#OxTweatUp at The Oxford Kitchen

When Florio's in Summertown closed down, some were distraught, others were more interested in what it would be replaced by. Initial rumours of a large pizza chain taking over the building led to grumbles about a lack of independent restaurants in Summertown. Eventually though, news broke that the recently refurbished restaurant would be inhabited by The Oxford Kitchen, a brand new independent restaurant (not part of a restaurant chain, though owned by a larger catering company), led in the kitchen by Executive Chef John Footman and Head Chef Gerd Greaves - whose combined experience boasts Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, L'Orlotan and The Nut Tree. NOW we were interested....

With another #OxTweatUp due, it seemed like an obvious choice to check out one of the hottest new restaurants in town. Initially billed as "Modern British", we didn't have much to go on until the restaurant finally launched - though with dishes like Duck Confit ‘Bon Bon' with Pickled Pear and Gingerbread as well as Hand Dived Scallops with Confit Pork Belly, Mandarin and Almond Puree - it sounded like it might have been worth the wait.

Now, it is worth noting this isn't a cheap restaurant, with prices varying from £13 to £40 for a main (Wagyu Burger with Cornish Lobster Salad, Triple Cooked Chips and Black Truffle Mayonnaise being their most expensive dish, requiring 48hrs notice), but then this is a fine dining restaurant. If you want fine dining at a lower price, then their set lunch/supper menu is worth a look - with one course for £10.50, two courses for £13.50 or three courses for £16.50 (available 12pm - 2.30pm and 6pm - 7pm).

The evening kicked off with a quick drink at the Dew Drop Inn to round up the troops, then over the road to dinner. If you've previously visited Florio's then you won't notice much of a change to the interior. Restaurant Manager, Tom, gave us a quick tour of the brand new kitchen and soon-to-be chef's table - a small counter at the front of the kitchen where four eager diners will be able to sample a six course tasting menu while watching the chefs at work. Not really something I'd fancy myself, I'd find it all rather awkward and "is it ready yet" watching from such close quarters, though there may well be a number of people keen.

Having been seated upstairs - a wise decision given our levels of chatter noise - we settled in and ordered some wine for the table. Again, prices here aren't low, a decent bottle of Sancerre or Chablis will set you back £36 or £60 respectively - non-house wines range in price from £24 to £70, with house wine ranging from £17.50 to £22. Thankfully the house white selected was very pleasant.

Dinner began with an amuse-bouche of Artichoke Velouté with Truffle Oil - earthy, warm and silky, this was a tantalising treat to get the taste buds working. Our interest peaked, we were ready for more.

Artichoke Velouté with Truffle Oil Amuse-Bouche

When the starters began arriving, there was a brief moment of silence. Eager to see who had the best dish, whilst reassuring ourselves we'd ordered well, we all scanned our companions' plates. Thank the lord, my Duck 'Bon Bon' (£8) was the winner - dark golden baubles of confit duck, encased in gingerbread crumbs, partnered alongside pickled pears, pickled pear sauce and little clusters of oats, nuts and seeds (very tasty but almost too hard to cut without them pinging off across the table). What looked like rockery plants adorning the plates turned out to be something called 'ice salad', a wild coastline-grown leaf with a firm texture and slightly salty taste - not one I'd tried before. As an individual plate of food, this was immaculately well balanced, with the flavours working seamlessly together to create something quite perfect.

Other starters sampled at the event were Cauliflower Soup with Onion Bhaji (£5.50), Crispy Ham Hock with Celeriac Purée, Compressed Apple and Walnut (£7), plus the Hand Dived Scallops with Confit Pork Belly, Mandarin and Almond Puree (£14). However, I was so immersed in my glorious globes of duck, I can't report on the others! 



Duck Confit ‘Bon Bon’ with Pickled Pear and Gingerbread

Hand Dived Scallops with Confit Pork Belly, Mandarin and Almond Puree



Crispy Ham Hock with Celeriac Purée, Compressed Apple and Walnut

When it came to the mains, some faired better than others. Chilliboochan, who had ordered the Parmesan Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom, Roasted Garlic, Parsley and Truffle (£15)  was understandably disappointed when a starter sized portion of eight fluffy little gnocchi pillows with a few salad leaves were set down in front of her. The Creedy Carver Duck, however, served alongside Potato Fondant, Chicory Marmalade and Duck and Vanilla Sauce (£20), looked stunning. My 36 Hour Braised Ox Cheek, with Smoked Potato Puree, Baby Onions, Lardons and Red Wine Sauce (£18.50) was a contender, though I did find myself looking longingly at the duck. While the Ox Cheek was very tasty, it wasn't quite as melt-in-the-mouth tender as I had hoped and the red wine sauce lacked punch. The smoked potato puree (or mash), lardons and baby onions were all perfectly fine, but the dish as a whole fell a little short. 

