KATHERINE MacALISTER and friends enjoy a near faultless three courses at a city pub Like an angler who lands an enormous fish after months of ones that get away, I’ve finally got something to shout about.

A visit to the Rickety Press in Jericho has reinstated my belief in eating out and made up for all the average meals I’ve eaten since the last big catch. Too many tiddlers to mention.

Know it? I didn’t – it used to be the Radcliffe Arms apparently, which would explain why we were found trailing around by the Phoenix Cinema on a wet Tuesday night. But follow Cranham Street down and you’ll find a pub which looks more like a public toilet from the outside, but once inside immediately ensnares you with its warmth, bustle and the promise of something great. And it’s that promise in the air which has you salivating before you even sit down.

It’s a proper pub mind, and you have to wind through the bar and the regulars to find the dining room at the back. Run by the same guys as The Rusty Bicycle in East Oxford, the pedigree is already there and expectations were high.

And it didn’t disappoint. From the excellent knowledge of Frederick Samengo-Turner, the manager who served us, to the décor (the loos are to die for) and the menu, which was handed to us on a sheet – always a good sign because it means they change it frequently.

There were four of us for dinner and we tried a bit of everything. We had Oxfordshire asparagus, crispy hen’s egg, shoots and parmesan (£6.50), peppered beef carpaccio, beetroot and rocket, truffle dressing (£7) and moules a la mariniere (£6.50). All fabulous, authentic and beautifully cooked.

Then the Rickety burger with cheddar, fries, homemade ketchup (£12.50) which came with some wonderful tiny cornichons and huge capers, a pithivier (pastry mound) of lamb shoulder and goat’s cheese, with confit of fennel, and a wonderful smear of Jerusalem artichoke purée (£14.50) which was quite something. The spinach, oyster mushrooms and soba noodles with miso dressing and tempura samphire (£12.50) was slightly out of sync with the rest of the menu, but the aged 8oz Hereford beef rib-eye steak (£18.50) served with fries, dressed leaves and tarragon butter made up for it.

Then on to the treacle tart. Oh, that treacle tart; delicious pastry and the sticky chew of the dense, spicy treacle, with a perfect dollop of clotted cream. It was so filling that I couldn’t finish the last mouthful, but I can still remember it. The vanilla panacotta and poached rhubarb (£5.50) and the apple tart tatin with homemade vanilla ice cream (£6) were close contenders, and after a raucous meal of much fun and laughter, the desserts sent us into an appreciative silence, temporarily at least.

Brilliant. Coffee, cognac, home. Fantastic food, fantastic place, fantastic evening. Over to you. I’ve done my bit – happily.

* The Rickety Press, 67 Cranham Street, Oxford, OX2 6DE.

01865 424581