Restaurant & Drinking Establishment
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Enormous trendy piano-bar-restaurant in the Oxford Castle complex. Wireless internet access. Private hires possible. |
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1 Oxford Castle Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues |
I've eaten here a few times, usually with a big group eating on a set menu, and have had one bad experience (ran out of practically everything on the menu, v slow service etc.), but mostly fairly average. The service is always good and friendly but I don't think the food is quite up to the same standard. It's tasty enough, but seems overpriced (especially when ordering off a set menu). I also think that while it might call itself a 'fusion' restaurant, what that actually means is that there are just lots of quite stereotypical dishes from different countries ex. steak with peppercorn sauce (France), thai fishcakes, crispy duck and pancakes. So that's good if you just can't decide what you want to eat, but not exactly 'fusion food'. Also, it seems to attract a lot of young people going out on dates. I wouldn't have any issue with this (I'm only 19 myself), but last night the person sitting opposite me had 2 people getting off with each other in his line of sight for about 20 minutes, which wasn't very pleasant for him. Essentially, this is a nice enough place but it seems to be reliant on its decor and prices to give off an 'upmarket atmosphere' without this being reflected in the food. Anon, 28/01/10 Had a truly lovely evening here the other night (Sunday). The waiters are superb, attentive without being obtrusive. Live music was fantastic, really comfy sofas to curl up in with a drink and watch the world go by. LOVE IT! Soufs, 04/01/10 Went to The Living Room for a work Xmas do recently. Have never been to this branch of the chain having only visited the one in Newcastle. Initial impressions were good as the bar area was suitably classy with nice booths and leather furnishings overlooking a long bar with cosy lighting. The staff were very friendly and the barman very knowledgable finding me an off-menu spirit that I requested. Everything seems a little expensive but this is a premium bar on the tourist trail in Oxford city centre so I suppose it's understandable. The food was from their Xmas set menu. I started with salmon which was presented as a mousse/pate with melba toasts. It was perfectly ok and better than many Xmas meal starters I've had before. I sampled someone else's asparagus soup and was very glad I didn't choose that as it was very salty - the soup had chunky bits of asparagus floated in and was far too watery and had a distinctly bitter edge to it. My main of steak was pretty good. It was accompanied by a very good sauce and excellent crispy roast potatoes and seasonal veg. If anything the steak was the weak point as I had requested it be cooked rare but it actually came more blue than I would have wished (usually overcooking is the issue I have elsewhere so this at least made a change). It was also very difficult to cut even with a steak knife. I felt a bit hard done-by with pudding as my xmas pud with brandy sauce was more like a miniature Mr Kipling-esque Xmas pud (that was gone in 4 spoonfuls) with a distinctly un-brandyish custard. The chocolate torte some others had though looked very good. Our party had a few issues with the bills for both drinks and food which rankled with some of our group but the staff did their best to sort things out. Overall a good night in a nice environment. I would certainly return with friends or family in the future. Joe B, 09/12/09 I have been a loyal customer of The Living Room Oxford for many years now and have yet to be disappointed with the place. The staff are wonderfully friendly, the cocktails amazing, and the food tasty and hot. The live music they have playing at the weekends is always a treat and my wife and I always look forward to our meals there. Keep it up guys! Steve01, 17/11/09 My wife & I went for lunch at The Living Room yesterday (Friday 13th November 2009); up until then I had heard of the restaurant but didn't actually know where it was. We had however eaten at the Edinburgh restaurant and had been very pleased with the food. Our meal at Oxford was even better than our time at the Edinburgh outlet: the food was excellent (and extremely good value), the staff were welcoming and attentive but not obtrusive. If you think it's going to be expensive, it's not - you can get a good meal (2 courses) with a glass of wine for about £20, all in very acceptable surroundings. Despite some of the (very old) reviews available online, this restuarant is an excellent place to go with friends (or on your own). A superb lunch, thanks to everyone at The Living Room. AJB, 14/11/09 Absolutely amazed at a couple of these reviews; I have been drinking and dining in the Living Room for a couple of years now, and have never had a bad evening! The bar staff are always quick to say hi to you, even when they're busy (I saw a guy serving 4 people at the same time on Saturday, whilst the lady next to me could barely remember her own round!). The waiting staff are a bit hit and miss. The good ones are amazing, though you can tell those who are a bit new. However, they all know what they're talking about regarding dishes, and can comfortably recommend something if you're not sure. Probably why I've never had a bad meal in there - I always ask what's good! Tried out Sunday night last