A new restaurant chain in the middle of Oxford has KATHERINE MACALISTER truly impressed from the word go

Here’s the challenge. Take a rundown homeless drop-in centre in the middle of Oxford, battle for planning permission to convert it into a 135-seater restaurant and then transform it in just 12 weeks.

This was the Herculean task taken on by Bill’s, a new restaurant chain that started off in Brighton and has been spreading like wildfire ever since.

But instead of throwing their hands up in horror and having a diva meltdown that Mariah Carey would be proud of, Bill’s just got on with the job in hand.

The project began mid-December when scaffolding was erected outside to restore the outer fabric of the building and repair the roof, while inside a false ceiling was removed to uncover the original cast iron trusses.

The boarded up windows were restored, opening up the space, bringing in more light and restoring the character of the building and then the interior designers moved in.

Three months later Bill’s opened and there’s a lesson to be learned here. Because in this age of the grand opening, the glittering launch party, the empty gesture, behind the scenes, Bill’s just got on with what needed doing without any fuss or bother.

And yet when you walk in, it still makes you gasp because there’s nothing else like Bill’s in Oxford. The interior is something else, modern gothic, dark with low lampshades hanging over the tables, intimate. It has hints of Jamie’s about it, stripped back, and yet is nothing like its own sister branches I’ve visited in Brighton or Lewes.

There the bright, open café style interiors are dominated by shelves of fresh produce bearing down at you from every wall and a deli style counter, it’s like eating in the middle of a grocers shop.

And yet the Oxford Bill’s has been designed around the space, not subjected to it. The ancient interior is allowed to reign and it’s fun and musty and different, showing that each restaurant is a standalone rather than a Bill’s identikit.

It also means you just want to sink down at one of the quirky tables or banquettes and indulge yourself, which of course we did, with rather too much enthusiasm, but then Bill’s is that kind of place.

A good bloody Mary and a hedgerow fizz and we ordered. The menu is fun but doesn’t overwhelm in comparison to the venue – salads, burgers, steaks, that sort of thing, but nothing out of the ordinary.

We tried the crab, salmon and chilli fishcakes (£5.95), the crispy feta and watermelon salad (£4.95) and the potted coarse liver terrine served with Bill's chutney and toasted sourdough (£4.95), all delicious.

The marinated chicken skewers (£9.95), the rib-eye steak (15.95) and the halloumi and hummus burger (8.95) followed and were as good. The steak was well cooked, the burger much nicer than it sounded, but the skewers were a tad on the dry side. And while the food doesn’t blow you away, it was also faultless, so while it won’t win a Michelin star, I don’t want to do Bill’s a disservice because everything we had was really good.

Besides, Bill’s is about more than just the food – it’s fun, different, atmospheric and authentic – which is probably why we failed to notice that it was late, and we were the last people there, as they swept the floors like a scene out of Bugsy Malone. So go and enjoy Bills as much as we did and take it for what it is, a real boost to Oxford’s restaurant scene.

Bill’s is at Northgate Hall, St Michaels Street, Oxford. Call 01865 202550 or see bills-website.co.uk