The Trout Inn

This being my first time experiencing a restaurant in this area, it was a good experience. The service was slow but the food was good albeit very expensive for the portions sizes. Not to say that I didn’t leave hungry, but just thought it could there could be a bit more. There’s a nice bar with a great selection and excellent desserts as well. I started with some crab and crayfish dip which was great but for some reason they did not provide enough bread. I had the Seabass fillets during the main course which was great! Topped of my night with the Sticky Toffee Pudding which is almost the best dessert I’ve had in ever. Overall good experience, recommend making a reservation at least an hour before you think you’ll be hungry as the experience lasted about 2.5 hrs.

A beautiful pub in the picturesque Wolvercote village just 15mins from Oxford city centre, with an amazing outside space in sunny weather; there are even peacocks roaming! I try to come here a lot, and am usually never successful on a sunny day because it is rammed. We were lucky on this occasion, getting there early, but I was still disappointed with the experience. With such a fantastic setting, and being packed in the summer they obviously think they can let slip on their service and quality of food, as well as being quite extortionate on the price. I am pretty easy to please, so I am not happy about writing a bad review. The service was incredibly slow, as it always is, and the inside was empty so no excuse. The food took ages to come, and my fancied up haloumi (from the menu) was basically a beige dinner, deep fried with some chips and tasteless mushy peas. My friends were happy with the chicken dish, but being a vegetarian I couldn’t try it. My meal was too expensive for what it was when I got the tiniest bit of haloumi. The waitress kept forgetting to bring us more water and just generally forgot about us as we were at the far end. The staff were friendly (which hasn’t always been the case), and it was hot (I have been a waitress for many years myself but I was not happy).
For somewhere which has the potential to be SO GREAT, they really need to pick up their game. I can’t fault them on the drinks, albeit £5.95 for a glass of pimms is insane, they have a good selection of beers on tap.
But beware if you haven’t booked on a sunny day, don’t expect them to be hospitable, and don’t expect a table. Plus you can’t book the outside. I couldn’t fault this place for a summer drink, but a no-​go for food.