night, and was thrilled to see they have a new open mike night going on! Good work guys! James, 16/02/09 Having read these reviews I cannot believe that these people are talking about the the same place that I went to!!! I recently visited the Living Room for the first time and I loved it. It was my boyfriend's birthday and the waiters made the effort to acknowledge this and even put a candle in the dessert. The food was ever so slightly over priced however the service made up for this. We were met at the door by a delightful young girl who later came round to check how we were doing. All in all the staff were attentive and helpful. I would recomend the Living Room to anyone Polly, 20/01/09 Ate at the Living Room on Tuesday December 16 and can honestly say it was the worst food and service I have ever experienced. Food was slow to arrive and was barely warm. Vegetables arrived rather later than the main part of the meal meaning the barely warm food was cold by the time all items had made it to the table. Wine was terrible overpriced plonk. Difficult to find anything nice to say about the place...the barman was friendly. I would say avoid this place but sometimes you have to try things for yourself and some people seem to like it. Courtly Fool, 17/12/08 Ate at the Living Room for the first time tonight & am happy to say it won't be the last. I had great service, a really unusual Indian Chardonnay-Semillon & the best sea bass I've had in ages. The restaurant & bar were busy but this didn't detract in any way from my meal. My recommendation: try the chocolate fondue to share (a fantastic way to finish off a meal with someone special!). Anonymouse, 24/04/08 My boyfriend and I ate at The Living Room last night and I have to say I was bitterly disappointed with the whole meal. The food, including the Beef Wellington, looked as though it had been sitting around on the kitchen side all evening. So much so we sent our main course back: having requested our beef medium rare, it appeared at our table well done and cold. The accompanying vegetables were cold and bland. Drinks took an age to appear. The staff were like the food, cold. All in all, I won't be eating there again, nor will I recommend The Living Room to anyone. An Onymous, 15/02/08 I have just been to The Living Room for the first time and had such a great experience. It is exactly the kind of place Oxford needs, slighty more upmarket, great food and sexy bartenders! I am not a student anymore...and it was so nice being in such a grown-up, relaxed atmosphere. Tried the food for lunch and although they don't have a lunch menu, food was really quick to arrive and delicious. Will definitely recommend it. Laura, 22/11/07 My flatmates and I went to The Living Room on Tuesday night for dinner, but left before we ate. There weren't many people there although there were plenty of waiters. No-one came to seat us so we sat down at a nice table outside. 15 minutes later we still had no menus. Half an hour later, it was like the waiters were just looking over our heads. No-one offered us drinks, we tried to catch the waiter's attention....nothing! After 45 minutes and no drinks/food/orders being taken, we jumped the rope fence over to the next restaurant which was a total breath of fresh air! Don't think I would ever recommend The Living Room to anyone... sorry. Liz, 02/08/07 On Saturday I booked a room at Malmaison. Fantastic hotel in a great setting. After eating in the hotel, on returning to my room I could hear music, fun and laughter. I discovered it was coming from the Living Room. Not content with missing out, I went down to the bar. It was lively and buzzing, What a great place! Fantastic service and a good atmosphere. Danced and had fun until 2am, only to return the next day for lunch. Again, great service, good menu choice and to top it all off a pianist. Relaxed and well looked after. What more could you ask for? Thank you, keep it up. Claire, 27/05/07 I have recently moved to Oxford from South Africa and have since made this venue MY living room. I love the bar (particularly on quieter nights when you can enjoy the dry wit of the barstaff) and am slowly working my way through the massive cocktail list. Ended up in their VIP bar last weekend & it was a great chilled contrast to the main area which was rammed. Have only managed to eat here a couple of times but both times have been great with a really enjoyable personal service style (similar to back home). Looking forward to a summer on the terrace drinking mojitos in the sun! Kez, 20/04/07 Agree with Devon, last ate in the Living Room in July - experience not good!! Was there last Saturday and the the place has been transformed. Food excellent, reasonably priced wine and service (mainly from Alex) is some of the best I have had in Oxford. Look forward to returning soon. Lauren, 06/04/07 Enjoyed a pleasant meal in the Living Room last night, which suggests that the reviews on this website might have made a positive difference to the establishment. The atmosphere was second to none (despite the gaggle of office Christmas parties) and the moodily lit restaurant a pleasing change from the current vogue. The food (although no nouvelle cuisine) was certainly enjoyable (I had the lamb which simply melted in my mouth!) and the cocktails (a tad overpriced) were skillfully prepared by our bartender. I would suggest that those thinking of going to this restaurant (& certainly those who may have had "interesting" experiences there in the past) judge for themselves - perhaps a leopard can change its spots... Devon, 09/12/06 I went to the Living Room before with my girlfriend and recently she went there with her work colleagues for the Christmas meal. How do I sum it up? Absolutely terrible! According to my girlfriend's account it was as bad as our service last time: - slow service even though it is quiet there (it took 3 hours to have a meal!) - they forgot about us because we were tucked away in a corner - we had to go find a waiter in the end to ask for our desserts! - when our desserts arrived they were tepid (yuck!) - dull dry food, overpriced, no nice trimmings that normally come with Christmas lunch. - they overcharged us on our bill Overall, a complete waste of money. Ant, 08/12/06 We have visited the Oxford branch of The Living Room on several occasions. Saturday evenings are very busy with poor bar service, however the worst experience was on a reasonably quiet Sunday afternoon. We ordered one bottle of wine at the bar and took it out to the patio, where we happily slurped it down. Later we ordered another bottle from the table waiter - it took a couple of reminders before it arrived. I asked for the bill from the table server for our last bottle of wine, while my partner decided to go and get a table at another restaurant so I waited to pay. And waited, and waited, and waited. So I asked again, and again. Eventually I gave up. After 30 minutes of sitting on my own, asking two different members of staff, still no bill. I have never walked off from a bar or restaurant before, but I was so fed up of asking and waiting if they won't give me the bill, what can I do? Wouldn't recommend, although I have been to other branches of The Living Room where the service has been far superior. Bex, 07/10/06 The Living Room has a long way to come if it wants to be a long-running success in Oxford. I think their original plan was for a more bar focused version of Browns Restaurant, possibly more up-market. They have largely succeeded with the location, decor and admittedly impressive (looking) drinks menu (I have yet to dine there and so cannot comment on the food) but, for the prices (more suited to London or Hong Kong than Oxford!) the service really does not meet with expectations. Having rented one of their private rooms for a friend's birthday shortly after The Living Room opened (a time at which service is surely most important?) I was left with the impression that they simply couldn't be bothered with us and couldn't wait to get us out of there fast enough. Not endearing at all! In short, The Living Room does not meet the standard its prices set. Oli, 07/07/06 Having received quite bad service (slow; being charged for drinks that never arrived) the first time we tried the Living Room, two of my friends and myself decided to give it another chance. It was an exceedingly painful experience. The restaurant was less than a quarter full when we arrived but we were told there would be a wait of half an hour for a table. Undeterred, we headed to the bar where we had to wait another ten minutes to be served. When we were finally shown to our table, we had to wait further for our orders to be taken and the simple jug of water we ordered took another ten minutes to arrive. We also had to ask for clean glasses. We were then told that one of our plates had been dropped and that the food would take another five minutes. When it finally did surface, two of the sandwiches that the waitress had told us would come with chips were sadly devoid of such accompaniments. The fact that my friend's measly salmon sandwich cost more than my Club sandwich and arrived in the middle of a huge white plate, with not even a sprig of parsley or a limp lettuce leaf to keep it company was laughable. When we disputed this with the waiter that had brought our meals, he went away and spoke to the waitress but then continued to serve other customers, ignoring us. We called the waitress over and finally got a side order of chips, which we had to ask to be removed from the bill at the end. We were offered a free round of drinks to make up for our wait, but neither had the patience or the will to risk wasting another minute of our lives. It's a shame, because although overpriced, the food was generally good and live musicians and DJs have always been excellent. Liza, 01/05/06 When the living room first opened I dined with a party of four. Starters of Mussels, Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes were ordered, they arrived in relatively good time (it was a Saturday night). Main courses of fillet steaks and Venison again arrived in relatively good time. The steak was cooked perfectly to my liking, but there was not much else other than 'instant' tasting and looking mash and a lack of vegetables, for the cost of £17.95 I would have preferred 'real' mash. Overall an average night and somewhat overpriced. The waitress was cheerful, but my only qualm was that as she was opening our wine she chipped the bottle and seemed 'annoyed' that we requested another bottle to be opened. I thought this was a reasonable request and another bottle arrived to be opened. Overall live music was fantastic, modern surroundings, reasonable service but overpriced. Anon, 28/03/06 When the Living Room first opened I went with my husband for an afternoon snack - very quick service, very friendly staff. I only had a burger and fries and it was very nice. Recommend. Everyone has their own opinion though. Katy, 23/01/06
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