So this is where the full on meat eating began!
The Royal Oak, infamous for its links with The Krays and (unfortunately) Guy Ritchie. Well I say Guy Ritchie I mean his film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which is probably the only half decent film he ever made. The Royal Oak was the location for the pub Samoan Joes, out back the ‘Samoan Joe’s’ sign still remains, loitering above you whilst you go outside for a cheeky cig. You inhale, sit back (as much as you can on a wooden bench) shivering (as it is now winter) and whilst exhaling think ‘aggggh yes, I now feel a little less guilty about spending hours in the boozer. I am being cultured.’
So apart from the unfortunate links with psycho mob murderers and Guy Ritchie let’s crack on.
The pub is everything a proper pub should be; the pub is lined with wooden Oak panels and wooden flooring oozing the character of its day. Back in it’s day The Royal Oak was a proppppa East end pub, none of this fancy scmantzy ra ra middle classness oh no!
There are different sized wooden tables, chairs and stools scattered about the place. The bar sits itself perfectly in the centre of the pub us punters surrounding it… this is good for two reasons. 1. It really adds to the social aspect, ie you can check people out better and 2. It makes the cue for the bar seem shorter thus helping prevent, what I call Bar Rage. Further towards the back of the pub are a few more tables and a nice warm fire. This leads out to the back where they’re where you can perch on one of the benches. There’s also a coffee machine out here too which is usually rammed on Sunday day times.
So, following on from my first Blog I ordered the Roast Beef. The first in years!
The Beef was rare sliced not too thick and not too thin… a mound of it piled on top of some tasty cabbage fried with bacon. The roast potatoes hidden away in the cabbage so it felt like a treasure hunt. However when I reached said treasure I was disappointed, although crispy, the potatoes were dry and tasted like they had been left standing for too long and then microwaved… not good. I ordered extra lashings of gravy, which helped!
The horseradish was spot on, creamy with the right amount of harshness … possibly perfection as far as horseradish goes (watch this, it’s probably Sainsbury’s own)
Anyway few weeks later mi mum decided to come down and visit from Land of the Scouse, Liverpoooooool. She’s not really Souse though. Mi Nan is. Mi Mam was born in Sheffield, she then toured around the country and the Norf until finally settling there and creating a semi well spoken, semi Northern accent.
Mi Mam came down with a family friend from Bolton. Family Friend is as Bolton as thi come… born and bread. If you’ve ever seen Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights and you’ve got it. I’m not joking, the people of Bolton are one of a kind. Apart from being born there, I spent a lot of my youth in Bolton and you know what, there is no other place in the land like it. Bolton may as well be a separate country than a town. Bolton land of the Kekkle, Buz and the Big Light!
Mi Mam came down from Liverpool with Family Friend, I forgot to mention that to me Family Friend is my Auntie, not my real Auntie, just mi mum’s mate who I now call Auntie. We’ve all got one (Once again sense the Kay-ness)! So because The Royal Oak’s roast was proper top notch and the vibe was buzzin I thought it the perfect place to take mi Mam and a Family Friend when they came down. Whilst arranging the roast I called my mate Toppers to see if she was on it, mid-conversation, Topper’s controversial hearing led to her believe that Family Friend’s name was in fact Wayne. Family Friend’s actual name is Elaine… agggh yes, Auntie Wayne… stuck forever!
So mi Mum, mi Man and Auntie Wayne went down T’pub… we were running late so got a cab, got a cab everywhere that weekend, non-Londoners find it really hard to understand that you walk or get the bus everywhere.
We walked down Columbia Rd; the flower markets all packing up and practically giving away their stock,
The scent of Christmas trees was infused with the cold crisp smell of the air, it made your nose hairs tingle.
We walked into The Royal Oak, a wall of heat hit us in and an intense smell of what can only be described as Christmas wafted up our nostrils; Mulled wine and hot-spiced cider A-brewing.
We went upstairs to the dining area. Being it an occasion we opened proceedings with a pint and a Bottle of Prosecco. Pure class us northern birds! Mums ere so no messing about. This was followed by a lovely glass of Malbec with the grub.
The food was yummy and just how I remembered; unfortunately this time the beef was a little tougher and less rare than before.
For Afters we had a cheese board, apple crumble &cream and profiteroles with hazelnut sauce Mr J and Man Friend were sharing their deserts, however Man Friend didn’t seem to want to share his and wolfed it all down thinking no-one would notice. It’s fair to say it didn’t go down well with Mr J… Man Friend left hanging his head in shame.
I wasn’t that in awe of the profiteroles, the apple crumble was warm and comforting, whilst the cheese board was served with bread not crackers… Auntie Wayne was baffled… bread… not good when you’ve just stuffed yourself with half a Cow!
We got he bill, which came to £165, which ain’t half bad for 3 Bottles and a glass of wine, a hot-spiced cider and two courses.
Once comfortably stuffed we went down-stairs and sat at the bar (Pet-Name Boy serving us our drinks). Perched on a bar stool with we all reflected on our meal, despite a few niggly things, there is nothing that can stop you from feeling all warm and glowy inside after eating here.
Food / 10
Beef 8 – amazing first time round, let the side down a bit on a second visit
Potatoes 7 – crispy on the outside, dry in the middle, there were complaints that my table didn’t get enough…
… I on the other hand had at least five, mwwwwa ha haaa
Gravy 6 – good… not memorable
Yorkshire 9 – Nice big Yorkshire on served on top of a mountain of food – crispy and soft was almost there
Horseradish 10 – not too intense or too creamy purrrrfik
Veggie option 0 – No roast love at this pub for a veggie… however there are other types of veggie dish available
Pub 9 - add some sofas and you’ve got a ten!
Overall = 9/10
I love this place; you go there and just feel at home.
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