Review: The Castle, Islington, London

We descended en masse to trendy Islington in search of a venue for the congregation of my motley university crew. A mere five minute walk from Angel Station and about an easy ten or so minute stroll from King's Cross and St Pancras railway stations, The Castle won on location and my friends previous positive experiences.

A modern take on the traditional English watering hole, The Castle has seating for about sixty and a short, simple menu featuring the classics. They had a great selection of beers from around the world (not to mention Adnams on tap) and a nice wine list, many of which can be enjoyed by the glass. Service was prompt and welcoming when we arrived. Our table had been laid out downstairs but the Spring sunshine was calling us so we asked to move upstairs to their sun-drenched rooftop terrace and they kindly obliged without a grumble.

Having perused the food on offer which included bangers and mash and steak and chips, we placed an order with the friendly manager. Given that we were a party of seven, we were impressed that our meals came out together though the weekend lunch rush wasn't yet fully under way. We were able to set up a tab for our table by swapping a bank card for a business card bearing the Geronimo chain's trademark pig which read "If you wake up with this in your wallet then you've had a fantastic night and your credit card is still behind the bar". Brilliant!

The world was put to rights over a luxuriously leisurely lunch. One of my party tried the establishment's Elvis Burger (above); beetroot, fried egg, a rasher of bacon, onion ring, tons of salad and - not forgetting - a patty of Angus beef served in a crisp bun with a side of skin-on seasoned chips. It's described as a "heart attack in a bun" for a reason! For those with a less elephantine appetite, their run of the mill Angus burger, with or without the optional rasher of bacon, was popular with our party - meaty and smothered with mature cheese. Another of my friends enjoyed their broccoli and Stilton soup, the flavour of the day, which was smooth and flavourful.

I enjoyed a succulent onion and roast garlic tart on a flakey puff pastry crust topped with goats cheese and a poached ducks egg. The combination of sweet onions, silky yolk, crunchy pastry and sharp crumbly chévre was a delight. The bed of rocket, tomato and cucumber dressed in a wholegrain mustard vinegrette made it a light yet satisfying meal. Unfortunately, the poached egg wasn't quite as well done as I would've liked - the white still clear and gloopy in places - though the yolk was a triumph so alls well that ends well.

We finished things off by sharing a few servings of sticky toffee pudding, which as a bit of a let down. It was more like toffee cake drizzled with a little toffee sauce rather than a steamed pudding drenched in rich caramel goodness. It just didn't quite hit the spot, which was a shame after an otherwise lovely meal.

Overall, The Castle - either inside at the bar or outside on the rooftop - is an ideal venue for a chilled out informal lunch or drinks. Grab a pint or glass of your favourite tipple and take your pick from their pleasingly succinct menu but don't bother with dessert.

The Castle can be found at 54 Pentonville Road, Islington, London, N1 9HF. Tel: 020 7713 1858 Main meals: £8 - £14. Puddings: £5 - £7. Nearest Tube: Angel

Review: The Trout, Oxford

I was lucky enough today to be treated to a fantastic lunchtime meal at a pub that I didn't even know existed (quite a crime). The sunny weather had inspired my friend to take us along to the Trout which is in Lower Wolvercote, Oxford. It has a gorgeous riverside terrace and it was his intention for us to enjoy our meal in the sunshine. Sadly, this was everyone else's idea too so we had to make do with a sunny table inside which was no hardship.

The Trout was refurbished in recent years and like many pubs has been done up in the contemporary eclectic gastro-pub style with mix-matched chairs, exposed floorboards and inflated prices. It has its charm for certain and a rather sumptuous menu too. I had the Baked Goats Cheese and Roasted Fig salad with rocket and interestingly, balsamic pickled onions which were a real treat! It was pointed out by the waiter as it's not made clear on the menu that the 'Salads' section of the menu were more like starters... slightly strange in my opinion, why not just have starters and mains? Anyway, it was a bit small though very tasty. My friend enjoyed one of their pizzas which looked very good. It wasn't horrendously expensive either with two of us eating two courses and coffee for less than £30.

The ambience and setting to this pub are fantastic. Ample parking is available which is useful. The menu is nice enough; up to the minute with flavour combinations but not too complicated and not pocket achingly expensive either. Definitely worth a try or even a special visit to Oxford.

Cape of Good Hope

In search of an early lunch with friends visiting from London and were originally looking for somewhere we could sit outside and enjoy the unexpected sunshine. The Cape was recommended, ironically, by a barman from another pub (which was experiencing technical difficulties with their kitchen).

The Cape of Good Hope public house used to be part of the 'Scream' student-friendly chain offering discounts and deals to the most impoverished and needy (if you're an architecture student, anyway!). It was refirbished in 2006 when it was reverted back to its original name after several years incognito for 'Scream'. It's definitely changed since then!

The decor is typical modern gastro pub; an eclectic mix of warm colours, exposed floorboards and mis-matching chairs. It was quiet at the time and we took our time to choose from their extensive menu. Eventually, I chose a falafel sandwich with tomatoes and peppers and added some of their 'Maris Piper' chips on the side, which came to a square (or should that be rectangular?) fiver - not too bad really. They also do a mean cranberry juice for future reference. The service was polite and quick (as you'd expect, with a sandwich!) and the verdict from my party was good.

Worth a try if you're in the Oxford area! You can find them at 1 Iffley Road, Oxford - right on The Plains.

Old Bulls Head, Woodhouse Eaves

I was promised a great pub meal in a swish setting and I wasn't disappointed. I must admit, my boyfriend knows a little bit about good food and dining. We drove the short distance from Loughborough to Woodhouse Eaves in search of the Old Bulls Head public house. We arrived for an early dinner and were seated promptly by young, friendly staff. The menu, as promised, was rather sumptuous in the style of a typical gastropub. Once we ordered, I was able to sit back and admire our surroundings; muted but rich palette of colours on the walls which were hung with ornate carved wooden panels. This was set off by soft spot lighting on tables while the rest of the room was kept darker and with a mix of modern music quietly playing in the background. We were served bread with oil and balsamic vinegar to whet our appetites before our starter arrived. Maybe we'd over ordered slightly... Our seafood platter was huge, especially for the price of around £14. There were roll mops, gravalax, shell-on prawns, smoked mackerel as well as piles of thickly sliced bread, salad leaves and horse radish mayonnaise. The quality was impeccable and everything was very tasty.

Main course was a roasted root vegetable salad with goats cheese for me and moroccan lamb with couscous for him. My salad was a great mix of flavours and textures but, to be honest, I love goats cheese so they couldn't really go wrong. The boy's lamb was beautifully cooked and spiced though it was a touch spicy for his liking as he generally doesn't go for things with an abundence of chilli. Needless to say, we were far too stuffed for pudding which was a shame as the menu looked equally delicious! I think another trip will be in order some time in the future.