BOTTOM LINE: Although the food was great, the service left a bit of a bad aftertaste…read more
Located next to the infamous Sally Lunn's, Oak (previously known as Acorn - get it?! - and still listed as such on Yelp) is located in the core area of Bath. It's a small space, and I can't imagine there being space for more than 25-30 diners (or even less), and each table as relatively small in size (more on this later).
First, the good part. The food remains the main attraction, and ingredients across the board tasted consistently fresh. Whether it was the HAZELNUT RISOTTO, the ROASTED COURGETTES/ZUCCHINI, the BEETS, or the TOMATO SOUP, I found they were prepared to a high standard. The dishes are meant to be sharing plates, but this can cause some table real estate problems (also, more on this later).
But now, the not-so-good part, the comparatively poorer service, especially when compared to similarly-priced restaurants (e.g., Sotto Sotto), or even less (e.g., Sally Lunn, Yak Yeti Yak, etc.), and then the gall to charge a higher service percentage of 12.5%.
For example, my group of 5 experienced both the problems of servers removing plates prematurely (when there was clearly uneaten food), but also not removing plates UNLESS requested to do so, despite finished plates being stacked to make room for new dishes. Similarly, beyond the initial ordering of water and drinks, staff didn't follow up on this, and we had to request new water jugs throughout the meal. Finally, although staff atitudes weren't negative per se, they did seem somewhat indifferent/detached. All these points may seem nit-picky, but I think it's not unreasonable to expect better service at these prices.
Ultimately, Oak comes up on many recommended restaurant lists, but after this experience, although I'd still recommend it, I wouldn't be too upset if you can't manage to get a reso here given so many other great alternatives.
