Grays’ Restaurant, Bicester Golf & Country Club, Chesterton 01869 241204.

KATHERINE MACALISTER heads out into the county to put a new restaurant to the test.

BICESTER’S residents can venture out again to eat somewhere decent now that Grays’ Restaurant has opened at the Bicester Country Club.

Sticklers for small print will note that said establishment is actually in Chesterton, but I’ve never let that get in the way of a good review.

Yes, it is rather off the beaten track, but where’s your sense of adventure? Besides, there’s a golf course, spa and hotel there so you can always make an occasion of it. But if it’s dinner you’re after, Grays’ is a very good start.

The lounge, where you can sip your drinks while you peruse the menu, is beautifully decorated and relaxing, giving you ample time to choose from the delicious sounding menu.

Sadly, there were no bar staff to take our drinks order and eventually we had to start scouring the corridors for a likely looking member of staff.

But once we’d nabbed one, everything ran smoothly.

And you have to allow for a few teething troubles because Grays’ is a brand new venture.

Once solely a golf club and spa, Bicester Country Club has now built a hotel and restaurant to match. And with everyone else cutting back in the current climate, such determination must be applauded.

Led into the chocolate-coloured dining room, our choices having already been taken by a very helpful waiter, we tried the pan roasted pigeon breast with creamed savoy cabbage and ham hock jus, and the Roquefort and basil tart with herb salad and roast walnut puree. The combination of the pigeon and ham jus was surprisingly lovely, and the tart delicate, complementing the sharp salad and red pepper coulis.

Served with a delicious Rioja, both starters were delicious and set the tone for the meal.

And just to make it clear – this is above and beyond the usual level of Alan Partridge style corporate comfort-zone meals you find in so many country/club/hotels. Apart from being innovative, award winning chef Mike Keenlyside is obviously desperate to make his mark.

But back to the meal. Determined to eat three courses I had a starter-sized wild mushroom risotto for my main, Mr Greedy following with the thyme roasted beef rump with black pepper and horseradish gnocchi, wild mushroom and tarragon.

The risotto was disappointing, the stock in which it should be cooked not perforating the rice deeply enough to give it that rich flavour, but the beef was a huge success, if not a combination he’d come across before. Mr Greedy’s only criticism was that the cut of beef wasn’t the best, but it was cooked perfectly.

For dessert we chose the apple beignets – crisp apple fritters with vanilla bean ice cream which had us foaming at the mouth they were so fantastic, that hot/cold, sweet/sharp thing whipping the taste buds into a frenzy.

The cheese platter was, sadly, rather ordinary though, and for £7.50 we’d expected better, with more explanation of the choices.

But overall we had a charming meal. The service was exemplary, the setting tasteful and enticing and the food made a big hit. Plus the menu had so many fantastic dishes on it that we were really spoilt for choice.

Only one thing for it then, I’ll have to go back for another bite of the cherry, and while I’m at it the Belgian chocolate tart with a strawberry bomb or the sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce and fresh cream...

Starters were priced from £4.95 - £6.20 and mains from £11.90 to £14.60.