KATHERINE MACALISTER finds the Big Bang is still serving great food at its new premises – just a little too slowly
Eating in the Big Bang’s former premises in Jericho was more like chowing down in someone’s digs than a restaurant, and that was its charm in a Withnail & I sort of way. The students loved it because you could eat proper food for a tenner without having to go home to mum. And there were endless date nights which involved eating sausage and mash next to someone from a different college, going outside for a snog, and then exiting out the back while the next sitting arrived.
It was popular and great fun. And the food was ethical, local, tasty and ticked all the boxes. It was ahead of its game.
But then the premises was sold by developers from under Max Mason’s feet and the successful business closed with a party to end all parties. But like a movie sequel, you knew Max would be back. And now here he is, all grown up, surrounded by wall-to-wall glass windows, pale wood furniture, and an enormous restaurant to fill, without a hint of crushed velvet or shagpile carpet to be seen.
But transporting the whole shebang to the Oxford Castle site means The Big Bang has suddenly had to grow up. Whether it suits it or not is a different matter. Either way, reopening in the old Carluccio’s site was always going to be a massive gamble. The site in question is hidden round the back of Oxford Castle, and therefore has no passing trade. You have to make a big noise to be heard and even though Carluccios’ shouted from the rooftops it wasn’t loud enough.
Max Mason was therefore the only man for the job, and having the biggest mouth this side of the Channel is making as much noise as possible and gathering the great and the good to his newly-revamped location with a variety of jazz, roasts and musical evenings to tempt them. It seems to be working, although most people look slightly bewildered when they arrive, as if they’ve gone round to a mate’s house to discover said friend has won the lottery.
Four of us went for lunch, and we discovered that the decor is still largely the same as in the Carluccio’s days: leather booths, tables, work station at the end, although if anything, the space is larger without the deli, and bad accoustics.
The menu is fun, a mock paper outlining The Big Bang’s ethos, as many ingredients as possible being sourced locally from the coffee to the sausages. The Big Bang has also started rearing their own pigs in a local prison, a scheme which only someone like Max could pull off.
As a result, the sausage selection is as varied as ever from Traditional Oxford to the more exotic Wild Boar & Pigeon and you can have all day breakfast or fish and chips if required. We opted for the pork and apple sausages with a creamed mash and red wine gravy, (£9.49), the piri piri chicken which comes with mash and gravy of your choice, the wild mushroom and garlic served with a celeriac mash and a vegetable gravy, all served with peas, red cabbage and fried onions, and the chunky autumnal soup and rustic bread, (£4.45). The Waterperry apple crumble with custard (£3.45) was superb.
And while the food was as great as ever, in a warming, comfort food sort of way, the service was rather unpredictable. The waitress didn’t know what flavour the soup of the day was, which then arrived with garlic bread rather than rustic bread which wasn’t what we wanted. The tea, served quaintly in an assortment of bone china, came without sugar. No one came for ages and then three different people arrived to take our order. We had to order more gravy and by the time it came we had finished, blah, blah, blah. Put it this way, there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.
But these are all details that can be ironed out when things are properly up-and-running, and once it gets colder I’m sure the Big Bang will be packed to the rafters. In the meantime we wish it all the luck in the world.
So if you want to try something a bit different, support Oxford’s local suppliers and a new business and if you fancy a quick, tasty, good value meal, then this is the place. And as it’s open all day every day, it will fit into any agenda. Or as Withnail put it: “Black puddings are no good for me! I want something’s flesh!”
- The Big Bang is at 42 Oxford Castle Quarter
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Call 01865 249413 or see thebigbang restaurants.co.uk
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