When we visited the new look Royal Oak in Twickenham, it had been open for less than 2 weeks. Not that you could tell, the place had a welcoming vibe and didn’t feel overly engineered.
The staff were welcoming, even before we told them we were there to review them. After seating us next to the kitchen, they left us to peruse the menu which wasn’t particularly long or overly complex, so our hope was that they got the small things right.
Though I really wanted to try the Truman’s RAW Lager, I decided to go with what my boss wanted. The waiter recommended La Playa Sauvignon Blanc Estate Series 2016 which was 2nd on the list after the house wine. It was light and refreshing and at well under £20 for the bottle, it felt like good value.
For starters I chose Chicken livers, smoked lardon, sourdough. Not the most Instagram friendly of dishes, but very very tasty.
Lucy went with Gazpacho, heritage tomatoes, tapenade. This was super fresh and worked particularly well with the wine selection.
For the mains we decided to divide and conquer, I went with a wonderfully fresh and clean tasting Pulled lamb, fennel, pomegranate, yoghurt and fresh mint foot long Pizza Plank.
Lucy went for the Rare Angus striploin with horseradish cream, again this was a very tasty plate of food, but that said it wasn’t perfect. The veg (there was some honest) though nice, was more on the mushy side, it lacked some crunch veg which would have added some depth and colour to the dish.
There was really only one option for desert, the other options looked good, but you have to do the brownie test if it’s presented to you. The warm chocolate and hazelnut brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce was nigh on perfect for me. Even in my full state, I’m pretty sure I could have fitted in another one.
I did of course have one last thing to try, the Truman’s RAW Larger which is stored in a tank above the bar and was freshly delivered just a few days earlier.
I can happily say it was a great pint, okay so the angels didn’t start singing as I drank it, but it was lovely and it’s a great USP for the pub. If you visit, I would definitely recommend a pint or 3.
The Royal Oak isn’t just about the food and drink. They have a quiz night every Wednesday and a couple of rooms for hire, one for meetings/ private dining which also includes a ‘Press for Beer’ button 🙂 Plus a bigger room for parties, complete with a funky van bar. Take a look at our image gallery below for some more pics and visit their website for more info
