IT’S not often Melissa and I get the chance to eat out on a Saturday night, so when we do we like to make the most of it.
With our 21-month-old son Harry safely deposited at Melissa’s mum and dad’s, we decided to head down the Ceiriog Valley to The Oak.
We’d first visited The Oak about two and a half years ago and came away very impressed with the quality of food and the service so I was curious to see whether the high standard had been maintained in the intervening period.
The first thing that struck me when we arrived was the atmosphere. Although The Oak has been modernised, it retains the atmosphere of a friendly local, which is not an easy trick to pull off. The subtle lighting gives the venue a cosy atmosphere and the attentive staff cement the positive impression created when you first step in.
We arrived nearly an hour early and so had plenty of time to enjoy a drink – an excellent cask ale in my case – before eating. It also gave us plenty of time to check out the menu and decide on our food.
As it turned out we both went for the goats cheese starter followed by the ribeye steak, mine with port and stilton sauce and Melissa’s with creamy peppercorn sauce.
The starter turned out to be the star of the meal for me: beautiful, creamy goats cheese served on chunky, lightly toasted bread with salad and delicious sweet and sour beetroot. The beetroot was certainly more sweet than sour and complemented the cheese perfectly, while the peppery rocket salad rounded off an excellent start to the meal.
We didn’t really need the garlic bread as well; we just fancied it. It turned out to be very good; buttery and with enough garlic to be interesting, but without overpowering the more delicate flavours of the starter.
The steak, served with a field mushroom, tomato and home-made chips, was also good. However, I was slightly disappointed to find that my steak – ordered medium – was closer to well done when it arrived. Nevertheless, the port and stilton sauce – which had a lovely deep, salty flavour – was superb, as were the chips. In fact, I’d almost recommend going to The Oak just to try the chips – they’re honestly that good.
We had intended to sample the dessert menu but we were both too full – I blame the garlic bread.
It was a very good meal, though, and I’m pleased to say I was just as impressed with The Oak as I had been on our first visit two years ago. The service is excellent and the prices are very competitive considering the standard of food. Highly recommended.
The Bill
2 x goats cheese with sweet and sour beetroot £5.25 each
1 x garlic bread £1.95
1 x ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce £15.95
1 x ribeye steak with port and stilton sauce £15.95
1 x bottle of Sauvignon Blanc £11.50