Good things often come in threes. Having reviewed both Parsonage Grill and Quod, it was only right that we complete the trilogy with their North Oxford sister restaurant, Gee’s.
On a crisp November morning, after a short walk up Banbury Road, we were welcomed into the warmth of the restaurant’s iconic conservatory dining room. The neighbourhood certainly set the tone: spacious 19th century townhouses lined with trees stretched down the road, the kind that most of us could never dream of affording in our lifetimes. The dining room was gorgeous, brightly-lit by the sunshine pouring in through the glass roof. The service was extremely attentive, and always friendly, contributing to a relaxed and accommodating atmosphere.
For me, brunch at Oxford has never escaped the confines of the college, and so I welcomed the chance to try a mid-morning meal that didn’t involve undercooked hashbrowns at Christ Church, or watery mushrooms at Somerville. Thankfully, Gee’s provided an altogether different culinary experience.
We began by ordering coffee, which, with a rich flavour profile, was clearly of a very high quality. Faced with an eclectic menu, we chose several dishes to share. The eggs benedict were perfectly cooked, with a rich yolk that spilled over the dish when broken into. The citrus notes in the sauce, combined with the freshness of the chives, really elevated the dish.
The highlight, for me, was the smashed avocado and burrata on toast. The creamy burrata and the chewy sourdough transformed the dish from the typically millennial photo opportunity into a truly decadent brunch option, complemented perfectly by a generous drizzle of olive oil. We also opted for a pain au chocolat, a pastry which, in the UK, can so often be disappointing. Yet the beautifully flaky pastry, combined with the rich filling, would have exceeded the standards of even the most pretentious French patisserie connoisseur. We also ordered the pan con tomate; the juicy tomato mixture, enhanced by olive oil, provided the ideal texture to accompany the sourdough toast. Ordering a cocktail at 11am on a weekday felt a little indecent, but the bellini was a delicious balance of sweet peach and dry prosecco, exalting the entire meal to heights that the college brunch could only dream of.
As with its sister establishments, Gee’s is definitively an occasional restaurant. The other diners included a disproportionate number of people in black tie, the kind of place people with wealthy parents and substantive allowances might stop by before a graduation ceremony. But in a gorgeous setting, with an appealing menu, a cocktail in hand, and amazing company, Gee’s was the perfect place to spend a long, leisurely morning as I congratulated myself on my excellent life choices.
What we ate: Pain au chocolat £3.95; Pan con tomate £9.50; Eggs Benedict £11.95; Burrata & smashed avocado on sourdough toast £12.95; Bellini £10.95; Americano £4.25
