I had to travel to Oxford for work and though I didn't get a chance to really explore the colleges and its grounds, I did manage to sample my way through a few eateries.
Portabello Oxford
Smoked trout and salmon mousse
The smoked trout and salmon mousse had a slightly creamy texture which played well with the trout and salmon mix. It was lovely and clean.
Grilled herb crusted haddock fillet with sautéed baby spinach
I wasn't too enamoured by the herb crust but the haddock fillet was grilled perfectly.
Vanilla poached pear with ginger ice cream and chocolate sauce
Dessert was un-excitingly normal.
The meal was part of the three course dinner option priced at £16.95. For the price, this is definitely value for money and you can't complain with what you get.
Will I recommend: Yes
Will I come back: Yes
Have I had better: Yes but you would be paying a lot more for London prices.
Portabello, 7 South Parade, Summertown, Oxford OX2
Gee's Oxford
Gee's came recommended and I placed it on my list to try.
I opted for the 3 course dinner menu which was priced at £19.90.
Grilled squid with lime and thyme
This is probably the best way to taste the freshness of squid. Grilled to give a bit of smokey flavour and a touch of acidity with the lime with a hint of thyme, this would have gotten the thumbs up from me if not for the fact that the entire middle bit of the squid which is this one big chunk of meat was actually still raw. Understandably it does take longer to cook that section but I didn't finish it.
Whole red mullet, saffron tomatoes and green beans
The red mullet is actually quite a meaty piece of white fish. You get the whole mullet which actually equates to quite a substantial portion of meat. If you generally don't like the smell of fish, you might want to avoid this one.
I loved the green beans which still had a good crunch in them and wasn't overcooked that it is just a pile of mush.
Bakewell tart, clotted cream
The Bakewell tart had the slightly crumbly base and was pleasing to eat.
I enjoyed my meal at Gee's. The service was attentive and it has a good vibe to it.
Will I recommend: Yes
Will I come back: Yes
Have I had better: Yes
Cibo Oxford
Cibo is located a few doors away from Portabello actually but this time I went for choices on the a la carte menu.
Bruschetta £3.75
Fresh clean ingredients which allowed the natural flavours to shine through.
Spaghetti scoglio £9.95
The spaghetti scoglio was mediocre and unexciting. There isn't much more that I can say to that.
Lemon crème brulee £4.75
Alla fragola tiramisu £4.95
The same applies to the desserts actually. It feels like I am just routine eating a course without getting much enjoyment out of it.
Will I recommend: No
Will I come back: It's OK, but I would probably head to the other two first before this.
Have I had better: Yes
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