Warm Welcome

JEREMY SMITH revisits an old – and trusted - favourite to sample the new autumn menu at Browns.

Like a lot of the best things in life, we tend to take them for granted.

You know, like dentists using anaesthethic or ready meals from M&S.

So I guess it’s no great surprise that I’ve tended to regard Browns in much the same way; it’s always there, where it’s always been, just along from the corner of Woodstock Road and Little Clarendon Street, and probably always will be, regardless of war, apocalyptic virus or victory in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Indeed, I just took it as a given that it didn’t need reviewing (I mean, it’s an Oxford institution isn’t it, as much a part of the Oxford scene as girls with back-combed hair, Ugg boots and pashminas).

But then, passing it a few Saturday evenings ago, it just looked so warm and glowing and... dammit, sexy, I made a mental note that I really should take time to eat there again (as an ‘event’, rather than just popping in for a work lunch or a quick pre-cinema drink).

And lo and behold, back at work, an email boasting their new autumn menu arrived just days later (and no, there was no inkling of this in my stars for that week).

So, back I went, a Saturday later, and... God it was good.

Look, I’m sorry, I’m not a natural restaurant critic. I don’t know how to describe a sou0fflé or why a rosemary jus might not work with cod and chips.

That’s all well and good for foodies I guess, but I don’t have a sophisticated mouth – just a tongue, teeth and above and to the right, a keen eye for the bill.

So what matters to me is: a. if I’m politely and warmly welcomed by the staff b. that my order is taken quickly c. that the food served is hot and tasty d. and perhaps most importantly of all – to me anyway – that the place ‘buzzes’ (I don’t know if there’s a technical term for this but there should be).

Anyway, on this particular night, a b and c were fine, and d was through the roof – like stepping into one of those glamorous clubs from the 50s where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior would hang out (Google the 500 Club in Atlantic City, run by Skinny D’Amato).

We supped a couple of cocktails in the bar area first (a rite of passage in this kind of joint – miss it and miss out as it lends the rest of the evening a wonderful, sophisticated sheen) and then sat down to tackle the food.

For starters, I ordered the Pan Seared Black Pearl Scallops (£7.95) while my girlfriend chose the Scottish Langoustine Gratin (£6.96). Both were swell.

For mains I tried the Slowly Cooked Shoulder of Lamb (£13.95), which simply melted in the mouth, while my girlfriend took on the Broad Bean, Pea, Grilled Courgette & Pesto Tossed with Tagliolini (£7.95). This she said was tasteless, but if you must order vegetarian...

Dessert-wise, we shared a Pear and Ginger Cheesecake (£5.25) which assaulted – nicely – our tastebuds, and this we all washed down with a couple of bottles of Prosecco Della Venezia (£21.95 a bottle).

What else can I say?

The staff were terrific – smart, polite, likeable – the prices reasonable, the food (on the whole) superb and the ‘buzz’, addictive. Enough said.