It was glorious to step into the buzz of Joe's Bar & Grill and leave the sharp chill of the crisp wintery morning behind us last Sunday.

At barely 10.30am it was already heaving with only a handful of spare tables to choose from.

It was populated almost entirely with relaxed brunching couples. Most of them far too absorbed in the flimsy black and white wall of the Sunday broadsheets twitching between them to engage in the art of conversation.

Joe’s may have been busy but it didn’t prevent service from being prompt and pleasant. We were quaffing a glass of fizz and taking in the menu within moments of being seated.

There’s plenty on the menu, no surprises, but there’s certainly nothing lacking either. Everything from pastries (£1.95) to smoked haddock kedgeree (£11.00) and all the wonderful egg and muffin dishes that seem to be becoming more popular with us Brits – namely the Florentine, Royale and Benedict (from £7.50 to £7.95). And the good news is that the breakfast menu is available until 4.30pm.

Call us predictable, but my brunching partner opted for Joe’s breakfast (otherwise known as a Full English at £7.50), with a special request for crispy bacon. And the lure of the toasted sourdough and field mushroom (£7.50) made me go for Joe’s veggie breakfast.

Swift service meant our plates seemed to appear, as if my magic, moments later – but maybe I was just enjoying the ambience and the company to be truly aware of time.

So how was the food? Well actually it was great. Everything on my plate, including poached eggs done to perfection, was delicious. However, just the one slice of mushroom did seem a tad meagre.

My companion was happy with his choice. The bacon was indeed crispy and the sausages were good ones, plump, herby and tasty – there's not much worse than a cheap sausage.

So, we left the warmth of Joe’s full, contented and calorifically buffeted against the elements to enjoy the rest of the day.

Joe's Bar & Grill, 260 Banbury Road, Oxford. Call 01865 554484 or see joesrestaurants.co.uk