I find myself out in the middle of nowhere sometimes. Thank goodness for Royal Oak. Hidden among residential area, through winding country roads. It would be near impossible to end up here without planning to be. The restaurant is homely and rustic with it's decor and chalk board - it's like a pub.
But you don't read my reviews for my architectural appreciation. The food. The food here is pretty great. No difficulties recommending everything at all. I've had my fair share of bresola, crayfish, gravadlax, steak, pork belly and everything I've sampled punches well above its weight. My last meal was the gravadlax starter and the pork belly mains. The gravadlax is well complimented with a mustard dressing and a fresh side salad, being a seafood monster, I was pleased with this starter. It's accompanied by rustic bread and some wonderful butter. The pork belly, however, was a bit of a show-stopper. The pork had clearly been roasted for a very long time, the fat between the skin and meat was already oozing out. It tasted delightful too. My only minor minor qualm, was that i would've personally preferred the skin harder, it was a tad chewier than I would've liked. But the meat and the fat was on point. Coming from London, I've gotten used to small portions and extortionate prices. Royal Oak flips this concept on its head, why can't you have large portions of delicious food at reasonable prices.
The Royal Oak ticks all my boxes for a high end pub with great food. But it lacks any wow factor, the food is rustic and well executed, but their's no visual or sensational awe about eating here. It's never a let down though. read more