The Black Boy

It's taken almost a year, but here's my first review for the OX3 postcode. Shameful or telling? Well, Headington's not local for me and nor is it in the way of much passing trade, unlike the bar and boutique hubs of Jericho and Cowley. Tucked away from the main road, Old Headington is even less accessible. So when a restaurant located there is repeatedly recommended, it seems like you're on to a winner.

The Black Boy certainly has some champion credentials, not least a glowing review from The Observer's Jay Rayner and an appearance on the 50 best gastro pubs in the country list. Frequently billed as a gastro pub, I found the reality more akin to a restaurant: the leather-backed chairs and elaborately patterned wallpaper didn't really scream 'pub dining room' to me. Whatever bracket The Black Boy falls into, it's an inviting spot: welcoming, well-decorated and intimate without being cramped.

M and I visited on a Tuesday evening to spend a Living Social voucher valid for 2 courses and 2 glasses of wine. We chose from a set menu that was less limited than I had feared: 3 starters and 4 mains were on offer, with a meat, fish and vegetarian option for each course. I opted for a Greek salad followed by fish pie, while M chose a smoked haddock and salmon fish cake to start and bangers and mash for her main. The house wine was decent and cheap at just £3 a glass, while the rest of the wine list was varied and well-priced. The main menu is British with international influences, with starters including potted English trout and shrimp served with toasted homemade bread (£6.95) and Clonakilty black pudding with a soft poached egg and pancetta (£7.50). Starters are a little on the pricey side (mostly around the £7 mark), with mains such as roasted cod loin with spring onion and potato rosti, mussels and a cream and saffron sauce more reasonable around £12.95. There are also plenty of specials to choose from: 3 starters and 4 mains on the day we visited. At lunch time, sandwiches are also available, but don't expect a chunk of cheese wedged between hunks of bread: at £6.50 plus, these are deluxe doorstops.

Greek salad

The Oxford Blue

Having a man attempt to attach a carpet to the wall behind your head isn't exactly a typical Sunday lunch experience. But then again, not much about the experience of dining at a new establishment is typical. Based on this little incident at the Oxford Blue, I'm quite happy about that.

The former sports pub just off the Iffley Road has been taken over by the team formerly behind Bottega in Jericho and transformed into a chic but cosy spot for a drink and a bite to eat. With white walls and a few interesting decorative touches, it's inviting but still remains within the 'pub' realm. The wine savvy of the management team is evident on the menu, though: each dish is paired with a wine chosen from their list. With tipples including Spanish whites and Portuguese and Hungarian reds, it's an interesting selection – picking up exactly where Bottega left off. Prices are fair given the quality and wide range, but a touch steep for the area, with house wine £4 a glass (i.e. 50p more than in the lovely Rusty nearby).

The menu sticks to more familiar territory, with chef Mark Bradbury (formerly of Smiths of Smithfield and Branca, among other restaurants) cooking up modern British dishes with a gastro twist: the 'Bannister burger' (£10.95), Korean barbecue lamb with kale and baked smoked haddock with cream, spinach, cheese and a poached egg (both £14) feature among the 6 main courses. Mains are reasonably priced, but the starter selection is on the expensive side, with dishes from £5–7.50. Sides aren't included, adding to the bill by a further £2.75. The menu itself features an interesting reverse side, full of facts 'Oxford blue'-related facts: a nice touch.

The Punter

When an Oxford pub's buzzing at 7pm on a Wednesday, it's a sign you're on to a good thing. And when it's a pub in a tucked-away location unlikely to attract passing trade, you better get yourself in there.

Formerly known as The Waterman's Arms due to its riverside setting, The Punter sits on the corner of South Street on Osney Island. Reopened with its new name and new look in 2010, The Punter has been reeling in both island residents and those in the know for months, enticing them with its pretty location, relaxed atmosphere and appetising menu.

