The Swan & Castle - Oxford, England. Having previously enjoyed a Wetherspoons pub in London, my brother-in-law had somehow not gone to any of the ones in Oxford in spite of living there. This is one of roughly a couple located in Oxford, this one being situated within the site Oxford Castle; Oxford Castle has been fitted out as an area for cafes and eateries. They share an al fresco section while having their own space. Within the middle of the courtyard, there is a "beach" sandpit for kids to play in while their parents meet up or to tide over until the meals come out. It is even complete with a volleyball net and some ping pong tables adjacent as well. Oxford Castle itself is a great place for meeting up with people and choosing somewhere to eat.
One of these places is the Wetherspoons pub, with the title "Swan and Castle". I have been here a couple of times as part of a general meeting up with people. The first time around, my brother-in-law and I were meeting with my sister and both felt like some drinks. This was nearby, and because of his newly found love of Wetherspoons it was selected.
I have discussed Wetherspoons before - going to detail with the Plough & Harrow in London (if you so care to know). Again, for brevity each one fits out the space it is given well to create an efficiently run pub and a friendly air that the family can come to. It is a distant memory for the pub being too seedy for kids or anyone underage and there are reasons right here.
Inside of the Swan & Castle, there is the variety of seating available and a giant spacious dining area inside. It is more of a sports bar, and with the World Cup on then, it was playing with people watching with various degrees of interest. Toilets are down the stairs and a few gaming machines were in sight.
Going here with the drinks, with me not being a drinker of alcohol I went ahead with their coffee & cake deal. You get to chose any kind of coffee (except for filter after a certain hour, nevermind "bottomless") to have alongside a slice of carrot cake with any choice of coffee available; I went with a cappuccino. Upon both visits, I actually had this (cappuccino in tact). The coffee is good, a decent enough cup to pass when you are simply feeling like coffee. This is not a place you go to when seeking out a coffee, therefore it passes in that regard. The portion of cake is ideal for a snack and as a dessert course; it is also very moist, and has a thick layer of cream cheese frosting that holds it together. As a deal, this is honestly quite a good entry and covers the sweet tooth market.
Also on the first visit here, there were discussions for getting a small something to eat before dinner. Although one party was a bit against it, another party was seeing ways to get value into it. Quite a number of meals on the menu come with a choice of drink; it was all a case of getting the best savings. Along with getting the Guinness for the drinks, a simple bit of food was chosen. The classic hot dog, which came with a side of fries, was therefore selected. This was a simple boiled sausage in a roll, with the condiments tray bought out. The sausage was plumped, inside soft bread and the fries were well cooked.
Also amongst the Guinness orders were a couple of "Porn Star" cocktails, so I could try a bit there was one sans alcohol. Without the vodka, the Porn Star has a combination of mango, passion fruit, orange and lime juice in it creating a sweet and fruity marsala of flavours.
Another time coming here was to meet a couple of people, and Wetherspoons is known enough as a place to come to for a simple catching up. There was another one nearby which was not getting too much of a good reception so it was settled upon going back here. Only one of them ended up coming. Regardless, I ended up with another good meal.
Between the people to share, the Wetherspoons Sharer platter was ordered. An array of the finger foods from the menu is served as a starter: think chicken wings, spicy king prawns, chicken strips, onion rings and fries alongside several dips. I managed to nick a prawns, chicken strip and some onion rings - all were fairly good as starter points. Due to the big meal challenge that I had put upon myself, I had to reserve a big amount of space in my stomach.
It might not have been the fullest I have ever felt, yet it was a good thing I did. One of their options was a mixed grill which is a meaty platter of gammon, pork loin, rump steak, lamb and a Lincolnshire sausage; as with the other options on the grill section of the menu it is served with fries, peas, a tomato and flat mushroom. Anyone here think that does not quite sound like enough? Never fear! There is the large mixed grill which adds another sausage, an egg and some onion rings. For some reason, I did not get the onion rings. Never mind though, I thought to go the whole hog and get a side of ribs.
I also got to try a bit of a burger, and it was generously portioned. Plenty of good beef on a soft, moreish bun. For the price tag, this is also pretty darn good.
As for the platter, it was not as much of a challenge to get through as I thought it would be. The selection of meats was good, with various tastes and textures helping it get a bit of variety. I personally like the gammon the most - it had the texture of a lean pork chop, and some of the flavours of bacon. Nothing was overcooked, and the amount of vegetables in it helped keep a balance so not to feel overwhelmed by protein. The ribs were served on the side, and it was essentially a small serving complete with a heavy amount of sauce basted on it. This might have even been the best aspect of the entire meal; it was essentially how tender and buttery the meat was pulling the meat off the bone. All of it added up to a nice hearty meal that - again - highlights what the pub is essentially always been for in terms of gastronomics.
I still reiterate that Wetherspoons has caught on to a good middle ground with the pubs. It gets the idea of how English cuisine and eating has changed in recent history with attention to detail about their ingredients, plus what the key meals of English cuisine now are. Far from the gastropubs, it catches the attention of a lot of people and has spread out around the British Isles. How it works will vary depending on the location, and this one works just fine for the odd bit of childminding.
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