Bear & Ragged Staff, The

Food Freak (18 November 2009)

I went to the Bear and Ragged Staff with a couple of friends in mid-November and had a very good meal. I heard that the new owner of the place had found an excellent new chef who was continuing the work of rehabilitating this old Oxford landmark. The rumours of good food being cooked here turned out to be spot on. We started with the charcuterie platter, pumpkin and paprika soup, and Asian fish cakes. The pumpkin soup was apparently sourced from a garden in Cumnor as was the paprika, you can't get much more local than that, just around the corner! The Asian fish cakes were made solely from fish, no potato, just as they should be. Our mains were heavenly, the rib eye just melted in the mouth, the venison steak was the best I had ever tried, and the noises emanating from the person eating the pork belly roast can only be described as rapturous. We had no room for dessert, although we did check out the wine list, a very interesting selection indeed. We had the Les Terres Rousses Syrah Merlot, which at just over £16 per bottle was really good value. Including coffees, we came out with a bill for three around £70. I will be back, though this time I will bring more friends, these guys are trying hard and they deserve the support.

Foodie (25 April 2009)

What a disappointment. One tiny lamb cutlet for £16 cannot be described as good value. Without any exaggeration, one mouthful and the meat was gone. When we complained we were offered a salad to accompany the 3 baby carrots and 3 leeks that formed part of the £16. This can not be described as good value. We will not be returning nor could we recommend this restaurant to anyone. With some 20 plus tables and only 3 taken on a Friday night, it speaks volumes.

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