It is not immediately obvious that this Walton Street gem is a concept restaurant. Yet with all produce sourced from within a twenty mile radius, owner Max Mason has taken aim at the chain restaurants in Oxford and let rip. The result? The Big Bang. They do bangers and mash, and they do it very well. The Covered Market’s David John and Hedges provide most of the sausages, Hook Norton brewery supplies the ales, and Cotswold Brewing Company the lagers. Mason has succeeded in rejecting the chain-restaurant model of central distribution and menu-setting and given us something new, exciting and, dare I say it, ethical.
The menu lists seven sausage meals, including two vegetarian choices (all £8-£10). These standard sausages (think pork and leek, lamb and mint) are complimented by a changing specials board – highlights included chilli pork, guinea fowl, and curried thai. The meals include two sausages, a choice of six mashed potato concoctions (including spring onion, grain mustard, and rosemary), peas, red cabbage, sautéed onions, and one of three jus: rosemary, red wine, and stilton. For the flusher reader the Big Bang meal (£11.50) comes highly recommended, and allows you to pick any three sausages, including the selection of specials. For the thrifty student the Cheapskate meal (£6), which comes without the trimmings, is not a bad deal. Although the description ‘two of our less delicious sausages’ might not sound particularly appealing, they are in fact just Cumberland sausages cunningly renamed to stop business types from being über-stingy. In addition to this, a Union card knocks 10 percent off.At any rate, the lunch menu – Traditional Oxford, Cumberland, Basil and Vine Tomatoes, or Sausage of the Day with mash and jus – at £4.50 is clearly the superior option, especially as you don’t have to say ‘cheapskate’ in front of all your friends. Having diligently sampled six of the sausages I can firmly vouch for their quality. I’d recommend the Cumberland, Pork and Apple, and Chilli Pork, and steer clear of the Oxford, and Beef and Guinness. The grain mustard mash was delicious, the carrot and swede less so. All of the vegetables were spot on. Apple crumble (£3.25) was probably missable but quite nice nonetheless.The grey, grimy setting and withered plants are not exactly slick but that is precisely the point, as this is very deliberately a neighbourhood restaurant – the antithesis of central Oxford’s shiny, carbon-copy chains. The friendly service was much appreciated and, with a wait of only fifteen minutes from ordering to eating, the whole experience was swift and pleasant. The weekly jazz evening (Tuesdays at 8pm – two courses for £15) is apparently very popular. The downstairs room in which this takes place adds fifty seats to the thirty upstairs and is ideal for larger groups or parties at the weekend.
Whether you’re looking for a fun first date or just some good sausage, this charming local provides a great bang for your buck.
Adam Ross
