By
Rob
With
the rumbling of Andy's stomach now measurable on the Richter scale – his hunger pangs sending tremors racing across the Eurasian Plate –
we left the Ridgeway Arms and headed a few minutes down the road to The British Oak.
None of us had ever set foot inside this pub before and,
consequently, had no idea what to expect. The one thing we did know,
however, was that at 10.30pm the kitchen would be firmly closed.
Venturing
through the doorway, I fell instantly in love with the place.
The
wooden roof beams, the red leather upholstery, the wall lamps, and
the various decorations made it feel like we'd just wandered into a
countryside lodge. The head of a deer could be seen on one wall,
while behind us there sat a large blackbird – so lifelike in
appearance that I half-expected it to start flapping around the
tables. The heads of foxes and badgers stared down at the punters
below, while fish, pigeons and various other creatures of
indeterminate taxonomy festooned the walls. Sure enough, the choice
of decor might not appeal to some people, but in me the proprietors
had found an appreciative audience.
Once
at the bar, the pub only continued to impress, this time by
presenting us with an extensive range of ales, craft lagers and
organic ciders. Spoiled for choice, we selected two pints of Erdinger
Weißbier – a Bavarian wheat beer that we both really enjoyed. Every
sip was crisp, and the sparkling nature of the drink gave it an
almost champagne-like quality. The brewers over at Erdinger put this
down to the "invigorating carbon dioxide" that they use
(which must have been carefully selected from the many varieties of
CO2
available on the market today).[1]
Strolling
past a selection of hunting rifles and yet more works of taxidermy,
we sat ourselves down in a corner and soaked up the warm atmosphere
of The Oak. Both Reanna and I were thoroughly enjoying ourselves,
while poor old Andy was still bemoaning his almost debilitating
malnutrition. To exacerbate the situation, someone had cruelly left a
menu out on display near our table, thereby taunting our starved
compatriot with a list of delicious-sounding, and totally
unavailable, food.
Having
spent many evenings in The York, over at Broomhill (about thirty
seconds away from my flat) it doesn't take a genius to guess that
it's owned and operated by the same people:
True North Brew Co. Both
pubs have a similar feel to them and, I have it on very good
authority, both can whip up some excellent grub (for those fortunate
enough to visit when the kitchen is open).
As
last orders arrived, we reluctantly left the pub and made our way
home. I can't be certain, but I think Andy might have broken the land
speed record in his bid to reach the takeaway before it, too, closed
its doors.
The
British Oak, because of its mountains of charm, gets a well deserved
9.5/10
Pub:
The British Oak
(1 Mosborough Moor, S20 5AY)
Rating:
9.5/10
Pint:
Erdinger Weißbier
No comments:
Post a Comment