Parmesan Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom, Roasted
Garlic, Parsley and Truffle

 

Creedy Carver Duck, with Potato Fondant, Chicory Marmalade and
Duck and Vanilla Sauce



36 Hour Braised Ox Cheek, with Smoked Potato Puree, Baby Onions,
Lardons and Red Wine Sauce

Another little unexpected treat arrived in the form of a pre-dessert - a tiny little apricot mousse with yoghurt ice cream. The mousse was delicious and refreshing, though having only been delivered to the diners who'd ordered an actual dessert it left a sour taste with some.

Pre-dessert of Apricot Mousse

When it came to desserts, I was hoping to land myself the winning dish; but alas, the title went to Ox_Bex, who ordered the Chocolate Delice with Blood Orange and White Coffee Ice Cream (£7). Almost 'Blumenthal'esque' with it's chocolate delice 'toadstool' and chocolate 'soil'. Becca was looking rather smug at this point, and rightly so! Whilst my Trifle with Poached Figs, Almond Sponge and Amaretto Cream (£7) was delicious, I felt it a little too heavy on amaretto cream and light on almond sponge.  That said, at this point I was struggling to manage another mouthful anyway.

Chocolate Delice with Blood Orange and White Coffee Ice Cream

Trifle with Poached Figs, Almond Sponge and Amaretto Cream

Overall, a really good meal, in great company. The service we experienced was very good, though we were clearly expected and, for the most part, looked after by the Restaurant Manager. I'm aware Giles Coren had a particularly unpleasant experience of the service here recently, though I'd hope that was the exception rather than the rule. We had some food highs and some food lows, but thankfully mostly highs. Would I return? Yes, I genuinely would - I'd order the Duck Bon Bon, followed by the Creedy Carver Duck (oh yes, double duck!), then the Chocolate Delice.. unless I can afford the Wagyu Burger, then I might just try that!

So... what did everyone else think?!

From left to right, top to bottom: @dancingoyster: Food as good looking as the restaurant. But unless you are a tiny eater, sides needed with main. The duck bon bon was my highlight - dreamy! @ChilliBooChan: The service was excellent. My scallop starter was the highlight of my meal, though the greedy side of me wishes my gnocchi main was bigger! @Ox_Bex: Scallops were lovely but baffled by presence of almonds, duck succulent & rich, didn't register vanilla & I won with my dessert! @wisdom440: Exquisite food beautifully crafted in very pleasant surroundings with knowledgeable and friendly staff. @RootsofOxford: Scallops to start were cooked and presented perfectly. Ox cheeks were just as they should be cut with a spoon, melt in the mouth! Excellent! @Proper Ellipsis: Soup,rich but tasty–prefer bread to onion bhaji. Pizza,small/expensive/over-cooked.Odd excluding non dessert folk from pre-dessert #NoFlorio. @WolSupClub: I'm not a fine dining girl - have a good appetite - so it must be exquisite + memorable quality to compensate + sadly just wasn't. @steveburholt: Cauliflower soup and onion bhaji was a great combination. Main: Creedy Carver duck was cooked perfectly with a chicory marmalade.

The Oxford Kitchen
215 Banbury Road
Summertown
Oxford
OX2 7HQ
Twitter: @Kitchenoxford
Facebook: @theoxfordkitchen
Website: www.theoxfordkitchen.co.uk
Phone: 01865 511 149

#OxTweatUp - Sojo

 

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?!

Salt & Pepper Spicy Squid

Szechuan Spicy Beef & Aubergine

Black Bean Chicken

Shanghai Braised Pork Hock

Wall of Fame: 1) @AlissaJRobinson  2) @bikebird13  3) @inoxfordwilleat  4) @kalicer  5) @LeighOX4  6) @oxford_mommy  7) @Oxsox  8) @rogeraskew  9) @smacula  10) @tinylittletiger  11) @wisdom440  12) @Zubi_Q

Sojo

6-9 Hythe Bridge St

Oxford

OX1 2EW

Website: www.sojooxford.co.uk
Phone: 01865 202888

#OxTweatUp - Atomic Burger

After my recent restaurant review of The Royal Oak and it's new Burger Monday Menu, I felt I'd developed a bit of a taste for burgers. Having never really been much of a burger eater, apart from the odd cheeseburger here and there, I was a little surprised by this; so what turned me.

In my previous experience, most of the 'gourmet' burgers on restaurant menus were huge great hulking lumps of meat, mostly home made, but far too big and chunky for me - daunting in fact; I'd never manage to eat the whole thing and I'd generally ignore the top half of the bun entirely. This new type of gourmet burger, however, is more about the extras; yes the burgers are still home made, but the focus seems to be mainly on the toppings.

So, that got me thinking, and tweeting... Should I be doing some burger benchmarking?

See... not a single psycho in sight!

The Twitter response was immediate and pretty damn conclusive... Atomic Burger was the Burger Daddy in Oxford! My initial tweet snowballed into a get together for nine of us in total, some of whom had never met; all of which were salivating over a #burgerytweetup at Atomic. The team included: two local food critics, several food enthusiasts with extensive knowledge of the Oxford food scene, a number of regular #Oxtweetup attendees and many Atomic Burger fans... Bring on the burgers!

