Reviewed
Jan '04
Reviewed
Jan '01
|
Having now been on
the Jericho scene for a while, Branca continues to be one of my favourite
restaurants in Oxford. Having dined there on more occasions than I can
count, at varying times of the day and week, I have yet to be disappointed
by the food, ambience or service. The décor is light, airy and
chic, and the atmosphere one of sophisticated friendliness. Branca has
managed to achieve a stylish environment without being overbearing or
pretentious, which is why it works so well and has become such a popular
venue. We visited twice this week, once mid-week for their lunch deal
(which has sadly just increased from £5 to £5.95, therefore
taking it just over the perceived 'excellent value for money' deal that
it was) and once for a friend's birthday on a weekend evening. Complimentary
foccacia bread is served when you are seated at your table, no matter
whether you are there for lunch, dinner or one of their meal deals.
It is best eaten with a dash of olive oil and a sprinkling of rock salt.
For the lunch deal we each chose a pizza and a glass of house white,
and the pizzas certainly do not disappoint. Branca offers three pizzas
on the regular menu, and from this we chose the parma ham and red onion,
and the pepperoni, mozzerella and chilli. I can also recommend the gorgonzola
risotto which I have sampled many times before. On our second trip as
part of the birthday outing we opted for the duck with a side of chips,
and the mushroom and goats cheese ravioli with a side of rocket and
parmesan salad. Both choices were excellent. On the wine front the Lugana
(£17.95 per bottle) and the Arpeggio (£11.45 per bottle)
were chosen as the white (I only sampled the former, which was lovely),
and the red wine choice of the Barbera (£3.85 for a glass) was
well received. Starters are in the region of £6; mains range from
£8 for a pasta dish, to around £17 for the fillet steak.
Side dishes are around £2-3 each. The lunch (12-5 Mon-Fri) and
early supper (5-7 Mon-Fri) deals are good value, with the former comprising
either a starter, risotto or pizza and a glass of house wine or a Peroni
for £5.95, and the latter comprising two courses with a glass
of house wine or a Peroni for £10. Should you be looking to buy
a present for a fan of the restaurant, you can purchase Branca gift
vouchers. I would thoroughly recommend giving it a try, and from the
popularity of the place there are obviously many people who also believe
it to be worth a visit.
Nicki Sneath
Branca is the newest
addition to the string of bohemian establishments along Walton Street,
cashing in on the fashionable atmosphere that has grown up around Jericho
in recent years. It has certainly made an impact, being highly noticeable
with its curved glass facade and modern styling. The focus is allegedly
on Italian food, though on further investigation we found reason to
doubt this.
The compelling exterior is certainly not let down by a very unusual
interior decor, catching the eye everywhere you look. It's not entirely
cohesive, but always interesting, with some wonderful touches: the olive
tree growing indoors under glass at the back is especially elegant.
The Japanese-style bathrooms are also attention-grabbing, though more
thought seems to have been given to appearance than to functionality:
a recurring theme here.
After all of this, it's easy to forget you're actually there to eat:
and at this point, things start to go a little downhill. There's a rather
limited menu and some of the dishes looked less than irresistible: the
vegetarian choice is especially bad. One of the few dishes on the menu
that actually purported to be suitable for veggies turned out to be
incorrectly labelled, and contained (shock horror) one anchovy, which
they seemed unable to leave out. Still, with pizza and pasta available
as well as meat and fish main courses, it's unlikely to be an insurmountable
problem.
The starters varied in quantity as well as quality, from a substantial
crab risotto - interesting, although not quite piquant enough - or a
rather paltry Rocket and Parmesan Salad, which was simply that. The
soup and the squid were perfectly passable, if uninspiring. An average
main course will set you back �10, so it was a little disappointing
that the portions weren't larger. Having said that, plenty of care was
taken with the presentation, and the flavours were balanced well: I
never realised tuna and tomato made such a good combination. Corn fed
chicken with artichokes, potato wedges and aioli was also a wise choice.
It was fairly uninspiring, but the chicken was obviously organic, and
tasted well, and the artichokes lifted the flavours of the dish.
We didn't bother with dessert or wine, but the 'Chocolate Nemesis' looked
interesting. They only offer Italian wines, which may not be to everyone's
taste. The immaculate presentation was kept up right to the end, with
a pleasant Latte served in an elegant tall glass. 'The Damage', as they
put it (cue hollow laugh), came to �65 for 4 (relatively restrained)
lunches: a full dinner for two with wine and/or cocktails would be at
least this much.
Interestingly, for a place where such an inordinate amount of money
has been spent on presentation, the service was absolutely appalling.
Our waiter was disinterested and seemingly disenfranchised from the
sleek atmosphere Branca aspires to: 3 pieces of bread amongst four of
us were dumped on our table, the drinks didn't arrive until a few moments
into the starters, and our bill was wrong. Furthermore, the maitre d'
was a great deal more interested in hob-nobbing with the waves of Jerichoese
that inhabit the place, than performing any of the actual functions
of his job.
Overall, Branca aims to cater for a rather select crowd, mainly of young,
affluent and highly fashion-conscious professionals. An awful lot of
networking was going on round the bar, even on a Wednesday afternoon,
and everyone seemed to be kissing everyone else with great determination.
If you're not a part of this particular world, Branca may be a bit mystifying,
and certainly seem dubious value for money. If that is your scene, then
to be honest you're probably there already most evenings...
Alastair Wilson
& Sarah Montgomery
|
|
We
also have independent.co.uk
to thank for the following review of Branca...
Branca
By Caroline Stacey
3 March 2001
Good-looking Jericho newcomer with bare brick walls, chandeliers and
staff in white T-shirts.
The menu makes a less striking impression, though it is attractively
flexible, starting from an Italian position and ending up more widely
European. Antipasti from the deli counter start at �4.50, up to �14.95
for all six; there are pasta dishes, risotto, and pizza.
Main courses are �7.50-�13.50 - hake fillet with olive oil mash and
squid-ink sauce is one example.
A third view...
Tempted by a two-courses-for-ten-pounds deal into a virtually empty
Branca on a sunny and frolick-filled May Day, I was in a good mood but
prepared (by the review on the left!) to face disappointment.
Apart from the irritating discovery that a glass of wine counted as
a course, however, I was impressed. A huge pizza with everything was
too much for my partner after his equally delicious (if glutinous) butternut
squash risotto, so I helped him out after polishing off my oven-baked
tomato, mozarrella and rocket salad with a glass of house white. My
partner's glass of red (Barbera Çavergana) was equally tasty,
and free bread was ample. Expensive, yes; rich, yes; trendy, yes. But
reasonably friendly too (despite the intimidatingly attractive staff),
and we didn't feel out of place, even in our post May-Eve scruffiness.
Worth at least one visit.
Su Jordan, May 1st, 2002
|
