The Oxford Kitchen and Gastropub — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

Food was great, service was meh. Went for brunch with my husband after a couple confusing phone calls trying to get a reservation (not needed apparently, it wasn't terribly busy at noon). We each ordered a cocktail and an entree The Cocktails: His bloody mary was QUITE good, but the glass was tall and very skinny so it didn't seem like a particularly generous drink. I got the Yamato Sling #3 which was good but WAAAAAAYYYY too sweet. Cloyingly sweet. Like drinking candy sweet. The flavor of the green tea syrup was entirely overpowering. I'd order again, but specify that I'd like it light on the sweetness. Entrees: He got the Tikka Masala and it was fabulous! No complaints. The sauce had very nice tomatoey flavor. The chicken was tender and the naan was soft and pillowy with a crisp bottom. I ordered the Oxford Breakfast which was mostly good. I'd probably get it again if we go back. The bacon and beans were awesome, the bread was good but gave the impression of being thaw and bake rolls. The sausage was good but a it greasy. I'll preface this by saying eggs aren't my favorite things...so take this with a grain of salt if you will...the eggs were too underdone for me to want to try. The about half the white of one egg was entirely transparent and basically looked raw. The rest of the meal had me full enough I didn't feel like I was missing out if I skipped the eggs or I would have asked that they heat them through a bit for me. I know eggs can largely be a matter of personal preference, so someone else might have thought they were fine, but underdone whites freak me out. The man who i believe to be the manager noticed my untouched eggs when he cleared our table, and he did ask if anything was wrong, which was a nice point for service.

Service: We were seated quickly, but the waitstaff seemed rushed the entire time we were there, which was a little surprising because it didn't seem that busy. Maybe they were understaffed today? The most jarring part of the service was that my husband's food came out several minutes (close to 5?) before mine. He was easily half way through before my food came out (i made him start so his wouldn't get cold). That seemed odd to us. Other than that, everything else was fine. Not great...but fine. He got our orders right, nothing was amiss.

Overall, we'd go back if we had a hankering for good tikka masala or english breakfast. My husband wants to try the shepherd's pie too. We're new to the area so we'll probably try to explore a bit more before we revisit The Oxford, but...

The menu suggests there is London as an influence (Britain, UK) but they have strayed a bit from this.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, and I think they have done well to keep the menu size down. They could just be a little more authentic.

Scotch eggs: These were good. Could take a little more salt and pepper but tasty. They are ground lamb scotch eggs, which is not the traditional variety from the UK. Ground pork is the traditional coating around the egg. Great to see the eggs not rock hard inside. Just cooked nicely. And beautifully presented. I would suggest add a small fork to the serving platter if it is being shared. As a group, nobody wanted to use their own “used” fork to take some coleslaw from the platter.

Fish and chips: In the UK fish and chips is served with a piece of fish, typically a fillet or half fillet from the side of the fish. However, here as with most US fried fish presentation, there are rectangular pieces of fish battered and fried. I don’t know why they do this. It is not British though 😆.. There is a side of mushy peas for an extra $2. Don’t waste your money!! They are just the Birds Eye frozen peas (or similar brand), mashed up with a fork. Not mushy peas at all. We did give the feedback but they still charged for them. If you are serving fish and chips and offering mushy peas, have the mushy peas available. Mushy peas are marrowfat peas, not frozen garden peas. A good brand to buy is Bachelors. They are available in tins or dried (if using dried: soak, add bicarb and salt and boil - google the recipe and really make them authentic!)

Bangers & Mash (Sausages): Very good. The sausages were good, the mash very good, and kale went well and not over cooked. If this establishment gets proper mushy peas, they could offer them as a kale alternative, as this would also be British in style.

Service was pretty good, though the bangers and mash took significantly longer to arrive while everyone politely waited to start eating.

Would I...

Great food and great service! Lovely options for vegetarians and lacto-ovo-vegetarians like myself. We ordered an English omelette brunch with spinach and feta stuffing with potatoes on the side (the order was totally meat free). We were, however, served meat on the side instead. Upon pointing this out, our order was taken back and remade properly, no questions asked. We were specifically asked if it was okay for the meat to be taken off the plate and the potatoes be put on the same plate and served again. We expressed our discomfort and requested for a fresh plate and the entire order was recooked without any drama.

We also ordered waffles which came with some cut bananas, strawberries, a small cup of maple syrup and a tiny mound of whipped cream. I do not like maple syrup and requested for it to be replaced with chocolate sauce, which was done at no extra charge (happy me!). However, what was disappointing was that the proportion of the bananas, berries and whipped cream was far too less for one BIG waffle that they serve. I would have given 5 stars if I didn't have to economise so much with my sides and still end up having no sides for more than a quarter of my waffle!

Shall go back again for sure, but perhaps not order the waffles unless the quantity of sides improves.

PS: be prepared to spend a few quid here.

Covid19 related information as on 29/08/2020- Masks are mandatory, only outdoor seating is available. You can access the restroom inside the...