The Oakford is somewhere I discovered thanks to my friend Izzy - it's near Reading station and is basically a pub; however, it is quite a cool pub, with dim lighting, fairy lights in the smoking area, weird decorations (frogs on the wall?!) and board games.
I always feel like I'm a massive nerd (and that I will be looked down on for being far too "mainstream"!) when I go in due to the hipster-y bar staff and some of the clientele - however, the food is really good, and when I went yesterday there were also lots of business people still in their suits post work, so I felt less out of place!
The pub is actually part of a chain I think; they all have different names but the menu is the same (the "Ruby Jean's diner" menu) - Georgina had one in Nottingham and Izzy said there is one in Brighton too. The menu is quite reasonably priced and varied enough that I always have trouble choosing what to have as there is so much good stuff.
In the end I went for the macaroni cheese with chorizo
And a portion of chips
The macaroni cheese was served in a frying pan on a wooden board which I thought made it look cool. It was a really tasty as there was a lot of cheese, and the chorizo added an amazing flavour, but I had a few problems with it. Firstly, I would have liked it to be twice the size, and have double the amount of chorizo as I felt both portion sizes were a bit stingy. Secondly, while it didn't actually inhibit the taste, the menu states it is cooked in a "creamy cheese sauce"; I felt that there wasn't enough sauce and it was more like just melted cheese - it still tasted great but to me it made it less like an actual macaroni cheese. Finally, I like a crispy cheese topping on my macaroni cheese which sadly this one lacked. I am glad I tried it and I did enjoy it, but I think next time I will go for something different (which hopefully has a more generous portion size!).
The chips are twice cooked and were as soft and delicious as usual - they have French's mustard at the Oakford which I absolutely love. Double dipping the chips in ketchup and French's = heaven.
Becky and Kate both chose the bacon cheese burger as it is 2 for 1 burgers all day on Tuesday
I normally love the burgers here (only didn't get one last night as I'm having a burger for tea tonight!) but last night they looked a little more cooked than they usually are, and than I like; however, Becky said it was still really good so it might just be me being fussy! They have loads of really good extra toppings which you can add as well; last time I came I had a burger with cheese, pulled pork and pickles - delicious and juicy!
My one and only issue with the burgers here is that the little baskets they serve them in do not give enough space for sauce dipping areas - I wanted ketchup, mayo and French's to dip in this time and there was just no space!!
The Oakford is somewhere I will definitely be going back to - so many dishes to sample, so little time. You can see their (appropriately "edgy") website here and the Ruby Jean's website here.
Oh, and here is one of the decorative frogs I mentioned...Kate absolutely hates frogs so imagine her delight to discover lots of them decorating the walls! At least she'd finished eating...
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