Review - The Oxford Kitchen

My New Year’s resolution to eat in as many new places as possible ground to a pitiful halt so early in January that it’s embarrassing to even mention it.

The problem was that The Oxford Kitchen’s lovely manager, Tom, had left, to be replaced by a beaming Frenchman from the big smoke, and the temptation to pop in and make sure everything was running smoothly was overwhelming. Nothing to do with John Footman’s impeccable cooking, of course, or the fact that The Oxford Kitchen has ridden the rodeo pony for long enough now to make a real name for itself in foodie circles, winning endless awards in the meantime.

In short, despite a tumultuous few months, when its staff and chefs went from one extreme to the other — one minute holding onto the gunnels and praying, the next crying on award podiums — it has crested the cruel waves of restaurant openings and is not only still afloat, but cruising happily onwards.

Tom, an able, competent and charming young man who took on the massive project of helming The Oxford Kitchen until it was coasting, has taken a job closer to home, running Russells Restaurant with Rooms in Broadway, while gasping for breath.

In his place comes the grinning Frenchman Gregory Martine, the impeccable, courteous and utterly professional new general manager who is absolutely delighted to have got out of London and landed on his feet at The Oxford Kitchen.

So while curiosity may have got the cat, I’m still beaming like a Cheshire after my recent dinner there. We were seated upstairs overlooking Summertown’s main drag, framed by a beautiful chandelier, ready to sing for our supper if needs be. Opting for the à la carte menu, we hoped the food was as good as I remembered.

The amuse-bouche set the standards, a duck parfait whose hickory smoke drifted upwards when unveiled. Magic. Then the soup — an innocuous sounding leek and potato broth (£6), and yet when it arrived the truffle foam belied the depth of flavour underneath, the tiny balls of potato as distinct as a liquorice allsort in a packet of Polos, the black truffle brioche soaked in butter so that it resembled a dutch crispbake — absolutely delicious.

My fellow diners were similarly immersed in their Cornish crab salad (£8.50) with coriander cured tuna, caviar and lemon dressing which came with a glacier lettuce and its pearls of moisture, the lemon dressing in puree form. The hand-dived scallops, crispy pork belly, mandarin and roasted almond dish (£14) was equally as impressive, its mandarin foam proving that John Footman hasn’t lost his touch.

Next up were the slightly more plebeian choices of fish, burgers and pasta, although John made sure there was nothing ordinary about them. The very acceptable £12.95 homemade beef burger, red onion jam, mixed leaves and triple cooked chips went down a treat, as did the beautifully cooked chargrilled fillet of brill, roasted cauliflower, golden raisins, almonds and curry (£17.50).

My only complaint was that the spinach and herb cannelloni, with salt-baked celeriac, wild mushrooms and sprouting broccoli (£15.50) was too earnest, too green, lacking those sunny mediterranean flavours, the spinach packed too tight, overpowering everything else – but it was a blip.

Impeccable: New general manager Gregory Martine

With food like this we were scrapping over the dessert menu, finally opting for the house special — John’s banana tarte tatin which is as sticky and flaky as it sounds and served with passion fruit jam and peanut butter ice cream. The chocolate pastilla (£7) with macerated raspberries, yoghurt and spearmint sorbet was another triumph, while the trifle (£6.50) came with poached figs, almond sponge and amaretto cream.

Enough already! I’m full just writing about this vast exercise in over-consumption, except that the portions are just right so you can still walk when you emerge — the ladies who lunch just wouldn’t cope otherwise.

Suffice to say then, that much as we will miss Tom, Gregory is a wonderfully, warm, keen, upbeat replacement and one that can only boost The Oxford Kitchen’s reputation further.

So make use of The Oxford Kitchen. We are lucky to have it. I on the other hand am begrudgingly off to eat in pastures new. They have got a lot to live up to!

The Oxford Kitchen 
215 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HQ 
01865 511149 theoxfordkitchen.co.uk

Opening times: Open daily from 8am for morning coffee and freshly baked pastries, with full à la carte dining at lunchtimes and Monday to Saturday evenings from 6pm till late.
Parking: Summertown — there is a car park opposite.
Key personnel: Head chef John Footman, general manager Gregory Martine.
Make sure you try the... Set menu lunch served from Mon-Sat 12noon-14.30pm, supper Mon-Thurs 6-9pm One course £11.50, two courses just £14.50 or three courses for £17.50.
In ten words: A welcome addition to Oxford’s fine dining scene. Use it.