The Oxford Restaurant: Whitstable, UK
For our final meal in Whitstable, we decided to visit the Oxford Restaurant for a bit of Sunday lunch before getting our train back to London. Waking up on a fairly miserable, rainy morning, we were very pleased with our decision as the restaurant was only a stone's throw from our cottage. As a result, we were able to lounge around by the fire before braving the elements in search of sustenance.
While the Oxford Restaurant also employs a blackboard menu, the ambiance was decidedly more modern than Birdies from the night before. The dishes all represented the "modern British" approach to food and the restaurant itself followed suit with a comfortable, yet minimalist design. As we had skipped breakfast, we rocked up just after opening and therefore had the place completely to ourselves for most of the meal.
My starter was the cream of white onion soup with parsnip crisps and truffle oil and it certainly did not disappoint. As a long time fan of French onion soup, I had reservations when ordering this British version but found it was completely different in taste and texture and therefore I didn't feel it was really even possible to compare the two. The parsnip crips were a really nice addition as well and I was left wishing the bowl had been deeper...
Honestly, we should have known we were in for an amazing meal as soon as we took our first bites of the starters! Matt's starter was a beef shin risotto and how incredible does it look? It was rich and full of texture - easily avoiding the mushiness you sometimes find with risotto dishes. This might have been my favorite dish of the day... so once again, Matt's ordering was spot on and even though my choices were seriously tasty, I was very envious.
For our mains, we chose both of the roast options in honor of it being Sunday lunch after all. Matt chose the roast chicken with bacon, chestnuts and a celeriac remoulade. I think the best part of this dish was the bacon and chestnut hash scattered around the plate - those two ingredients are such a tasty addition to any meal!
For my main, I chose the roast pork belly with brambly apple sauce and I couldn't fault it in any way. The pork was perfectly cooked and the veggies were really nicely roasted. Also, I was particularly pleased that both of our mains came with a Yorkshire pudding to sop up all the lovely gravy.
Finally, we decided to limit our gluttony by sharing a dessert: sticky toffee pudding. As Matt can attest, this is my absolute favorite dessert. This version was slightly different to the usual as they had pureed the dates so that you were left with an even more rich and moist sponge. This was served with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and a chocolate crisp. So decadent and so, so delicious.
The Oxford Restaurant was the best meal I've had in ages and if you're in Whitstable, you absolutely must go!!