Stepping inside, my first impression was of a bustling yet laid-back watering hole. The traditional interior has been enhanced with a neat blue and white colour scheme and eclectic decor; beams and church pews nodding towards country pub, a lived-in feel preventing it from seeming contrived.  Settling ourselves in at a large wooden table, we perused the menu over a decent glass of house white (£14 a bottle - wines here aren't cheap). If the decor has hints of country, The Punter's menu is much more smart pub-about town. Changing daily, offerings range from pub classics given a gastro twist (such as wild boar and apple sausages with mash, £11) to Italian and Spanish influenced dishes (including the sea bass fillet with panzanella salad, £12). With starters priced up to £6.50 and mains reaching a maximum £14, dining at The Punter is reasonably-priced, but when the three £7 dinner options are considered, it becomes positively good value. On our visit, the dishes on offer were at the simpler end of the spectrum yet still tempting: salmon fillet with new potatoes and green beans, chicken curry with spicy aubergine and gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach.

Feeling hungry, B and I opted for starters. Almost all of them sounded substantial, and I'd usually expect to see dishes such as red mullet with saffron risotto and salsa verde under the main course heading of a menu. My crayfish paella with alioli (£5.50) was well-presented and full of flavour; limiting the seafood content to crayfish alone worked surprisingly well and the hint of saffron combined beautifully with the garlicky, lemon-infused alioli. The rice was a little underdone though: a few more minutes cooking time wouldn't have gone amiss and would have reduced the slight excess of stock.

Crayfish paella

B's goat's cheese, tomato, red onion and caper bruschetta (£5) certainly wasn't short of topping: there was no skimping on the goat's cheese, which worked well with the tasty sundried tomatoes and sticky balsamic vinegar.

Goat's cheese and tomato bruschetta

When the main courses arrived, we noted that L's £7 chicken curry was served in almost as generous a portion as the other mains. Served with rice and yoghurt, she found it flavoursome (spicy but not too hot, the aubergine tasting slightly sweet) but perhaps a little lacking in sauce.

Chicken curry

S's grilled sea bass with panzanella (an Italian salad of bread, tomato, red onion and cucumber) was simple summer food done well, the salad adding a fresh taste to the dish. Osney Island resident S went as far as to say it was the best dish she'd tried at The Punter so far.

Sea bass with panzanella

B's lamb leg steak was well cooked; tender and slightly pink in the middle. It was given an eastern twist with harissa seasoning and accompaniments of imam bayildi (Turkish-style aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes), cous cous and tzatziki (£14). The aubergine complemented the lamb well, but the cous cous was slightly dry, although the addition of almonds and capers made up for it. Nothing could save the tzatziki though: it was a fairly flavourless contribution to the plate.

Lamb leg steak with imam bayildi

My whole plaice with lentils and salsa verde (£14) was huge: well-cooked and light, the fish slid off the bone easily. The lentils and salsa verde were simple but effective additions, but again there was a slight excess of liquid.

Plaice with lentils

Spurred on by the successful mains, we ordered desserts: a British cheese board (£6), a brownie with vanilla ice cream and a vanilla and chocolate semi freddo (both £5). The cheese board was poorly presented and served with Jacob's crackers, but the cheese went down well. The brownie was a bit chewy and undercooked and the less said about the semi freddo the better: a mixture of cream, chocolate and some sort of almond biscuit base, it wasn't quite what I'd had in mind.

Cheese board

Brownie

Semi freddo

Although the desserts were disappointing and there are definitely some quirks in the kitchen that need to be smoothed out, the overall verdict was positive. The menu has definite potential: the simply-cooked, seasonal dishes stood out from the slightly over-ambitious ones. For me, it was the atmosphere that really made the evening, though: laid-back and inviting, The Punter's a perfect pub for a relaxed evening with friends. And apparently the cast of Lewis think so too: they were all down there the following evening. Well, if it's good enough for Kevin Whateley, it's good enough for me too.

Verdict: 7/10

You can listen to me discussing The Punter and other pubs and gastro pubs on Jo Thoenes's show on BBC Radio Oxford here until 2 September.

The Punter is at 7 South Street, Osney Island OX2 0BE. Tel: 01865 248832.

Radio show 26 August: Pubs and gastro pubs

I'll be back on BBC Radio Oxford this Friday 26 August to discuss the topic of pubs and gastro pubs in Oxfordshire. The county's certainly not short of great places to eat in this category, and although I'm doing my best to explore them all, it's entirely possible I haven't yet visited your favourite pub for a spot of grub.

