Designer shoppers may help support town’s stylish new dining experience, says Katherine MacAlister

The transformation was complete. Gone was the grotty pub of yesteryear, with its flaking paint, the blackboards outside boasting Sky TV and pub quizzes, the potential for a late-night scuffle, a bit of Squaddie bashing.

Instead, The King’s Arms Hotel and Restaurant in Bicester was so shiny, new and plush you wanted to lie down and go to sleep on the thick carpet, luxuriating in the thick fabric blinds and newly painted bannisters.

You could smell its newness, to the extent that my son worried about putting down his coat in case it got covered in paint.

But then, having opened earlier this month with a flurry of publicity and flashlights, it couldn’t be more fledgling.

And while you might expect a funky, bustling, boutique style hotel and restaurant, owner Aidan Conway has gone for a more traditional style; more country club than Soho House, almost veering on the safe side, the decor comforting and relaxing.

That money has been spent in buckets is evident, both in the restaurant and the kitchen. The staff all have pedigrees Crufts would be jealous of and the menu is ambitious.

But then it has to be, because with Bicester metamorphosising into a new creature, the King’s Arms needs to accommodate both the smart spending power of the ever expanding Bicester Village clientele and its traditional army and farming town residents.

It’s a nicely local British menu; seasonal lamb, asparagus, beetroot, Cotswold chicken.

Our home-made bread was served with a delicious pot of Polpo-style pesto and a pat of butter, which set the tone.

We chose the mackerel, beetroot and kohl rabi, which uses home-smoked mackerel (£6.50), the confit chicken thighs with a home-dried tomato relish and garlic purée (£6.50) and a baked Reblochon soufflé with candied walnuts, apple and celery for starters.

The presentation demonstrated the finesse in the kitchen, with the ingredients beautifully laid out on the plate and tastes following suit.

The main course meat dishes, however, surpassed themselves. The spring lamb with English asparagus and noisette potatoes (£24.95) was so fresh it nearly baahed, although it was served rarer than we expected. The loin of beef with grilled shallot, watercress and bone marrow pomme Anna (£24.95) was so tender it was a wonder to behold.

A garden vegetable salad with an Asian dressing and wholewheat couscous was a clever way, I thought, of managing to shoe-horn in a dessert as well; but it was less of a success and probably designed with the stick insects at Bicester Village in mind. It didn’t feel like a main course at £14.95 and needed more dressing.

The side order of dauphinoise was another surprise, concocted like a Mr Kipling slice, rather than smothered in creamy garlic and baked.

We fought over desserts, all wanting the banana parfait with salted caramel and hazelnut tuille, although the chocolate, orange and Cointreau torte, chocolate sauce and orange marmalade (both £6.50) gave it a good run for its money.

Speaking of money, the King’s Arms isn’t cheap, which has put some of the locals off, but I think Bicester deserves somewhere special and upmarket; somewhere to show off. And Bicester Village shoppers need somewhere to relax other than the Little Chef.

This may prove a marriage made in heaven, a perfect hybrid between the town and ballgown situation.

If not, it’s going to be an expensive gamble.

The Kings Arms 
Market Square, Bicester 
OX26 6AH
01869 320666 kingsarmsbicester.co.uk

Opening times: Restaurant open 7am to 11pm (last orders 10pm) seven days a week
Key personnel: Owner Aidan Conway, general manager Andrei Naivelt and executive chef Stuart Leath
Make sure you try the... £75 a head Paired with Wines Taster Menu 
In ten words: Could the King’ s Arms solve Bicester town’s dining out problems?