The end of another Michaelmas sees the well-worn ritual of clearing out my room, meeting the judging eyes of my parents through the post-Camera hangover and making the now-familiar drive back to the wilds of Essex. The novelty of this move has rather worn off by now and something has changed: I’ve come home to find my favourite local pub closed down. This has made me reflect on the food and drink desert my hometown has become, but more importantly how diverse and thriving the scene in Oxford really is. I’ve been home for less than a week, but already I’m desperate to get back and immerse myself in the huge variety of culinary delights the city has to offer. So here are my Top 5 spots of this past Michaelmas – new openings, old favourites and unexpected finds. Absence really does make the heart – or rather stomach – grow a whole lot fonder.
1) My Sichuan (The Old School, Gloucester Green)
Living out in my second year meant a load of oven pizza and even more Chinese takeaway, which meant my favourite oriental food was limited to prawn crackers and sweet and sour chicken balls. As lovely as these are, there is a reason My Sichuan comes first on my list: Sichuanese cuisine is to die for and something completely alien. The food is based largely around Sichuan pepper, a local variety of peppercorns that are simultaneously spicy and numbing, leaving your lips tingling and your mouth truly watering. This restaurant is one of the best places outside London to experience this food, and the portions are huge for the price you pay. The location (next to the bus station) is a bit of a shame, but the Old School’s glass dome roof more than makes up for this, and the food speaks for itself.
Best buy: Sizzling cumin lamb
2) Big Society (Cowley Rd)
This pub has become a bit of a Cowley institution over the last year, and is now my regular. More of a village hall or a youth club in its look, there could be cries of ‘dirty hipster!’ at mentions of this place: old school chairs, 2/3 pint glasses and ping-pong all suggest something straight out of Shoreditch. Bear with me though; look past the jam jar cocktails and you’ll find a really great local with a decent selection of beers and ciders, and really good hot wings and chicken served until 10pm. The garden area is really lovely too – the move out into Cowley gives you the sort of space unimaginable at somewhere like the Turf.
Best buy: Thatchers Gold (draught)
3) Pierre Victoire (Little Clarendon St)
As much as I’d be happy on a diet of Ahmed’s and Everyday Value vodka, there is occasionally the need to bite the bullet and head somewhere a little more impressive. A really reliable and romantic option, Pierre Victoire lets you pretend, at least for an hour or two, that you’re a real Grown Up capable of wining and dining a partner without ending the night passed out on Cornmarket. The menu is pretty typical French fare but it changes to follow the seasons, meaning the selection is far from static. Even better, Sunday to Friday they offer a three course menu for only £22, letting you spend a bit more on the really quite decent wine selection. Beware though, the popularity of this place shows so book at least a week in advance.
Best buy: Crème brûlée
4) Byron (George St)
A slightly foolish urge to prove my masculinity to myself ended up with me doing Movember this year, which left me with upper lip fuzz bad enough to give me a good metre radius of empty space around me whenever I dared to show it in Bridge on a Thursday night. Disastrous as this may have been for my love life, one bonus of the scheme meant I could help myself to a daily burger at Byron for free. Extensive experience has proven that the burgers are pretty decent, if a little pricey – at ten quid a pop these are London prices for sure. What kept me spending there was their Oreo milkshake: creamy, super thick and so very sweet, making it basically the perfect milkshake in my eyes. You may get odd looks just ordering a drink, but this is really worth it!
Best buy: Oreo milkshake
5) Chocology (Covered Market)
My last choice may seem a little odd, as this shop is mainly aimed at selling the sort of fiddly little truffles I can really live without. However, a chance visit had me come across something I’d never seen before: a 99% cocoa chocolate bar. This is made by Lindt and only available in specialist outlets, so the existence of this was news to me. The bar itself looks like tarmac, and the first taste seems to match the appearance – this isn’t for the sweet-toothed of you out there. But do as the packet recommends and start with a 70% and then a 85% cocoa chocolate to build yourself up, and the pure cocoa flavour becomes something quite different – rich and complex, like a good wine. Give it a go, even just to know what good cocoa tastes like, but a word of warning: the caffeine content is naturally high, so don’t eat too much too late at night. This was something I learned the hard way before a 9am tute – turns out tutors don’t appreciate you falling asleep in the middle of a heated discussion on Old English semantics…
Best buy: Lindt Excellence Dark 99%