Meeting up at The Oxford Retreat for a few pre-burger drinks, we all got to meet the real people behind the online profiles, and guess what... There wasn't a single psycho in sight - phew! Everyone was lovely, with plenty to chat about... food, films, Oxford, gimp masks (?! Ask Zubi_Q); in fact I don't think anyone was stuck for conversation the entire night. That's one of the things I love about Twitter, connecting with people you actually have something in common with - anyway, that's another story. On to the food!!

Sharing Starters, clockwise from top left: Hot Wings, BBQ Wings, Cajun Wings & Nachos

Atomic had kindly offered to provide a few sharing starters for us, so we kicked off with a selection of nachos, Cajun wings, BBQ wings and hot wings - all very simple but delicious! The Cajun and BBQ wings are great for those who may be put off by the fiery heat of Hot Wings, but were well cooked and tasty; for me though, it's all about the hot wings... I couldn't partake in the blue cheese dressing, so requested some mayo for dunking. I'd happily tuck into a big bowl of the Hot Wings all to myself; the sauce isn't 'rip your face off' strength but some may struggle, there is a lovely warmth to them, accompanying a piquant taste - a few thought they were a bit too vinegary, but I found a little dunk of mayo counteracted this nicely.

Tucking in!

With chat flowing freely and starters demolished, we moved on to our mains. We'd all pre-ordered, so Atomic had everything ready for us in good time. As advertised on their website, Atomic's burgers are all hand formed to their own recipe and are available as beef, chicken or vegetable, with a free side order of your choice. For the coeliacs out there, the beef and chicken burgers are also available as gluten free.

The menu at Atomic is comic book inspired, with in-your-face colours, cartoon characters and retro film references; you can order Scooby Snack Tater Tots and Speedy Gonzales Nachos, followed up with burgers named Forest Gump, Audrey Hepburn, Dead Elvis, or Babe Ruth; with a side of Cosmic Coleslaw and Sci Fries.

The Chuck Norris with Sci Fries

Me? I was sold on The Chuck Norris (Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork, American cheese & onions... OMG!), with Sci Fries (Double fried with a chilli rub) and Cosmic Coleslaw on the side. On delivery Atomic didn't disappoint: the burger itself was meaty, a little pink, well proportioned (not a big hulking monster like the type I mentioned at the start) and a perfect base for the toppings; the toppings themselves were glorious, the BBQ pulled pork standing out in its own right, but mixed with juice onions and gooey cheese it was an utter delight... mmmmmmm. The Sci Fries and Cosmic Coleslaw were good, however I personally would have preferred more of a kick from the fries - I'd expected them to be a bit hotter and maybe seasoned more thoroughly as opposed to what seemed like a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

I will admit, whilst this visit was originally designed as a group review, the socialising did take over somewhat - we really did have a fantastic time. I fully intend to revisit Atomic when I have a bit more time to focus on the food... and take better pictures. As a venue, Atomic is great fun; I'm not sure my Dad would be a fan, but I'd certainly take MrF, the MiniF's, plus any of my friends!

So... what did everyone else think?!

@Ox_Bex

Love the Norma Jean, combination
of  cool cream cheese, jalapeños
and of course, bacon is just amazing!
But I frequently get led astray by the 

amazing specials, definitely worth an 

extra visit if Mr T is making an 

appearance. 

@hannahbond8
Debate over - the best burger at
Atomic is the Messy Jessie. Beef, as
if you even had to ask. The delightful
marriage of goats’ cheese, rocket
and red onion marmalade is
something you really shouldn't pass
up.

@inoxfordwilleat

I had the Jake'n'Elwood. Particularly

enjoyed the tasty plain chicken wings,

and the fries were pleasantly dry

and moreish. 

@kalicer

Still as exciting and fun on a
twentieth visit as it is on the first, but
they never lose sight of the most
important thing: grilling great
burgers

@rogeraskew

Definitely the best burgers in
Oxford I recommend the James
Earls Jones and the peanut butter
milkshake..!

@wisdom440

They make the most scrumptious
burgers in Oxford. Top quality food,
top quality venue, top quality staff

@joolsteare

Fun, quirky atmosphere,
excellent service & the most
awesome burgers in town. I had
the Chuck Norris, a burger
with pulled pork on top. 

Pleasure on a plate

@Zubi_Q

Ordered Smokey and the Bandit
burger with Chicken and Sci Fries.
The burger itself was very succulent
and one of the best I have had for
a long time! Fries were topped 
with chili powder and this gave it a
lovely kick! Highly recommended
for future visits!

Atomic Burger

96 Cowley Road

Oxford

OX4 1JE

Twitter: @Atomicburgers

Facebook: @Atomic-Burger

Website: www.atomicburger.co.uk

Phone: 01865 790855