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Wonderful Thames vistas greet guests arriving for dinner at The Stream Bar and Restaurant in picturesque Abingdon. Located at the Upper Reaches Hotel in Thames Street, just beside the abbey ruins, its unique mill house ambience, with a backlit working water wheel, enhanced with stylish contemporary décor of cream walls and dark leather sofas comes as a pleasant surprise. A romantic tête-à-tête as well as an enjoyable evening with family and friends would be well in order with a modern European menu keeping you company.

On finding that your sensibilities have been awakened for more delights, discover the eclectic selection. From fresh sautéed scallops with pane black pudding and quail egg to Oxfordshire rump steak with homemade chunky chips and grilled tomato, there's a range of appealing dishes to satisfy the appetite. Allow the senses to guide you in choosing between char-grilled pork steak, homemade shepherd's pie, roast vegetable kebabs with minted couscous, grilled supreme of marinated salmon and field mushroom and parmesan risotto. Belgian waffles with hot caramel sauce, homemade lemon meringue pie or chocolate fudge ice cream sundae bring the meal to a deserving climax.

Lunch here could include beef and mustard sandwich, spicy vegetable burger, quarter grilled chicken with crispy salad or beef chilli con carne. The establishment's all-day breakfast serves up the award winning local bacon and sausage, fried bread, grilled tomato, large field mushroom, baked beans and free-range fried egg. In fine weather enjoy a barbecue, cocktail or tea on the terrace overlooking the millpond-on-the-river.

In bright new premises offering a warm, friendly environment where informal dining is positively encouraged. The overriding influence is without doubt Italian as evidenced by a good range of homemade pastas and, on the cellar side, an interesting selection of Italian organic wines.

The emphasis on fresh ingredients means that all meals are cooked to order, so that clams with pomodorini, garlic and fresh parsley, followed by a fiorentina 12 oz T-bone steak straight off the charcoal grill are as fresh as human ingenuity can make them.

The menu is lengthy but staff are friendly and glad to advise should you become seized with doubt. Whatever you choose you can be assured that value for money is there. House wine is £12.50, for a litre.

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A review from Becky Sims:

Cibo, which is the Italian for 'food', is relatively new on the scene in South Parade, Summertown, and looks extremely welcoming, with a small terrace area at the front. Unusually for Oxford, parking is available to the rear after 6.30pm. On arrival, we were invited to take a seat in the bar area, with its comfortable leather sofas and discreet artwork. The cocktail menu is relatively small, but is well priced, with most cocktails at £4.50, and the bar staff are attentive and happy to provide drinks which are not on the menu. Capirinhas, made with Brazilian spirit, lime and sugar, were strong and delicious. The non-cocktail minded among us enjoyed pints of perfectly chilled Nastro Azzuro on draught (£3.30).

Although our table was ready, the staff were happy for us to remain in the comfort of our squishy sofas to choose from the extensive menu of Italian delights. The choice was a tough one, but eventually the eight of us managed to decide on our main courses. We also asked for some bread (£2.50) and olives (£2.75) to share as a starter - the bread came hot, fresh from the oven and was perfect with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Once seated at our table, the mains arrived swiftly. I chose a chargrilled tuna steak (£11.50), which came with a small salad. I'd asked for the tuna 'slightly pink in the middle' and it was perfectly cooked - a real melt-in-the-mouth experience. Other fish choices included squid, sea bass and a seafood platter. My partner chose a chicken breast, cooked with chilli (to taste), garlic and butter-soft roasted peppers (£8.70). Our vegetarian friends chose from a large selection of pastas and risottos - the homemade Spinach and Ricotta Tortelloni in a rich tomato salsa (£8.95) was the star of the bunch, and the fresh vegetable risotto (£7.50) was also devoured with glee. A fillet steak (£16.50), perfectly cooked, was the carnivore's choice, although the balsamic vinegar sauce in which it was cooked was a little overpowering. Side dishes of fries, new potatoes, salad and roasted vegetables were available at from £2.10 to £3.70. We shared a carafe of crisp, tasty house white (£12.50) and a decent bottle of red (£15.95) - water was provided without the need to ask.

Although feeling very full after the generous portions, we just had to try the deserts! Disappointingly, the Daily Special, panna cotta, was sold out, so my choice was quite limited as I don't like coffee or nuts, but a rich lemon tart contained neither and was superb. Other choices included a boozy tiramisu, chocolate bombe, chocolate and almond tart and a selection of ice creams, and the sounds coming from my companions suggested that they were pretty good! All were priced around £4. There's an excellent range of Fair Trade coffees and teas, but for us a round of Limoncello liqueurs rounded off a perfect meal.

The bill, including drinks and service, was just over £200 for eight, but it would be easy to eat here very economically. All in all, I would recommend Cibo as a place to go for excellent service, great cocktails and food which is fresh, perfectly cooked and extremely tasty. I only hope that the lone diner simultaneously trying to eat a whole sea bass and have a loud conversation on his mobile phone is not there when you visit - some things are just too amusing!

Becky Simms

3 September 2004

A homely, half-timbered little place with a reputation for good, straightforward pub food from a deceptively small menu which, probably because the dishes are cleverly chosen, seems to please everyone. A simple grilled spiced mackerel or poached egg salad with black pudding and bacon should get the meal well under way. I would be seriously tempted by the spiced rump of English lamb Nicoise; the roast Cornish monkfish, chickpeas with sun dried tomatoes or the stuffed fillet of sea bass with scallop mousse, followed by a banana and caramel tatin. And let me tell you, they know how to make a good cup of coffee there, and, they are not mean on the chocolate truffles. A sturdy little wine list with house wine by the glass or bottle. They also have an interesting bar menu, which is available all week, except Saturday night and Sunday lunch.

Believed by many to be amongst the best of the ethnic cuisines that compete for the privilege of catering ex officio to the future governing classes. Well, I do like being provocative occasionally but there is little reason to doubt the claim for Chutney's ascendancy. It presumably takes its name from the impressive range of chutneys that accompany the opening volleys of nibbles and poppadums. It is possible to eat comfortably here for around £20, which is not exactly cheap but then I find the average prices for most things in Oxford above the norm.

The British are noted for many things, not least that object of gastronomic derision, the humble sausage. Quite why this should be so beats me, after all the Germans also have a vested interest in the propagation of the banger, snorker or whatever other name you may care to give it. Perhaps it has something to do with the shape, but at Kathy's Bistro they are concerned less with the shape and far more with the contents, which leave me, a hardened connoisseur of this wonderful delicacy, totally impressed. In an age when black pudding has assumed respectability can the sausage be far behind?

It is the sheer range that is so impressive. Starting with might be termed as designer sausages no surprise to find the Australians up there with the kangaroo version, which will leave you jumping no doubt, followed by the ostrich variety which will just leave you - period. The Brits weigh in with the pheasant and whiskey version before we move on to tried and tested favourites from Lincolnshire, Cumberland and Newmarket. The best seller, believe it or not, is the South African traditional Boerewors. A welcome note of standardisation is reached by the accompaniments which are uncompromisingly mash, beans (as in baked), fried onions and gravy.

When I tell you that a normal helping of your chosen sausage consists of two quarter pounders at £7.95, whilst others may elect for the small at £6.95, which is just one, you will get the sense of scale. It is greatly to the credit of Kathy that they do cater for the less enthusiastic non-banger-fiends, with a good range of tapas and other more universally acceptable dishes.

No prizes for guessing that some of our more respected ales are on offer, along with the Hoegaarden on tap and a good range of New World wines. How refreshing to find someone taking a quirky, though I should think very profitable dig at some of the over-seriousness of our attitudes to food.