NOT many restaurants bounce back after being slated by The Times’s star reviewer Giles Coren.

But the Oxford Kitchen said staff “will not miss” the celebrity after being named the best restaurant in the south of England.

The Banbury Road restaurant, which took over the former Florio’s in January, beat six other restaurants to the top spot in the Food Awards 2014.

Restaurant manager Tom Wood said: “It’s absolutely brilliant – we didn’t expect it at all.”

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After a glowing review from the Oxford Mail’s Katherine MacAlister, Mr Coren visited the modern British restaurant in March.

But a manic Saturday afternoon meal with four children left him less than impressed, and he did not hold back in his review.

Mr Coren said the restaurant served “stupid rectangular plates from Loyd Grossman-era MasterChef, covered in lukewarm rhomboids of protein and a load of indelicate smears.”

He added: “We arrived there at 12.45 and at 1.43 they brought the children’s food. Well, three of the children’s food.

“They left one of them to wait another quarter of an hour, which is really excellent child management, don’t you think?”

Mr Wood said: “That was a hard day when he was here and when we read his review, it was an all-round disappointment.

“We were very new then and very busy and things just didn’t go to plan, it was a bit of a disaster. Since then we have been keeping an eye on what people have been saying about us and we’re confident that we’re heading in the right direction. I’m sure Coren won’t come here again but we won’t exactly miss him.”

To secure the title of best restaurant, judges read online reviews and sent a secret diner to experience the food first-hand.

Mr Wood, who collected the award at a ceremony in Manchester on Monday, said: “The Food Awards are known for mixing up older restaurants and newer places, but it was a great surprise.

“This is a great achievement for all of us, it recognises all of our hard work in the last 10 months.

“Everyone who works here has worked so hard in the last year.”

As well as boosting staff morale, Mr Wood hopes the restaurant’s victory will bring in new customers.

He said: “We have a really busy December coming up anyway, but we’re hoping to see an uptake in trade. We’re hoping the word will spread.

“It’s an exciting boost.”

Mr Coren said he was “very pleased” about the restaurant’s award but he did not wish to comment further.

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