Presenter Jo Thoenes is keen to hear from as many of you as possible, so if you could get in touch with your thoughts and recommendations of pubs and gastro pubs to read out on air, it would be much appreciated. Please leave your comments on Jo's Facebook page or email them to jointheafternoon[@]bbc.co.uk. Looking forward to hearing from you!

You can listen live here from 1pm on Friday or listen here during the following 7 days.

The Fishes

When exactly does a pub become a gastro pub? Is it when the menu extends beyond shepherd's pie and fish and chips into more adventurous culinary territory, perhaps? We've all heard the term 'gastro pub' bandied around in the media, but nobody seems entirely sure of its exact definition. And to complicate matters further, when does one of these gastro pubs cross that blurry dividing line and become a restaurant? Defining itself as a gastro pub, The Fishes gave us food for thought on both these issues.

Located in the pretty village of North Hinksey just west of Oxford, The Fishes has a charming setting. With a large garden and a terrace for dining outside, it's a prime spot for making the most of the glimpses of sunshine that pass for a British summer. Stepping inside, the feeling is overwhelmingly upscale: smartly-clad waitresses swishing across polished wood floors, 'country luxe' decor in muted tones, silver fish hanging on the perfectly painted walls. There are no rough edges here: The Fishes is all gloss. We were seated at a corner table in the expansive dining room to peruse the menu, complemented on this occasion by the Wednesday steak night specials. Glancing from the few customers perched on stools by the bar and our well-heeled fellow diners, I knew we were definitely in 'gastro' territory. However, presumably to keep things (faux-)casual, the table was cluttered with side plates, water and wine glasses and a jar of cutlery. Not laid, you understand: they were all just sitting there, waiting to be used. An odd (and slightly lazy) touch.

Adding to The Fishes' gastro credentials, head chef Charlie Barr previously worked for Rick Stein in Cornwall, before moving to a Michelin-starred restaurant in Birmingham. Her seasonal menu is well-organised, beginning with deli boards to share and leading into starters, mains and 'either/or' dishes featuring both British and European influences. Many choices, such as free range sausages and mash, are classic pub grub prepared with high quality ingredients, while options such as duck breast with a warm apricot, courgette and potato salad move far beyond the repertoire of a bog-standard boozer.

We started with a tempting-sounding veggie deli board (£11), a selection of sundried tomato houmous, pitta bread, olives, spicy feta peppers, breaded courgettes and tomato salsa.

Veggie deli board

The portion size was generous and there were plenty of tidbits to try, with the courgette strips and chilli-infused peppers particulary tasty. As I had envisaged it would be, presentation was immaculate, but ultimately we were all left with a slight sense of style over substance. The pitta bread was all sliced into perfectly-proportioned strips but there wasn't quite enough of it, the sundried tomato houmous tasted a little of pizza base and we weren't really sure what role tomato salsa was meant to play in the whole affair: as a sharing platter goes, it was a bit on the fiddly side, prompting a few 'how do I eat this' dilemmas.

Our main courses hit a much better note. The caesar salad (large £10.75) was indeed large, with plenty of good quality chicken, bacon and anchovies sitting atop a bed of crisp lettuce, although there was a tad too much dressing for A's liking.

Caesar salad

My herb pancakes stuffed with tomato, courgette and ricotta and baked in a red pepper sauce (large £11.75) were available either with or without salmon; I opted for 'with' given the price tag. Although the salmon added substance, I don't think a purely vegetarian dish would have seemed lacklustre given the richness of the other ingredients: in fact, the dish may even have been improved with fewer flavours fighting it out. My only criticism of this hearty dish of comfort food was the slightly soggy bottom of the pancakes: a little too much sauce had been used perhaps. Although nobody likes a soggy bottom, it didn't really spoil my enjoyment of the meal.

Herb pancakes with tomato, courgette & ricotta

S's free-range chicken breast with a tomato, broad bean and pearl barley risotto (£14) was the stand-out main. A simple but effective combination of seasonal ingredients, crispy chicken skin and a healthy helping of the pearl barley risotto (an under-featured menu item) made this dish a success.

