Oaks Restaurant at 2 Bromley Place closed at the start of December due to a fire in their kitchen extractor fan. Because of the time of year and the complexity of the system, it took until this month for them to reopen. I absolutely loved Oaks before the closure (read my previous review HERE) and was excited to go back and try the new menu items that have been promoted over their Instagram and Twitter for the last 3 months.

The interior

The inside of Oaks thankfully hasn’t changed. It was gorgeous before, and is beautiful still. Upon entrance is the bar area, with a mixture of high and low tables of two and four. Perfect to sit and enjoy a drink while you wait for your table.

Then into the main restaurant area.  A huge wooden table is the main focal point, to seat around 18 people I would imagine. Perfect for a group gathering. There are numerous tables surrounding this with seating to accommodate 90. The area is light and airy with tall ceilings and beautiful lighting. The fit out is stunning, all wooden and metal and the indie rock playlist fits perfectly.

the event

I was invited to the relaunch event to try out the new menu. My friend Katie from knel.co.uk arrived at 6pm for a 6.30pm dinner reservation, grabbed a drink each and awaited the arrival of the ‘canapes’. I use quotation marks as these were unlike any canapes I have ever seen!

The Oaks burger menu has had a complete overhaul. We were able to try their new range and they went down a storm.

The Sherrif of Nottingham burger contains a 7oz beef patty, bacon and Worcestershire sauce mayo and mustard piccalilli. I am not usually a fan of beef burgers, finding them gristly, but this burger was so smooth. The flavours were amazing and the piccallili lifted the tasty immensely.

Then we tried the Mother Clucker, a chicken burger seasoned with paprika, and a smoked chilli mayo. I could have eaten this three times over. It was delicious. The chicken had been chargrilled and the chilli and paprika ensured a medium spice and great taste.

Last on the burger menu was my favourite, the Jack and the Beanstalk. A mixed bean patty (chickpea I believe) topped with tomato salsa and guacamole, it was possibly one of the nicest veggie burgers I have had. This from a restaurant specialising in a meat based menu? Great going!

We then had chicken wings that were hotter than the sun. Oh my god I swear the skin on my tongue burnt off! If you like spicy food you will love this but the heat was too hot for me.

BBQ ribs were up next, charred and sticky and bloody delicious.

Next up were their new hot dogs. Made from pork sausage and covered in crispy onions, these were a delight. The sausage was incredibly succulent, not what I had pictured, and the bun was soft!

Lastly we were treated to a quails egg scotch egg. Now I have to admit, this is the first scotch egg I have ever eaten in my life. I really don’t like boiled eggs, but thought I  should give it a go. It was actually really pleasant. The yolk was still running which I liked and the sausage meat was nicely seasoned.

See why I struggle to call these canapes?

There was also live music which added a nice touch. I didn’t catch their name but thy played one of my favourite ever songs (Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry) and sounded fantastic.

Main dishes

After Katie and I had stuffed ourselves silly with these, we headed into the main restaurant to pick from the main menu. I really regret this as I had eaten too much already!

The menu is vast and diverse, everything from the above burgers (and more) to vegan steaks and fish dishes.

I went for the Mighty Oink burger, a 7oz beef patty (I removed this as I was already too full) topped with pulled pork and  homemade BBQ sauce. The pork was delicious, perfectly cooked and succulent. The burger was huge and unfortunately there was no chance in hell I was going to finish it. I would have it again.

Katie opted for the cider and honey glazed pork belly strip. This was about 12 inches long, and cooked to perfection. The fat on the belly pork melted in my mouth and the meat was so unbelievably tender. Again I would order this myself.

We had various side dishes to accompany our mains. The crispiest sweet potato fries and sea salt and rosemary chips. The chips tasted just like roast potatoes and was delicious. We also had green beans which I didn’t enjoy (they tasted too buttery for me) and onion rings that again blew my head off. They are seasoned with Cajun spices and were so incredibly hot!

We left incredibly full and happy!

Verdict

Oaks Restaurant still lives up to my expectations. The food was genuinely fantastic and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. The changes they have made to the menu are for the better and the burgers are some of the best I have ever eaten. The portions are huge and great value for money. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is great. I especially love the music played. I will be back very soon. Thankfully it is about 20 metres from where I work!

*I was invited to the Oaks relaunch event in exchange for my honest review. My meal was complimentary but that doesn’t change my opinion in any way. I really enjoyed my visit and will be back again soon.**Thanks Katie for taking the photos! xx