Veritas Wine Bar & Bistro

Situated in the thriving Oxfordshire town of Banbury, and bringing a new concept of relaxation and pleasure to the town, with food and drink that attracts as well as satisfies in surroundings that are a tribute to good taste and style. No matter whether you are in a state of semi collapse after too much shopping, or looking for the right surroundings in which to entertain, this is the place for you.

A WiFi connection to keep you in touch strikes me as a dubious blessing - once inside Veritas my aim would be to stay out of touch, but I suppose there are always some for whom it is indispensable.

The role of Veritas as a haven of escape is interpreted in many different ways. At the time of writing they are promoting a New World Wine Dinner, a glorious exploration of some of the best Californian, New Zealand and Australian boutique wines all presented within the context of a sumptuous four course dinner. In the run up to Valentine's Night when love has been known to overtake discretion, jewellers do particularly well, so a Jewellery Cocktail Evening saves the hassle of having to go conventional shopping. Wine tastings and dinners, guest speakers on wine, wine discovery days, there really is no excuse for not increasing your knowledge of one of life's greatest pleasures.

Executive Chef Simon Crannage is in business to ensure that the food suits the occasion, whether it be a choice of Sunday lunch from a fixed menu or the a la carte lunch menu, as you contemplate the day of rest, a romantic evening, or a family celebration when time matters not.

A winter dinner menu might offer a pressing of ham hocks and parsley with English mustard and maple roasted carrot salad to start, or a rillette of duck with curried cauliflower set cream and lentil dhal.

Mains tread carefully between the traditional course content with duo of pork leading the way, smoked belly with sultanas, roasted loin with caramelised onions and beetroot fondant, or deep sea halibut, one of the finest of fishes, with herb crust, Gremolata potato, tomato butter and black olive salsa.

The passage of the seasons seldom goes unmarked at Veritas, and currently a Celebration of Spring in early March starts off with a velouté of asparagus and wild garlic, followed by salad of quail, hot coleslaw, fried quail's egg and apple caramel.

A tartlet of poached salmon is served with spring vegetables and garden herb sabayon, and the event is brought to a telling closed with warm fresh goat's cheese, chervil leaf and brioche crumb. Is it any wonder that with menus like these, executed with skill and panache, Veritas has become an extremely popular place?

But the food is only part of the pleasure, and a wine list that would melt the steeliest heart travels the world. House wines come up with ten by the glass from bottles that may not be particularly cheap but offer a quality not often seen in that range, even if they are described as everyday wines. After that it's a spirited gallop through some pleasantly familiar names which look to me rather as though some of the top bottles on offer have been spared traditional mark-ups.

Note: they hold a Jazz and Blues Brunch on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, with free entry.

Veritas has an excellent Website that will keep you up to speed with their attractive programme of events and seasonal menu changes, which are de rigueur.