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The Duke of Monmouth, Abingdon Road

1:26pm Wednesday 10th March 2010

At a time when so many of our public houses are being transformed into residential properties – and quite often into a number of residential properties – it is interesting to note that in former times the opposite process sometimes occurred. An obvious example is The Boundary House on the outskirts of Abingdon, which used to be the home of Cecil Kimber, inventor of the MG sports car; a second transformation affected a former doctor’s house in Abingdon Road, Oxford, which became The Duke of Monmouth.

The Duke's Cut, Park End Street, oxford

6:50am Thursday 25th February 2010

‘The Duke’s Cut’ sounds less like the name of a pub than a statement of fact, to which a suitable response might be “Oh, not again!”, “What’s he been on this time?” or “The duchess looks a bit squiffy too”. But it is the name of a pub, albeit a new one: it has been applied by owner James Knox to a hostelry in Oxford’s Park End Street which was happy to be known for most of its existence as The Queen’s Arms.

The Bell at Langford

3:46pm Wednesday 17th February 2010

A sure sign of old age – I used to think when I was young – is the urge to take off into the country for a weekend drive.

Fire & Stone, George Street, Oxford

3:21pm Wednesday 10th February 2010

The queue outside Jamie’s Italian seems much shorter, and often non-existent, since the opening a couple of months ago of Fire & Stone in the former Old Orleans premises just opposite.

The Hollybush, Corn Street, Witney

3:27pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010

When I was chuntering last week about the many peculiar omissions of the 2010 Michelin Guide, I partly had in mind the situation in Witney.

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The Magdalen Arms, Iffley Road, Oxford

3:57pm Wednesday 27th January 2010

Excellent reports have been reaching me for a couple of months concerning the revamped Magdalen Arms, in Iffley Road, and the superb quality of its food.

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James Figg: Thame

10:47am Thursday 14th January 2010

During my 36 years as an Oxfordshire resident, the name and fame of pugilist James Figg had until last month utterly passed me by. Perhaps, this is not surprising since his heyday in the ring was nearly 300 years ago. Between 1719-30 he was undisputed British champion prize-fighter, the Henry Cooper of his day. And his success reflected credit on Thame, where the early part of his life was spent.

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Cockadoo Bar and Restaurant, Nuneham Courtenay

3:29pm Wednesday 6th January 2010

The swanky good looks of the decor at Cockadoo Bar and Restaurant and the matching visual appeal of the food served there are instantly apparent from Jon Lewis’s photographs. This is surely one of the most colourful pages we have presented to readers of this column.

The Ashmolean Dining Room

3:29pm Wednesday 16th December 2009

Not least among the many glories of Oxford’s superbly renovated Ashmolean Museum is the splendid restaurant that has been created on its top floor. With wide picture windows on two sides, it commands stunning views over the city; there’s plenty to gawp at inside, too, if like me you consider an important part of the eating-out experience comes from observing the foibles of one’s fellow diners.

The Bear and Ragged Staff, Cumnor

5:40pm Wednesday 2nd December 2009

I resolved to eat again at the Bear and Ragged Staff in Cumnor, after much too long away, after reading – indeed, sub-editing – a report a couple of months back by my colleague Helen Peacocke on the excellencies of the kitchen under its cheerily named young chef, Rebecca Joy.

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Trinity, Bicester

3:46pm Wednesday 25th November 2009

The photographs on this page say all that is necessary concerning the attractive appearance, both inside and out, of Bicester’s new Trinity restaurant. Well, perhaps not quite all.

The Manor Restaurant, Waddesdon Manor

10:34am Wednesday 18th November 2009

The children's author (and Christ Church mathematician) Lewis Carroll might justly be described as the inspiration for a certain style of wine writing.

The Queen's Arms Hotel, East Garston

1:38pm Wednesday 4th November 2009

If it is the case, as Anthony Powell puts it in the title of the tenth novel in his Dance to the Music of Time sequence, that ‘Books Do Furnish a Room’, then the maxim can be seen to apply just as well to bars and restaurants.

Arbat Russian restaurant, Cowley Road, Oxford

12:50pm Wednesday 21st October 2009

My experience of Russian cooking is not extensive, and the meal I ate last week at Oxford’s only Russian restaurant did not convince me that it ought to be much further expanded. On the other hand, the evening we spent at Arbat, in Cowley Road, proved such an entertaining one that I think I would be unfair on myself if I were to resist the temptation of a return visit. Apart from anything else, there are vodkas still to taste, though I doubt we should find such entertaining tutors in their consumption as those we encountered at our first dinner.

The Longwall, Oxford Business Park, Cowley

4:36pm Wednesday 14th October 2009

This year sees the 35th anniversary of the Beefeater chain, which some might think to be more a cause for commiseration than celebration. Myself, I have always considered Beefeaters to be restaurants for people who don’t like restaurants, or at any rate are put off, possibly intimidated, by them. No chance at a Beefeater of being baffled by the contents of the menu or put in ones place by a snooty waiter or sommelier.

Michel at the George, Oxford

9:59am Thursday 8th October 2009

Acar alarm that went off in the night (and again the following morning) led directly to my first visit to Michel at the George. Handily adjacent to Motorworld in Botley Road, the pub was the obvious place for a cup of coffee while the pesky vehicle was attended to. Readers who know about such things will now have me marked down — correctly — as a Volvo driver. On the evidence of what I saw on Sunday afternoon, as thousands of Oxford students returned from their summer break, this would appear to qualify me to be the father of an undergraduate. “Parents must own Volvo” appears almost to be an Oxford entry requirement to judge by how many of these cars were stacked outside the college lodges.

The Kingswell, Harwell

4:50pm Wednesday 30th September 2009

I see from our files at Newspaper House that more than ten years have passed since I last reviewed The Kingswell, a justly popular restaurant – actually, a hotel – on the outskirts of Harwell, where the Reading Road prepares to cross above the A34. Returning there a couple of weeks ago, I was delighted to find everything just as I remembered it – including friendly and charming service, and an appealing range of well-presented dishes, all served in portions generous enough to satisfy the most shameless trencherperson.

The Fleece, Witney

3:30pm Wednesday 23rd September 2009

Christopher Gray reports on a fine birthday dinner at The Fleece in Witney

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