I may need to ask forgiveness from local restauranteurs, but the Old Parsonage is probably the most high class restaurant in Oxford proper. There is of course Raymond Blanc's flagship just outside, and thr Nut Tree Inn with one Michelin star. Within the city walls, though, there is a lack in good restaurants.
Part of a group of restaurants, the Parsonage is where you take a guest if you want to have a good meal. Less business like than Quod, and less fish bowl like than Gee's (the two ugly sisters).
We had a leisurely lunch to while away some time, so felt like visiting the Parsonage.
Half a dozen starters and mains on the set menu, and some desserts we ignored. A had the rabbit liver and I the ham hock terrine.
We have reached a point which most couples tend to, whereby we know exactly what the both of us will order out of a selection, and the question is who had which. A is a huge fan of liver (as am I) so I deferred to her this time. The rabbit livers, the first time we have tried it, were delicious. A light metallic tang which were mammalian and chewy tasted like excellent chicken livers. The texture was more akin to calves, but softer, and size also seemed similar to poultry. With a little touch of bacon for salt, and little broad beans (fava if you want pretension) to chase around, the starter was excellent.
The terrine was also very good, and not overly salty as they sometimes can be. Good bounce to the meat, and plenty of it. It wasn't excellent and no better than any good potted meat you can find elsewhere, but still an excellent start to a meal. Cornichons weren't necessary, but a traditional accompaniment, I suppose.
The house bread was very nice. Two options were served: a chewy sourdough and a harder (rye?) that provided plenty of opportunity for picking.
A had the kedgeree with poached egg.
The egg in question was just right, and the flavour of the dish was a pleasant balance of fish, rice, and a touch of smoke from the haddock. The colour looked more like artificially dyed haddock than saffron, but that does sound like something the Parsonage would do. My only (slight) complaint was that the rice was overcooked and mushy, it was a little homogenous, lacking more peas for texture, and stingy with the fish. A told me to stop whining. In truth, it wasn't a risotto and the texture wasn't bad. There were some fish bones, which I thought they could have taken more care with, and a few more peas would have added texture. None of this made us unhappy; I am just picking at bones.
I decided on a boring steak frite. The steak frite wasn't boring; I was particularly uninspired that day.
I asked for as rare as they could manage, and to their extreme credit, the thin sirloin was wonderfully pink. As much as you can expect for a minute steak (6oz?). There was some trade off with a brown exterior but I would rather have a pallid, raw piece of beef than all that browning but solid grey throughout. The chips were excellent. Crisp, thick and extremely fluffy inside. I had immediate food envy of the scampi and chips that went past to another table, as the freshly battered scampi looked so enticing. My steak was fine, but pallid is still pallid and the portion was small. Fine for most people I guess, but not for this growing (sideways) boy.
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