Acropolis, Headington - 3rd October 2017

Acropolis is so new that I couldn't even find a number for it online.  Still, I was confident that it would still be open when we strolled in at 2100.  Fortunately it was, and we received a charming welcome.  The restaurant was warm and cosy, although a bit sparse in its decor.

I never find that staff are fast enough at asking me what I'd like to drink, unless I'm somewhere that's extremely expensive.  On this occasion, I was pretty keen on a getting a drink and the short delay felt like a lifetime.  Still, I was cheered by the fact that Mythos beer was available.  Not only does Mythos remind me of Greece, it has a unicorn on it.  Enough said.  Retsina, which I love, and typical things like normal wine and spirits were available, but I stuck to Mythos for the meal.  The staff were good at clearing away empty glasses, but I was disappointed that our water didn't arrive until one of our party asked for it a second time.  Restaurants, please take note: There is usually always at least one person that wants to drink water.  Either have it on the table, or bring it/offer it as soon as we sit down.

The menu looked great, with plenty of classic Greek dishes.  One of our party was a vegetarian, and she seemed content with the amount of choice (although it didn't seem like a huge number of options to me!).  Still, I have another friend who told me she spent her entire holiday in Greece eating chips and salad, so it was definitely better than that.

I went for the Feta Filo, which is feta wrapped in filo pastry, covered in honey and sesame seeds.  I had this in Lefkada in 2015 and have been searching for it in Greece ever since (well, you know, for the two weeks I've spent there) with no joy.  

My apologies for the blurred photo.  My camera is being repaired at the moment and I'm not used to the one I have on loan.

My starter was perfect.  The saltiness of the feta was perfectly complemented by the sweetness of the honey.  The feta itself was warm enough to be gooey, or as gooey as feta can be.  The pastry was terrific, and the sesame seeds set the whole thing off.  It was a big starter, and very filling.  The salad is also worth a mention - it was fresh and tasty, not limp and tired as is common.

My dining companions each got a starter too.  One had saganaki cheese, which was done in breadcrumbs rather than in flour.  The vegetarian got tzatziki, which came with loads of pitta bread and I could smell the garlic from it from across the table.  The other had sausages, which were delicious (that was the only one I tasted so I can't vouch for/criticise the other options).

I chose the combination souvlaki for my main course, which was a lamb, chicken and pork kebab.  Again, there was loads of it, and it was perfect.  The meat was juicy but still had that fantastic charred taste.  I thought it was great that there was the combo option so that you could have the three different types of meat.

The other main courses were vegetarian mezze, pasticcio and a lamb stew type of thing.  They were all tasty (yes, I tried them all, I have no restraint) but I thought mine was the best.

The main courses came with potatoes and rice, neither of which I tried.  There was no additional charge for these.

By the time we finished our main courses, we were all pretty stuffed, and it was late, so we didn't have any pudding or coffee.  I assume there was baklava and Greek coffee on the menu though, which you should all try at some point if you like sweet things and coffee!

All in all, I would definitely go back to Acropolis.  They need to get an internet presence, even if it's just a Facebook page which has the contact details on it.  Also, they could improve their service to ensure the woman who has had a hard day has a drink in her hand a bit faster.  However, I'd give full marks for the food, which genuinely made me feel like I was in Greece, and the friendliness of the staff was a boon too.

The Magdalen Arms, 6th January 2017

The Magdalen Arms is one of my favourite places to eat in Oxford.  It's cosy, the food is great, and the menu changes all the time.

It was a last minute decision to go, so my photos don't do it justice because they weren't taken with my proper camera.  We were lucky to get a table at short notice and we did need to promise to vacate the table within two hours (which is not something I usually agree to, being a slow eater and usually wanting pre-drinks, at least three courses and coffee).

I got there early so managed pre-drinks without using up valuable table time.  There's a good selection of drinks and there is also a drinks menu which changes with the seasons.  Today's menu featured drinks such as a quince toddy (bourbon optional), damson gin martini and medlar fizz.  I went for the martini (fresh, sweet and containing an actual damson) and my dining companion had a bohemian pilsner (whatever that is).  We were given bread, butter and water within moments of sitting down.

The food menu was full of delights as usual.  Some highlights were (to start): 
Venison goulash
Sardines with gremolata on sourdough toast
Duck and rabbit rillettes

And for mains:
Slow cooked lamb shoulder with gratin dauphinois (to share between a few people)
Potato and ricotta ravioli
Steak and ale suet crust pie (I've had this before and can vouch for it, ohhh the crust)

I opted for the twice baked Stichelton souffle, with pear and walnut salad.  It was rich, fluffy, and the sweetness of the pear complemented the sharpness of the blue cheese.  I should also mention that the salad was not over dressed, which seems to be a common issue.  I had the opportunity to try the sardines as well which were delicious, but a bit too faffy for me when I was on the verge of hanger.

The showstopper was the main course: Beef Wellington.  My dining companion reminded me of a Mary Berry programme when she says, "There's nothing worse than an over cooked fillet of beef."  Let's face it, there are plenty of things worse than that (genocide and Tories spring to mind), but I think Mary would have been very pleased with the beef at the Magdalen Arms.  Red and pink melt in the mouth beef was surrounded by what tasted like chicken liver pate, perhaps with some buttery mushrooms (duxelles?) thrown in, encircled by sublime golden brown pastry which was the perfect combination of flaky and moist.

As I said, the photos really don't do it justice.  You can't even see the perfect golden colour of the pastry.  It was truly delicious.  It was served with buttery cabbage.  

I couldn't manage a pudding (and anyway, I still have mince pies in the cupboard), but I can vouch that they are always good.  Tonight's menu featured chocolate fondant, prune and armagnac ice cream and a cheeseboard.

Have a look for yourself at the ever changing menus:

http://www.magdalenarms.co.uk/

The one thing that they let themselves down on tonight was the loos.  The girls' loos had rubbish all over the floor!  It looked as if a selfish/very stressed parent had changed a nappy and then had to leave before they'd cleared up.  No nappy smell thank goodness, but a trail of loo roll and various baby wipes and an empty packet of wipes, all over the floor!  Bear in mind we ate very early, so perhaps whoever was meant to clean/check the loos hadn't yet done so?  Either way, it was a bit off-putting, and had it been my first visit, I might have turned and walked back out again.

The pleasant and friendly service (and did I mention the food?) certainly eclipsed the loo experience.  My only regret is that I didn't manage a pudding on this occasion.

P.S. There are often dishes to share at the Magdalen Arms.  Some are for two, others are for as many as five.  It's one of the few places I've ever felt comfortable sharing food, because the portions are big enough to satisfy me.