• PIONEERS of the Indian restaurant revolution Thali are opening a at new 90-seater Oxford eatery on George Street on the site of the former Giraffe restaurant, by the end of the month,

Opening on July 27, Thali Oxford is the company’s sixth restaurant and first outside of Bristol. It started as a street food truck at Glastonbury Festival in 1999 after founder Jim Pizer travelled to India and fell in love with the food.

Jim said: “Oxford will be an ambitious and exciting step.”

The menu looks to India for inspiration; from the backstreets of Chandni Chowk to the beach shacks of Goa as well as recipes from bestselling food writer and cook Meera Sodha.

The menu features a range of thalis (from Keralan nandan chicken to Punjabi paneer) and roadside grills cooked on a tava or hot coals – just like they do in the back streets of Bombay. thethalirestaurant.co.uk

  • What used to be the Organic Deli on Botley Road in April has now changed into a cafe/venue called High Fidelity Cafe.

High Fidelity is all about art, vinyl, proper coffee and toasties with a full salad menu during the summer and fresh vegetarian and meat chilli in the colder months. In terms of vinyl, it currently boasts 300-400 records which people can listen to or buy with more coming in the coming weeks.

Currently hosting its first exhibition, A Portrait of Nicaragua by Anna Lythgoe, pop in to find out what High Fidelity is all about. facebook.com/highfidelitycafe/

  • The Kings Arms Chef & Brewer pub on Church Road in Sandford-On-Thames is searching for a gin expert to become the first ever ‘Gin-ius’and come up with a new gin creation. The winner will bag themselves a year’s supply of gin, a £500 cash prize and the title of the pub’s first official ‘Gin-ius’.

Dale Little, general manager at the Kings Arms, said: “Gin is undergoing a huge revival. But while we might think we’re a gin expert, how many of us can actually claim to be a fully-fledged ‘Gin-ius’?

“We’re putting this to the test by challenging our guests to share what makes them the ultimate ‘Gin-ius’. Tell us why you think you deserve to be our resident gin adviser and you could bag yourself the ultimate gin-lover’s prize – as well as the title of Chef & Brewer’s first official ‘Gin-ius’.”

Visit chefandbrewer.com/gin-ius/competition/ explaining why you think you could be the pub’s first ‘Gin-ius’ before Monday, August 7. The winner will need to be available from Monday, August 28, to create the premium gin cocktail.