KATHERINE MACALISTER pops in to try out a former pop-up restaurant which now has a permanent home in the city.

Here’s a good one for you. When is a pop-up restaurant no longer a pop-up?

When planning permission for its new premises comes through and it can stop flitting about and settle down.

Like a bachelor delighted to be finally led up the aisle, OxFork now has a home. And its legions of groupies can stop chasing it around the county and just turn up at the new Magdalen Road location.

In fact, you can only admire the perseverance of Drew, pictured, Chloe and Becky who were so determined to open up shop, that the little matter of a restaurant premises didn’t put them off.

OxFork is within throwing distance of both The Rusty Bicycle and The Magdalen Arms, turning this patch of East Oxford into something of a foodie mecca. It’s enticing café/bistro tables spill out on to the pavement and it’s windows groan with tempting seasonal produce, as well as home-made cakes and groceries. The wonderfully eclectic collection of tables continues inside, both upstairs and down, the closely guarded seats being nabbed as soon as they’re vacated.

Put simply, OxFork is doing a roaring trade and having eaten there it’s easy to see why. Catering for all-and-sundry with a marvellous menu which stretches across all culinary boundaries and needs, you can have an all-day breakfast, sandwiches or fabulous specials, all of which come under the ‘brunch’ umbrella.

Perched on high stools near the counter we ordered The OxFork Breakfast at midday, which consisted of Sandy Lane sausages and bacon, a free range fried egg, Becky’s beans, tomato, mushrooms and toast for £7.50. Now how’s that for a line-up? My colleague even dared to request his sausage and bacon be done crisply enough to write with, and they managed this without even raising an eyebrow at such pertinence.

We were also unable to decide between the two £4 soups (hearty ham broth or celeriac & potato) on offer, so Drew suggested a wee dram of both which then arrived in two small cups with abundant quantities of home-made bread, and were delicious.

I had the spinach gnocchi with sage butter (£7) and it was spectacular. Simple in the extreme, the unfussy, unadorned freshly-made potato pasta was more like dumplings than balls, and an absolute gift of a dish, beautifully seasoned and balanced. It was accompanied by a selection of daily house salads, which again had me in raptures, from roast vegetables to green beans in pesto dressing and baked tomatoes, all perfectly cooked, original and bursting with freshness. This is unpretentious food at its absolute best.

Unable to resist, we then had to order the outsized raspberry-flavoured pink meringues £1.50, which arrived wonderfully crisp on the outside and gooey in the middle, as they should be, and the delectable quince, apple and almond tart (£2.50), all washed down with some superb latte coffee (£2.30).

And while the novelty factor, charming staff and unusual premises are great pulls, it’s the food that does the talking.

With imminent plans to open in the evenings with sharing platters on tables for all and sundry for a set price per head, OxFork is not only setting the pace for the future but also the standards.

But a word of warning, if you want a nice, calm, quiet, orderly meal, OxFork isn’t for you – it’s far too exciting for that.

* OxFork is at 39 Magdalen Road, Oxford, OX4 3DH. Call 01865 243280.