As we were clearly having something of a cocoa craving, we all bypassed the summer pudding and lemon posset (the summer 2011 dessert du jour, I've noticed) and opted for the warm flourless chocolate cake (£5.50) served with vanilla ice cream (or salted caramel in the case of S, who asked if they minded switching flavours: they didn't). Beautifully presented again, the cake was a dense, intense hit of chocolate - almost like a brownie. S was less convinced, but the salted caramel ice cream won her round.

Flourless chocolate cake

Even the coffee is beautiful at The Fishes

Over coffee, we pondered the gastro pub issue further. A pub, we all agreed, is somewhere you go for a drink. There's probably some sort of food on offer (sometimes pretty good quality food), but it's unlikely that you'd visit solely to dine. And you definitely wouldn't call to book a table: informality reigns at pubs. At a gastro pub, however, the focus is on food: you go there because you want to eat there. By this definition, The Fishes is most definitely a gastro pub, perhaps erring on the restaurant side of things. Yes, it serves real ales and has an occasional pub quiz, but the majority of customers visit to sample what's on the menu. And given the pretty location and the quality cooking on offer, I can understand why. It may not be exactly to my taste in terms of style, and the bill was definitely on the pricey side for a mid-week dinner, but after a visit I can see why The Fishes enjoys the reputation it does.

The Fishes is in North Hinksey Village, OX2 0NA. Tel: 01865 249796 or book online. Reservations recommended at weekends.

The Rickety Press

Pubs just used to be pubs. Places you'd go in for a drink or two, maybe some unfussy British grub if you were hungry. How things have changed. Popping out for a pie and a pint is a complicated business nowadays. Do you favour a classic old man pub, a tarted up pub with fancy decor, or a pub so gastro it may as well be termed a restaurant? On most nights, you'll find me somewhere in the middle of this complex camp: I like a pub to be a place you can just dive into for a drink rather than somewhere you feel you have to dine to be welcome - and if you do wish to tuck in, you shouldn't have to book in. Some tasteful decor and friendly staff never go amiss, either. Fussy? Nah, not me.

The second Oxford offering from the team behind the successfully transformed Rusty Bicycle, the former Radcliffe Arms in Jericho has emerged from its scampi-and-sports ashes as The Rickety Press. With a smart yet relaxed interior featuring plenty of tastefully arranged books, navy and cream walls and a light-filled conservatory with fresh flowers on wooden tables, The Rickety Press falls on the gastro side of things, but is still very much a pub. So far, so up my street. Opened in May, there isn't yet a wine list, but staff happily talked us through the wines on offer, and the choice of real ales and cider was enough to satisfy all of our party. Thirst quenched, it was time for some sustenance.

Making our way into the conservatory, four menus were quickly rustled up. With a seasonal, daily changing menu featuring the best of British produce, The Rickety Press has its finger very much on the gastro pulse. On our visit, there were 5 starters and 6 mains on offer - just enough choice, but no difficult decision-making. In a nod to summer, I opted for gazpacho (£5) followed by the vegetarian main option, a less seasonal-sounding squash, feta, spinach and pine nut pithivier (pastry) with cauliflower puree (£11).

Starters arrived promptly and were dispatched with speedily: G's ham hock and pea salad with tarragon dressing, topped with a perfectly-cooked poached egg (£5) was a hit, with the oozing egg and the light-tasting dressing receiving particular praise. B (who I must point out has rather exacting standards) opted for the confit duck salad with mango and pomegranate (£6), a beautifully-presented summery starter. Receiving an almost record-setting 8.5 out of 10 from B, the smokiness of the duck contrasted excellently with the sweetness of the fruit, and the spring onions and herbs added to the fresh taste combination. My gazpacho (served with fresh bread) was also fresh tasting and light, with a slightly spicy aftertaste, but I have to say that it paled in comparison with the gazpacho I sampled in Seville last month. Made by a friend's mum and served from a plastic bottle, its presentation was decidedly less elegant than the Rickety Press version, but its flavour was spot on. The pub kitchen isn't fortunate enough to benefit from the help of Pedro's mother, but their interpretation was tasty nonetheless, if a bit thicker than the classic Spanish soup.

