OXTWO — Restaurant in Oxford

I went here for my 17th birthday for a meal with 4 other people. I have to say it must've been the nicest meal I have had, there was so much variation in the small plates but they always delivered a unique set of flavours. Even the the anchovies which I usually despised were flavourful. You can also immediately see the atmosphere is amazing, the colour palette and design with wine boxes and plants inside was an amazing idea. The service was wonderful as when I was looking through the drinks menu (although I couldn't drink any of the alcohol) the layout was easy and the idea that you can ask the bartender for a specific type of cocktail if it is well known was a wonderful addition. The service was great, waitresses and waiters always had a smile and seemed enthusiastic about what they were doing. But I would still have to say these meals were great, especially sharing them around a...

SWB is a large Wine Bar, very well located in teh heart of the busy Summertown part of Oxford. It is a large size establishment with plenty of waiters. They have a huge range of drinks available, which should satisfy most. Prices are a bit of the high end. WE had some El Presidente rum and a couple of beers (No Wine), tried to get some food, but not a lot of option - Olives, bread (with hardly any butter), nuts and maybe crisps. As we were trying to have a conversation we were interrupted at least 7 times by waiters asking if we wanted anything else to drink... 7 times ! The place was not very busy and they were clearly over-staffed, but come on... give people a break. Us, over 35s, tend not to go out to get pissed, but to socialise and enjoy the time with others, have nice conversations, catch up and have a bite to eat. Shame about the overzealous staff, as the place has a lot...

5 of us went for celebration meal. I'll get my gripe out of the way first.. Portion sizes. It is not good value for money. Everything was just a little too tightly portioned. We spent £50 a head (without booze) and went home kind of hungry. The cheese in particular - we ordered 6 different cheeses (£24) to share between the 5 of us, and there was what I would say was enough a standard cheese course for probably one person. Most of the cost here is in the prep, staff, building etc.. a bit more actual food on the plate is not gonna break the bank guys and would make it a more satisfying experience. That said, the food is excellent, and the service tip-top - really brilliant waitress, knowledgable and enthusiastic about the food, well-informed, friendly and not overly formal. Really good. And the place is beautifully decorated and has a lovely vibe. Just give us a bit more of that...