Oxfork - Magdalen Road, Oxford

‘Blimey,” my friend said as he tucked into the spread in front of him, “this is delicious”. Why he was surprised I have no idea because The Turl Street Kitchen is always top notch. But perhaps it was because the premise of the night was somewhat unusual.

It’s a long, complicated story with a happy ending, so bear with me. In a nutshell, Oxfork, the lovely, trendy cafe on Magdalen Road, East Oxford, famous for its brunch, has been taken over by Turl Street Kitchen after its owners moved on to open a new pub (The Chester) and have a baby, respectively.

Turl Street Kitchen, a big fan of the outfit, decided to carry on the good work by day and open pop-up nights at the weekends.

We were therefore on hand to witness the trial run to see if the Oxfork pop-up had legs, the evening in question being held to showcase the sort of food we could expect every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night from now on, produced by Oxfork’s new head chef Ben Gibbons.

Embracing the now common theme of sharing plates, the menu offered 11 savoury options, and as there were four of us, we decided to save ourselves the anguish and order them all, no dish costing more than £6, some as little as £3. Enjoying a bottle of wine and the usual appetite suppressants of bread and olives we waited to see what was in store. A feast was the quick answer, but to give you a bit more to work with I’ll expand because we were as mystified about the experience as the next person.

Everything arrives at once, so it’s a bit like eating a Chinese, meaning you all pick and try a bit of everything, but what was apparent almost immediately was the fine and imaginative mind busying away in the kitchen. Although purposefully small, each dish was exquisitely cooked.

The local peppers, tomatoes and beans (£4) for example, sounded innocuous enough but the subtle spicing and fresh herbs, meant it was more of an eastern salsa than a vegetable dish, and we got through three of them in total. The wonderful potted smoked mackerel with toast (£4.50) had two strikes by its name on the bill, as did the middle white pork belly with sticky apple glaze (£5.50), a glistening, wobbling tease of a cube of pork if I’ve ever seen one, whose taste fulfilled any piggy fantasies you’ve ever had — Kermit would have had a field day.

The steamed Cornish mussels in Cotswold cider and bacon jam (£6) vanished at Mr Greedy’s end, meaning no one else got a look in, and the slither of pigeon met a similar fate at the other, presented as it was with damson, bacon and rocket (£5).

The caramelized onion and Oxford blue muffins (£3) were a little strange but more than made up for by the squash, roasted garlic and Westcombe cheddar gratin (£5.50) whose oily depths were a lovely accompaniment, the chicken in beer with bay and garlic (£6), the moreish Westcombe cheddar and thyme croquettes (£3) and the crispy fried rabbit shoulder, leg and loin with aioli (£6).

In fact the only dish that didn’t tie in as such, was the chilled cultivated beetroot soup with horseradish (£3.50), which was tiny and delicious, shared with teaspoons at the beginning.

In fact so good was Ben’s selection that we immediately ordered several more of our favourite dishes, the fighting to get the last forkful taking on Herculean proportions.

Slouching back in our seats once the orgy of eating was over, we realised that greed had got the better of us, lust triumphing over reason. “Pudding?” our waitress asked, “they’re only tiny,” she added understandingly as if our munching fest was quite usual, and we mutely nodded, heads lolling, wondering how on earth we would manage to walk home, or whether there was a stairlift out of the building.

Luckily the sweet titbits, all £2, were just the right side of nibbly; tiny toffee crab apples on sticks like lollipops, bacon and syrup nougat, chocolate fudge brownie, so more like a petit four than full-on puddings, a naughty treat at the end rather than an ordeal.

And, afterwards, as we sloped off home, we all agreed that Oxfork was lucky to have such an original and keen team on board to host its new pop-up format, because this is a whole new way of serving food, and its fun.

Food is moving on.

Oxfork
39 Magdalen Road, Oxford, OX4 1RB 
01865 243280
oxfork.co.uk

* Opening times: Daytime cafe 8am–5pm. 6-10pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
* Parking: Tricky but possible. Easier to get a bus down the Iffley or Cowley Road.
* Key personnel: Head chef Ben Gibbons and Clare Wells is manager.
* Make sure you try the... We had everything, and as the menu changes every weekend, I’d advise you to be adventurous.
* In ten words:  A great idea, brilliantly executed and something new to try.