A FAMILY-run European restaurant and wine bar named after the French word for tipsy has opened in north Oxford.

Pompette – which replaces Portabello in Summertown’s South Parade – has a rotating menu and focus on well sourced, seasonal and local produce.

The restaurant, run by married duet Laura and Pascal Wiedemann, serves predominantly French cuisine.

Open six days a week from midday (it shuts on Mondays), the charcuterie wine bar also offers a selection of local beers and three lines of craft beer.

Pascal, a 38-year-old Oxford Brookes alumni with French roots, has worked in London restaurants for 14 years and is a classically trained French chef. He says his culinary take at Pompette – the third restaurant he has opened - will be one of ‘simplicity, comfort and care’.

He has an ethos of using 'quality produce to its full extent, maximising flavour and minimising waste'.

His wife Laura, 36, says the structure of the restaurant remains the same since Portabello closed on October 14, after 16 years in business.

She explained: “Everything you see would be me and everything you eat would be Pascal.”

The design is a ‘modern take on the classic French bistro’, with a selection of artwork across the restaurant, which is split into a more formal restaurant and casual bar for nibbles and drinks.

Mrs Wiedemann continues: “Everything has been chosen for a reason – my husband is a great advocate of seasonal produce and provenance. We have lots of local produce."

“We really thought about the (daily rotating) menu and everything we wanted from a restaurant.”

Sample dishes include hake, paprika braised chickpeas, spinach and aioli; grilled rabbit, mustard sauce, Alsace bacon and greens; and pear and almond tart with crème fraiche.

The couple, who have a three-year-old son, only moved to Oxford at the beginning of October, ahead of the restaurant’s opening on November 23.

But Yorkshire-born Mrs Wiedemann said: “I can already feel my shoulders relaxing being outside of London, even though we have just opened a restaurant.

“We are very happy, the area is beautiful and the reaction has been great.”

She adds: “I don’t want people to think that we are too expensive – we are not going out for a Michelin star.”

The set lunch menu costs £16.50 for two courses and £20 for three.

Guests can also enjoy homemade bar snacks, including duck rillettes; rabbit, pork and green peppercorn terrine or plates of cured meats and cheeses.

A large selection of mainly European wines are served by the glass, carafe or bottle.

On warmer days, diners can eat on the terrace, while a private dining room for up to 14 guests will be available soon.