The Tomato Knife

When traveling, you sometimes stumble upon the best places to eat without even trying.

This was our case with Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant on the corner of George and Gloucester Streets in Oxford. Moseying along, we noticed a long line of people coming out of this one particular restaurant – must be good, we thought. Soon enough we found ourselves in the crowd, not quite aware of what we were getting ourselves into (not necessarily recommended, but in this case it worked).

The line outside moved fairly quickly, as the place is rather large (two floors). Once through the doors, we were given a beeper and told the wait would be about 15 minutes. Not so bad, I’m thinking, as a young woman directs us to the bar and waiting area. As soon as we order some wine, the restaurant’s entire computer system crashes. That means no food orders, and no more seating until the problem is solved! This is where the impatient customers shout, “Pen and paper, pen and paper!” I agree, but I’m having fun sitting on a high stool overlooking the modern dining room with a glass of red wine in one hand and roasted almonds with chili and fennel salt in the other. These nuts were the only computer-independent food in the lot – lucky for Jamie, they were quite nice and tied us over until we were finally able to be seated.

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Tags: oxford, restaurants, travel, wine bars

This week, I checked out the two farmers’ markets at Gloucester Green in central Oxford.

Gloucester Green is a square surrounded by several stores, restaurants and some great coffee shops (Combibos Coffee and Caffe Nero both have excellent lattes). Located between Beaumont, St. George and Walton Streets, it comes alive during market times. Both markets are fairly small, but offer a nice alternative to the regular grocery store.

Oxford City Council Market

Every Wednesday, 9am-5pm

To be honest, this market wasn’t anything extraordinary (there were too many cheap clothing stands and not enough produce for my taste). This said, the foodie I am did manage to find a couple unique edibles. First, I stumbled upon some Turkish Delight – only the second time I’ve ever tasted it. I remember reading about this sweet delicacy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child. What better place to rediscover it than Oxford (where C.S. Lewis spent most of his adult life)? Then, I came across some free-range duck eggs. As I approached the stand, I overheard a man with a very English accent asking his son if he’d “eat a duck egg for lunch,” as though it was nothing out of the ordinary! The vendor told me these particular eggs had been picked up that morning and that the chickens (I mean ducks) drank running water (instead of still water), which gave the eggs a finer taste. They’d be good for about 2 weeks (chicken eggs last 3 to 4) and are great in omelets, thanks to the consistency.

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Tags: oxford, travel

It’s the Quatorze Juillet back in France. A good day to write about cheese, no?

I haven’t been in Oxford very long, but I’ve already noticed quite an admiration for France – in culinary terms at any rate. Walk down the streets in the city center and you’ll come across many French-style bakeries selling croissants, crepes, baguettes…. Since I’m only in England for two weeks, I’m trying to avoid anything that I can find back home (except Dijon mustard – just couldn’t convince myself otherwise when it came to making salad dressing). This friendly “boycott” goes for cheese, too.

Thus, I headed to the Oxford Cheese Company (located in the Covered Market) to pick up some local cheeses. They have a wonderful selection and the young woman behind the counter was more than happy to point out her favorites. I ended up with five different types, and these two stood out as being especially worth trying:

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Tags: cheese, oxford, travel

Here I am, writing you from Oxford!

Two weeks of exploring and getting to know this city. This is the first time I’ve actually had Internet access while traveling. That’s exciting since I’ll be able to share my adventures and discoveries along the way. I’ll most definitely be checking out the food scene – as well as delving into some history, of course. We’ve already had quite a culinary welcome – from a modern British pub,  to a full English breakfast and my very first Russian meal. Here are some great spots to eat while visiting Oxford:

The Oxford Retreat is a “boutique pub” located on the Oxford Canal. If you check out their website, you’ll see this restaurant/bar prides themselves on using fresh, seasonal produce from local vendors. We didn’t know this when we stumbled in just after arriving last Saturday evening. Since the restaurant was full, we enjoyed our drinks and meal in the bar, on a comfy sofa. For drinks, we tried: Staropramen, a golden lager from Prague. Brothers Pear Cider, a slightly sweet hard cider from the UK – made from pear, obviously!  We ended up going tapas style and ordering several “starters”: scallops (maybe the best I’ve ever had), calamari, and creamy mushroom bruschetta. The food was excellent and the service very friendly.

Address: 1-2 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, OX1 2EW

Tel: 01865 250309  (Reserve for the restaurant)

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Tags: oxford, restaurants, travel