right next to a backpackers, and looks tiny from the front - but don't let either point deter you. Once inside, the place actually seems quite cavernous. The restaurant is split into two dining areas, with a bar in between - thankfully for other diners, our chatty group of 13 were led straight to the back of the restaurant. Dark and dimly lit, the open plan space still manages to retain intimacy, making daytime feel more like evening. What with that, plus the fabulous food and company, I totally lost track of time - so much so I gained a rather pricey parking ticket to show for it. Yay

Let the banqueting commence!

On recommendation from @kalicer, most of the group opted for our dishes to be chosen by the chef, to share (£15 per person for 1 course, £20 for 2 courses - we went for 2). This turned out to be a genius idea (well done Katy), everything was superb and it prompted us to try dishes we otherwise my overlook.

I didn't get pictures of everything because, well, I was eating. And chatting. And more eating.

There was more than enough to go round - first came aromatic duck pancakes and salt & pepper spicy squid, followed by sweet and sour fish, Szechuan spicy beef & aubergine, a spicy prawn dish, black bean chicken, stir fried green beans, rice, plus an amazing braised pork hock. I think that was everything!

Oh my God, it was so good. The pork hock literally fell off the bone, and tasted superb. The sweet and sour fish was a revelation - I usually find sweet and sour far too sweet, even for me, but this was delicious. The aubergine and beef, again, something I would never think of eating, but also delicious.

Fan. Bloody. Tastic

If you go in a group, I definitely recommend letting the chef chose for you, we weren't disappointed by a single dish - take it from someone who always orders the same dishes!

So, another successful #OxTweatUp, great food and a great bunch of people. Thanks to everyone who came.

Now... where next?!