Review: The Oxford Blue

I was recently invited to the Oxford Blue, which coincided with a group of old school friends visiting, and with one of them being vegan, it felt like the perfect opportunity to try out the fully plant based menu. We arrived and it was very busy, after a pretty quiet and slightly depressing drizzly January, it was SO nice to walk into a pub with a real buzz, and packed tables.

We decided to share a mix of starters and mains to get a real experience of the menu. The Antipasto Pizza was a winner: the dough was super fluffy and bouncy, the pesto drizzled over nicely, and the sweet onion gave it just the right touch of sweetness. The Salsiccia Pizza impressed too – the broccoli was fresh, zesty, and perfectly seasoned. We weren’t as enthused about the Green Pesto Pasta. It felt a bit flat and needed a little extra pizzazz – perhaps some crispy chilli oil or fried tofu would’ve taken it up a notch.

We were mega intrigued by the bangers and mash so ordered that too, a comfort classic. The buttery mash and rich gravy really stole the show there. The poutine fries were solid, though could’ve used a bit more gravy and fully melted cheese. The veggies were next-level: the cabbage dish was smoky, zesty, and crunchy; the glazed carrots caramelly but not too sweet, with a satisfying crunch that made we want to eat the lot.

We couldn’t say no to dessert, which was a choice of two cookie skillets. So obviously we ordered both. One was a Biscoff blondie, and the other chocolate with raspberry. The raspberry cutting through the chocolate was divine. Just wish we’d ordered another one. To top it off, cocktails arrived with dessert, and the espresso martinis were the size of our heads – generous, but dangerous!

Veganism is baked in effortlessly here.

It’s not performative or shouting “look at our vegan menu!!”, none of the ‘cheeze’ or ‘chkn’ on the menu, they use normal dish titles, and it’s just genuinely delicious for everyone.

We left planning our return – next stop, their Sunday roast!