Ham hock salad

Confit duck salad

Gazpacho

If the ham hock salad was well-received, G's main course of baked lemon sole fillets with new potatoes, brown shrimps and watercress (£13) was the culinary equivalent of Pippa Middleton: a surprise hit. As he pointed out, it's not exactly easy to make a stand-out dish out of fish, but The Rickety Press pulled it off - I should know, I couldn't resist having a nibble after G slipped into sole-induced rapture. Lightly breaded with a slightly crispy topping, the flaky fish was perfectly cooked and almost melted in the mouth, its buttery sauce adding a creamy touch without being at all heavy.

Lemon sole fillets - 10/10

Having passed on a starter, N tucked into the Rickety burger (£11), topped with cheddar and onion relish and served in a homemade seeded bun. It also came with sides of string chips and a dressed rocket and radish salad. N's not exactly an unfussy lady either, but she rated the burger an impressive 9: cooked medium as requested, the meat was excellent quality, well-complemented by the rich taste of the cheese and the homemade relish - just sweet enough but not overpowering. The string chips weren't remotely stringy; they were crisp, golden and a bit too popular with the rest of the table.

Rickety burger & string chips

B's chicken, leek and mushroom pie (£11) tasted 'properly homemade, like something your mum would make' (a generic mum rather than mine specifically, her forte is potatoes), with good quality chunks of chicken 'rather than old scraggly bits' (although she later found a small amount of gristle, she would like me to point out). The sprouting broccoli looked more green than purple, but was tasty nonetheless, and the mash also received high praise - no lumps here.

Chicken, leek and mushroom pie

My pithivier may not have looked like the most exciting dish of the bunch, but the dome of homemade puff pastry was filled with a beautiful combination of summery flavours. The classic pairing of creamy feta and spinach worked perfectly with the appetite-satisfying butternut squash.

Squash, feta & pine nut pithivier

In the name of research, N and I managed to find space for a chocolate fondant served with homemade vanilla ice cream (£5). Our admirable effort was rewarded: it was delicious, a puddle of dark melted chocolate oozing out of the spongy centre. I'm not ashamed to admit I almost fought N for the last bite.

With a laid-back, friendly atmosphere, young and helpful staff and a strong, well-priced menu, The Rickety Press deserves to be a success. The restaurant quality food was some of the best I've had in a while, but there's none of the pretension that sometimes accompanies the gastro tag. This is definitely still a pub. Let's hope it stays that way.

Rating: 9

The Rickety Press is at 67 Cranham Street, Jericho, OX2 6DS. Tel: 01865 424581.

The Magdalen Arms

If you live in Oxford, you'll have heard of the Magdalen Arms. If you're interested in food, you'll no doubt have heard the story of how Florence Fowler and Tony Abaro of London's Anchor & Hope transformed a formerly dingy drinking den into what Guardian critic Matthew Norman labelled 'one of the finest gastropubs in the country'.

High praise indeed. With such grand claims to live up to, punters arrive at the Magdalen Arms with high hopes; expecting to tuck into the best meal they've ever had in the supposed culinary wasteland of Oxford. And with a menu of seasonal and largely locally-sourced dishes that changes twice a day (yes, twice: there are some differences between the lunch and evening menus) from an acclaimed chef and his team, you can understand why. In recent months, however, it seems that a fair number of diners have disagreed with Mr Norman's assessment: for almost every online review waxing lyrical about the guinea fowl, there's another bemoaning the slow and sometimes surly service or the cost of dining there. Which camp was I going to fall into, I wondered?

I must confess that this wasn't my first visit to the Magdalen Arms. After popping in for a drink on a few occasions (house wine is just £3.15), I dined there one evening in January. As a pescetarian, I was disappointed to see that there was only one vegetarian and one fish dish on the menu; a rare sight in the UK these days. The fish was mackerel, which I don't like, so by default I had the vegetarian option, which was pasta. It was pretty tasty pasta, but being of the 'why order something you could make at home' school of thought, I wasn't thrilled at paying £11.80 for the pleasure.

