The Weekly

Various

Each week I find myself in various pubs, bars, and restaurants that for reasons of time, company, or phone signal I can't flag or comment on. This is an attempt to give those places some recognition.

The Victoria - Jericho, Oxford - full review

My number one choice in Oxford. Everything thought through perfectly and staff brilliantly trained. Ales served in your choice of straight glass or tankard, lager served in an chilled glass. Large garden at the back and small sun-trap at the front. Whatever you do, buy a pie.

The Bear Inn  - Central Oxford - full review

A classic Oxford tourist trap - low ceilings, few seats, and eccentric collection of tie cuttings. A Fuller's pub, so guaranteed a nice pint of London Pride, but also serves ale from Shotover Brewery. The staff here can be quite slow, so on a Friday afternoon expect a long wait.

Chiang Mai - Central Oxford

An overrated thai restaurant which offers better than average food, but nothing you couldn't make yourself with a pot of Thai Taste. Definitely visit if you're touring the interesting architecture of Oxford - visit SoJo or Edamame if you want something Asian and far better.

Barburrito - Paddington Station, London - full review

I usually arrive in to Paddington at dinner time, so this has become a regular haunt. That said, it's not quite as good as The Mission or Benito's Hat. It offers some very strange additions to the usual burrito (mushrooms?) and seats are at a premium.

St. Aldates Tavern - Oxford

Drinks after work are a political business. The venue, the permitted guests, the timing - attempting to change any of these variables can have mass implications for your 'standing' at work.

Last week, an attempt was made to move from the cosy back-room seats at The Bear Inn to the newly opened St. Aldates Tavern approximately 200 metres away. The justification? Although great in the summer, The Bear has a lack of seating on a Friday post-6.00pm. Simple enough, but a cause for concern amongst many of the regulars who gazed with a mixture of fear and bewilderment at the new establishment.

The result? A success for some, disappointment for others. I was in the former camp, enjoying the Tavern's space, clean feel, hustle and bustle atmosphere, and choice of beers. I opted for The White Horse Brewery Bitter (3.7%). Disappointment stemmed from the overzealous use of the heating and the lack of ketchup for chips - seemingly trivial, but clearly important factors for some.

We may be back next Friday...

The Bear Inn - Oxford

I once ordered a pint of Fuller's London Pride (4.1%) in a New York bar. When presented with some 50 different beers to choose from, and suffering from mild jet-lag, I stuck to what I knew.

Bland brand beer owes it's existence to this phenomenon. People stick to what they know in unfamiliar situations, but also to remove the danger of the unknown - the disappointment of a bad taste or the social stigma from ordering something different. On the same visit to New York, I avoided the Guinness in an Irish bar, only to be served a pint of Blue Moon (5.4%) complete with orange segment. Not the done thing.

When it comes to the post-work drink the same theory applies. There are pubs galore in Oxford: riverside pubs (The Head of the River), suburban pubs (The Victoria), small cosy pubs (The White Horse), and even a vegetarian pub (The Gardners Arm). Over a year's worth of Fridays I could visit every pub in Oxford. But I don't. For the sake of proximity, I choose The Bear Inn - every time.

It's a charming pub. One of Oxford's oldest, it sits aside the historic Christ Church College, just off the High Street. Adorned with cuts from old college ties (a form of payment many years ago, apparently) and featuring an extremely low ceilings, this place attracts the tourists during the day and the office workers in the evening. Consequently, a seat is rare, and when I recently stepped in to find Bill Clinton and his entourage in residence, they were even rarer. The beer on tap is limited to Fuller's, plus one seasonal ale. Of course, I stick to what I know - Fuller's London Pride (4.1%) .

If you're crawling the streets of Oxford, this pub should be in the top 10. If it's raining, don't expect a seat.