A recent documentary by environmentalist and animal rights campaigner Gary Yourofsky had a profound effect on its millions of viewers, the majority young, and keen to make a difference. My son was one, and he, and most of his sixth form, gave up eating meat on the same day.

He has remained vegetarian ever since, and one of the many aware that it is currently World Vegetarian Month.

For ardent meat-eaters however, it is harder to acclimatize. Not so at GAF.

GAF on Magdalen Road, if you hadn’t heard, used to be Oxfork, situated in the little foodie mecca alongside Oli’s Thai, The Magdalen Arms and the Rusty Bicycle.

Oxfork was a wonderfully relaxed brunch style café, then sold on to The Turl Street Kitchen, while the original owner Drew Brammer opened up The Chester. But things didn’t work out at Oxfork, so Drew has recently bought it back, and re-opened as something else entirely, a predominantly vegetarian restaurant where small plates rule.

A novel concept and well suited to Cowley Road where nations may jostle for restaurant space and customers, all offering vegetarian food, but none exclusively.

GAF was also the perfect place to take my son and offer him an alternative to his staple diet of pasta, give him something to aspire to.

What I wasn’t prepared for, was that I would enjoy it as much, if not more, than he did.

Why? First it was the element of surprise. Although GAF hates the term ‘tapas’, you can order as many dishes from the menu as you want, arriving as and when, as an endless succession of delicacies ranging from £5-£7.

Unsurprisingly then we rather went to town, heady with enthusiasm, overwhelmed with choice for once, even the drinks proving tricky – blackberry or rhubarb juice?

The rustic interior has been smartened up, but the same upstairs, downstairs, mezzanine levels apply.

With both brunch and lunch to choose from on the ever changing menu, and the odd meat offering for the trepidatious, we started with the buttermilk pancakes (£7.50) opting for the fig, rocket and goat’s cheese with drizzled honey from the three types on offer, which were as delicious as they sounded - the soft bounce of the pancake offset by the smooth sweetness of the honey, the peppery rocket, sharp cheese and exotic nature of the fig, leading you off to some hot dusty heat drenched country. Then a smoked beetroot salad (£5) GAF's take on a Waldorf, using pea shoots, Oxford blue cheese, sticky walnuts, poached apples, celery and flowers, and moreish beyond belief.

The barbecued mango was another delicate, fragrant, dainty creation with a strong tropical taste at its heart. We also ordered a portion of smashed avocado with pickled chilli and puffed quinoa (£7) which is prevalent everywhere now but served at GAF as tiny bruschettas. The tomato gazpacho with pumpkin seeds and sourdough (£5)was another highlight, the late summer broth speaking volumes for the seasonal ingredients used in the cold broth, and lastly, and perhaps, my favourite the carpaccio of courgettes (£6.50) which arrived pretty as a picture, framed with sheep's curd, fresh shelled peas, pine nuts and rocket, and decorated with borage flowers, which was so clean tasting it hurt.

There is a painstaking, inspired, passionate and determined hand in the kitchen at GAF in the form of Dave Komye, creating food that at times seems a shame to eat, but is at complex and innovative as it is healthy. But more than that- it's a really special place that Oxford should be proud of.

Two tiny plates of puddings, somehow more justifiable, one a raspberry posset white chocolate pistachio and tarragon, the other a bitter chocolate mousse, with chantilly cream, a hazelnut and cocoa crumb and fresh horseradish, tailing off our magnificent and humble meal perfectly.

And just when I thought GAF couldn’t get any better, I discovered that they have nabbed my favourite cocktail waiter Ben Humberstone from The Randolph who is now matching his cocktails to the dishes served every evening, all for the new dinner menu, which caters for carnivores and pescetarians alike.

Not that GAF has helped the cause much, because with food like that, my son will stay happily vegetarian for evermore. I just hope he doesn’t expect the same treatment at home.

GAF

39 Magdalen Road

Oxford

01865 243280

9am - 22:30 Wed-Sat

Sun-Tues, 9am- 5pm

George Harwood-Dallyn