On this visit, there was once again one fish and one vegetarian dish among the eight main courses. And again, the vegetarian was pasta - a pretty lazy meat-free option, if you ask me. The seven starters were slightly more balanced, with asparagus and pea soup (£5) and new season's beetroot and horseradish salad (£5.80) nestling among another appearance from my mate mackerel and meaty treats such as pork and rabbit rillettes served with cornichons and toast  (£5.60). I wasn't inspired and they'd run out of the chicken liver parfait that D & N wanted by our 8.30 booking, so we skipped ahead to the mains.

Half of the mains are individual dishes, half are to share. Ranging in price from £35 for the Hereford steak and ale pie for three to share to £70 for slow cooked local lamb shoulder for four or five to share, these jumbo portions certainly make good business sense, but unless you and your dining companions have similar tastes and significant appetites, you're left with a restricted menu. Not wanting to review the Magdalen Arms based on another pasta dish (tagliatelle with aubergine, capers and parmesan, in case you wondered), I asked if the roast pollock with chorizo, potatoes and aioli could be made without the chorizo: it could. D & N both chose baked Gressingham duck leg with bacon, carrots and turnips, and we ordered a dish of spring greens (£3) to share.

The forty minute wait gave us time to polish off the home-made sourdough bread basket provided on the table: tasty, but salty. We also noted with raised eyebrows that it's not just the vegetables that carry a £3 price tag: while the first portion of bread is free, a second one will set you back the same amount. Bread devoured, we had ample time to cast our eyes over the other diners in the red-walled, 'shabby chic' dining room ('this chair looks like one of my grandmother's', observed D). A mixture of couples, families and groups, our fellow punters seemed to be enjoying the sharing dishes (a definite bonding experience for the couple on a date next to us), but we spotted one customer's plate of braised beef going back to the kitchen almost untouched.

After an apology from our friendly waiter, our dishes arrived. The duck was well-presented and just fell off the bone, so I'm told - N praised it highly, while D was more reserved in his judgement. 'It's almost the perfect dish. The texture's right, the consistency... but it's too salty. It irritates me'. Ah, when a pesky salt cellar stands in the way of perfection.

Baked Gressingham duck leg - excuse shocking camera phone photography

The chefs are clearly fans of sodium chloride, as my pollock also had a definite tang. The portion of fish could have been more generous, but its taste made up for its medium size: meltingly soft, flaky, delicious. The new potatoes were buttery and an excellent complement; the aioli gorgeously garlicky, and some unexpected salad leaves were a nice touch. After our moan about the price of the spring greens, they were served in a generous portion and tasty enough to quiet our complaints.

Roast pollock without chorizo but with new potatoes & aioli

Guided through the desserts (6 and a cheese selection) by our waiter, we plumped for a cherry and almond tart served with homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate and hazelnut cake with creme fraiche, and a baked vanilla cheesecake with strawberries (£5 each).

Cherry and almond tart

The cherry and almond tart was the star: the bottom layer was rich and slightly sticky, adding moisture to a beautifully flavoured slice of delight. The ice cream was also excellent and would be well worth ordering on its own: far from synthetic, it actually tasted of vanilla.

Baked cheesecake

The other two desserts divided opinions, with N labelling the cheesecake 'thick' and D and I disagreeing - as a baked cheesecake, it's expected to be dense. The chocolate and hazelnut cake was nutty yet flaky, but I felt its rich flavour was slightly (and unexpectedly) overpowered by the creme fraiche. Weak points aside, I'd order them all again. Especially that tart. We almost had a plate-licking situation.

Chocolate and hazelnut cake

The bill came in at £72.70 for two courses each, one side dish and a bottle of wine. It's certainly not a budget-busting bill, but nor is it the usual tab for a Wednesday night, even in a gastro pub. The pricing of the Magdalen Arms' menu makes it treat territory rather than an ordinary meal out. As we paid, we debated its value: although we all agreed that our meals were of a high standard, we agreed that a reduction in cost would make us more likely to return, but understandably good quality local produce doesn't come cheap. It's not quite worth the hype: yes, the food is very good (if on the salty side), the use of local meat and vegetables is commendable, as is the fact that everything is homemade with care. But perhaps Mr Norman ultimately didn't do the Magdalen Arms any favours with his lavish praise: there's now a slight sense of importance about the place. The limited vegetarian and fish options are a personal stumbling block for me: surely 2 fish dishes or the occasional includion of another vegetarian choice isn't too much to ask? And while the daily changing menu is a selling point for some, it makes life more difficult for those with specific dietary requirements as the menus aren't available online. Imagine the potential for disappointment on securing a coveted table only to find that you can't actually eat anything. But if you're a flesh fan, none of this is an issue: you have the run of the menu.

