Oxford Grill is easily one of the least prepossessing restaurants in Oxford. A bright red sign across the door, white text splurged across the windows, and one of the worst-punctuated social media presences I've ever read. So I avoided it. I passed it every day, lurking at the top of the Cowley Road, on my way to and from work, with no intention to ever visit.
Luckily, others less prejudiced than me popped in. They raved to me about the food: first one, then two, then more. I asked to go for dinner with a friend, letting her know I'd be reviewing the place, and she insisted we try it.
Admittedly we visited early on a Monday evening, but it would appear that most people had the same impression as me: we were the only customers present for almost the entire evening. However, the interior decor is stylish enough, and the space small enough, to feel warm even in such circumstances. The incredibly warm welcome we received from the manager certainly helped, too. Instantly, hot, fluffy flatbreads appeared - more like a focaccia than a pitta - together with a plate of hummus.
There's a lengthy starter menu, and on a return visit I'd definitely consider ordering a range of these dishes, rather than a traditional starter and main. Vegetarians in particular will enjoy this selection; the main dishes contained few vegetarian options (and should probably avoid, for example, the vegetarian tagliatelle dish, which apparently contains chicken). I went for the dolmes, vine leaves stuffed with well-cooked rice (so many restaurants either over- or under-cook theirs), tangy with lemon juice but rich with olive oil. I love dolmes, but I think I made a poor choice compared to my companion, who selected the cacik. I've never had an exciting cacik, but as soon as it arrived I realised my error. The cucumber was not carved into tasteless hunks, nor grated to the point of dissolving into the yoghurt, nor even sliced delicately. It was cubed into the tiniest little brunoise, smaller than many a fine Parisien restaurant would bother with. Each piece was imbued with flavour from the yoghurt and garlic, whilst retaining crunch. It must have been prepared incredibly recently, too: no liquid had leached into the yoghurt to thin the overall consistency. The yoghurt itself was rich, almost cheesy, and with a pleasant waft of garlic.
I chose the hunkar begendi as a main course, a dish I've read about before but never tried. It's therefore possible that all versions are actually this good, but I'll rave anyway. The base of aubergines was a slightly well-textured baba ghanoush or similar, smoky and creamy. This was topped with little cubes of chargrilled lamb, again, smoky, but providing a good texture contrast to the aubergine, tender as they were. Finally there was a drizzle of chilli sauce (presumably this was the "peppers" listed on the menu), just enough to spice up the occasional mouthful without overpowering the rest of the dish. It was a piece of very well balanced and precise cooking. My companion went for a regular favourite of hers, the not-particularly-informative "Lamb Saute", which appears on the "Daily Specials" section of the regular printed menu. So not a special at all. The dish itself was rich, served in a sweet reduced tomato and herb sauce, but I didn't find it quite as exciting as the rest of the meal. Both mains came with rice.
There you go: don't judge a book by its cover. I have no intention of actually following this maxim, but felt obliged to churn it out anyway; it's such an appalling cliche. And besides, when I have people around me who are happy to ignore covers and recommend places like the Oxford Grill, why should I?
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