The Big Bang Pop-up Restaurant

North Oxford foodies might recall the Big Bang, a restaurant on Walton Street that specialised in (ie. exclusively served) sausage & mash. Unfortunately, it had to close, making way for student accommodation. A single pork-scented tear rolled down the cheek of banger-lovers everywhere.

But of late the Big Bang has been sighted, roaming the Oxford restaurant scene like the restless ghost of an en-sausaged pig. Rising phoenix-like from meaty ashes, it is reincarnated as one of the latest innovations on the Oxford dining scene: the Pop-Up Restaurant.

Supper clubs - where strangers meet for a meal in a private household, like anonymous dinner parties - have long been popular in London. The pop-up restaurant is less formal than a traditional restaurant, and more open (and legal) than supper clubs, which rely on secret locations discovered via the internet and social media to remain both exclusive and one step ahead of licensing and zoning regulations. Like pop-up galleries, the idea is to make use of otherwise abandoned urban spaces, turning empty buildings into temporary, experimental restaurants.

Oxford Brookes Restaurant is normally a place for catering students to practice their skills during daily lunch service - but the rest of the day, it’s a fully-equipped professional restaurant that happens to have nobody in it. Max Mason, former owner/manager of the Big Bang, saw his chance, and now on Thursday to Saturday evenings from 5pm till 11, you can devour bangers and mash once more.

In these tight-belted times, thrifty (and hungry) customers need an extra reason to head to restaurants. “You have to provide either incredible food, an incredible price, or an incredible experience,” says Max Mason, “and pop-ups give you that experience.” Plus, he adds, savings on short-term leases can be passed on to the customer.

Pop-ups are clearly popular: another pop-up, Oxfork, has gone from supper club to pop-up restaurant to full-time eatery on the strength of its clientele. And the Big Bang has also been successful in its new venue, although it’s likely to be a quick bang - Max wants to move to new premises in North Oxford or the city centre soon.

It’s the freedom that pop-up restaurants bring that really excites Max; he says that you can use them as test cases, trying new dishes, new atmospheres in which to dine, and a different style of eating. “Oxford is becoming a real gastronomic hub”, says Max. Driven by social media, through which restaurants can connect with a loyal, trend-setting clientele, dining out is set to become as relaxed and laid-back as visiting a friend’s house for dinner.

Running a pop-up restaurant or supper club in Oxford? We'd love to hear from you: info@dailyinfo.co.uk

Alwyn Collinson (Unverified), 11/11/11

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