Verdict: a much considered and debated 7.5. Go, but go with an open mind and rein in those expectations.


The Magdalen Arms is at 243 Iffley Road. Closed all day Monday and Tuesday lunchtime. Reservations recommended. Tel: 01865 243159.

The Red Lion

In Oxford's pre-Wetherspoons days, The Red Lion was a rough and ready boozer called The Goose with such tempting offers as 4 bottles of Reef for £5. So when I heard it had undergone a facelift so extreme that it would make Liza Minnelli proud and turned into a gastro pub, I had to check it out.

The makeover rumours were true: the faded sofas and grubby floors are long gone, replaced by stylish light wood furnishings and soft lighting. The initial impression is of a slick modern restaurant rather than a pub, and although The Red Lion has kept a lounge bar area, it's clearly aiming primarily at diners rather than drinkers these days. With an extensive and varied menu (and wine list too, for that matter, with reds and whites sub-divided into Mediterranean and World categories), there's far more on offer than the usual pub fare.

While classics such as burgers and fish and chips will keep the traditionalists happy, The Red Lion also offers creative pastas (such as strozzapreti with goat's cheese, tomato and spinach, £10.25) and stonebaked pizzas (including crispy duck, £10.45), as well as an extensive 'spit roast/stove' section which should keep even the most die-hard carnivore happy. Meaty choices range from spit-roast chicken (£12.45) to ribeye steak cooked in smoken paprika butter and served with watercress and chips (£16.45). Beefing up the menu even further are continental-style sharing plates and a selection of modern European starters, such as arancini risotto balls with peas, mint and feta (£5.95). As if all this wasn't enough, there's also a list of chef's recommendations on each table, which we unfortunately only spotted after ordering. The swanky-sounding dishes (3 starters and 3 mains) were a little fancier than those on the menu but around the same price, so it's definitely worth checking them out. On our visit, options included confit duck leg served on caramelised white cabbage with black cherry sauce (£13.95).

I finally opted for the blackened cod fillet served on a bed of egg noodles and pak choi, with mango and chilli salsa (£14.95). The generously-sized fillet was beautifully presented and delicately spiced, with the mango chunks adding an interesting complementary flavour. Filling but fresh-tasting and light, it's an ideal spring dish. The pak choi made a pretty minimal contribution and I did feel the price was a little high, but the quality of the flaky fish almost justified the mark up.

Blackened cod fillet

A's classic burger (£10.95), served up on a rustic wooden board, was served in a wholesome-looking sunflower seed-topped bun with a side dish of fries. Well-cooked and tasty, the addition of a hefty portion of salad may have contributed to A's 5 a day, but it also contributed to lowering the burger's temperature and made for some slightly unwieldy eating.

Classic burger

S chose a stonebaked margherita pizza, good value at £7.95. Topped with plenty of mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, it was a well-executed version of the quintessential pizza.

Margherita pizza

The dessert menu features a number of modern British classic puddings, such as brownie and ice cream, treacle tart and Eton mess (from £4.75). We opted for a sticky toffee pudding (average, made less of an impression than the creamy vanilla ice cream it was topped with) and an Eton mess (delicious, with slightly sticky homemade meringue that was just the right side of sweet), but as the lunchtime rush had begun, we had to wait over 20 minutes for our desserts to arrive.

Eton Mess

Located near Gloucester Green in central Oxford, The Red Lion is ideally located for a mid-shopping lunch break or a pre-drinks dinner. Opened just over a month ago, it already seems like a popular place, and with a wide-ranging menu of good quality, beautifully-presented modern dishes, I can understand why. It didn't entirely set my palate on fire, but it's definitely a welcome addition to Oxford's dining scene and a much-needed alternative to the multitude of chain Italian restaurants on George Street.

Verdict: 6/10

The Red Lion is at 14 Gloucester Street, Oxford. Tel: 01865 726255.