Reviews

Becca – August 2014

The Varsity Club Oxford recently opened it’s rooftop terrace serving drinks and nibbles to great acclaim, including from us. So we were keen to go and experience it in a more normal cafe situation rather than sipping Pimms under a glorious sunset.

11.30am on a Tuesday saw us climbing that first set of wooden stairs to the first floor where we were welcomed by the sight of a waitress sweeping the floor. Surprising to see housekeeping still taking place considering the venue had already been open for half an hour. We requested coffee and cake, were given the option of Victoria sandwich or lemon drizzle and opted for a slice of each along with a latte and an espresso.

Minor irritating details such as no sugar on the table and a lack of napkins with the cake can be an oversight but still a failing. Coffee was good, the Maryland cookie adorning the saucer was a bit odd! That was nothing compared to the mild shock we received when our slivers of cake arrived…

Firstly, they arrived on a saucer! A quick glance resulted in an immediate flash of recognition as these cakes looked remarkably similar to those available for purchase in supermarkets, even down to the paper creases on the bottom! We use these cakes quite often in our staff meetings and I would take a lot of convincing to believe that these were not from a particular local supermarket, based on looks, flavour and decoration.

Quite frankly, this is a big disappointment for somewhere we all had high hopes for. Being charged £7.40 for two coffees and a supermarket slice just isn’t acceptable. By all means go to to the Varsity Club but for the time being, stick to that roof terrace and a jug of Pimms.