F amous first in Lewes and next in Brighton, Bill’s is now becoming a restaurant name widely recognised across the country. Well, at least in those parts of it whose residents — and that includes temporary student ones — are not exactly careful with the coins. Branches of the expanding restaurant chain, whose speciality is flogging robust comfort food to eat ‘in’ and takeaway groceries to carry home, can be found in such places as Exeter, Bath, Bristol, Chichester, Cambridge and, of course, London, where there are a number in the more obviously fashionable parts (Covent Garden, Soho, Richmond, Wimbledon and, soon, Putney).

All this growth rather mirrors that of Cote, which also belongs to the vast catering empire of Richard Caring, who owns many of London’s most iconic establishments, including the Ivy, Annabel’s and Soho House. Caring made an offer that could not be resisted by Bill Collison, whose first restaurant grew out of a greengrocery business operated in Lewes out of a shed.

Hard on the heels of Oxford getting its Cote, a hit at the west end of George Street, the city now has its Bill’s, which is also prospering around the corner in St Michael’s Street.

The building it occupies is Northgate Hall, which started life in 1871 as a chapel and schoolroom of the United Methodist Free Church. So alcohol now flows freely where it was once thought taboo. The hall later saw use as the Gatehouse Cafe for the homeless.

Anyone who knew the hall of old will marvel at what has been achieved, with the barn of a place given a cheery intimacy through use of Bill’s trademark decor of wooden furnishings, metal room-dividing screens and shelves stacked with the saleable goods in tins, bottles and packets. Overhead, coil the wide shiny pipes of the heating and air-conditioning system and, above that, is open space way up to the roof — revealed through the removal of a false ceiling. A galleried area, with seats for 30 or so, looks down on the main restaurant.

Arriving for our 8.30pm booking, Rosemarie and I were seated by waitress Sasha in a pleasingly central position from which we were able at once to observe the animated scene about us and to sit aloof from it.

Rosemarie sipped a gin (Bombay Sapphire) and tonic as she studied the menu. I had a glass of the unoaked chardonnay (Maison L’Aiglon), while sampling some of the whopping green gordal olives, briney and (for ease of eating) pitted, that are a speciality of the place. We also shared the special ‘nibble’ of the moment, consisting of large, flaky home-made tortilla chips with little pots of an excellent tzatziki, tomato salsa and guacamole. There were too many of these to finish, without spoiling our appetite for what was to come. At £3.50, these would make a good value starter for those put off, say, by the £5.50 cauliflower soup or the tomato and goat’s cheese bruschetta at £5.75.

My starter was another of the specials, chargrilled lamb koftas (cumin and coriander well to the fore), with gem lettuce, cucumber ribbons, quinoa and a mint yoghurt dressing. From the standard menu, Rosemarie selected potted coarse liver terrine with chutney and toasted sourdough. Potted it certainly was; coarse and terrine-like too. But any flavour of liver was oddly absent (I tried it). In flavour and texture it was reminiscent of brawn. Inquiries of manager Troy — a helpful and entertaining Australian — elicited the response that it was made from duck liver. We took his word for it.

For main courses, we both had fishy things. Mine was Cornish monkfish stew. This was a robust, very tomatoey affair, of a style sometimes found with bouillabaisse, with big chunks of fish (most lurking at the bottom of the bowl), potatoes, fennel and more of those gordal olives. In its rich, no-nonsense appeal it was closely matched by Rosemarie’s fish pie, in which were little queen scallops, smoked haddock, tiger prawns and lots of salmon in an oniony sauce with peas (not a ‘class’ ingredient, we thought). The topping of English mustard and cheddar mash was excellent. Viognier (Leduc, Pays d’Oc) was a refreshingly fruity — apricot and peach — accompaniment Mention of cheddar reminds me of the utter absence of cheese on offer at the closing stage of the meal. It seems to me an odd restaurant indeed that omits this dinner-time (and very much Oxford) favourite, as I pointed out to Troy.

While Rosemarie enjoyed her warm chocolate brownie with vanilla pod ice cream and warm chocolate sauce, I toyed with the special of glazed lemon tart with milk ice cream and crushed freeze-dried raspberries. No, I’ll be honest — I scoffed the lot.

 

 

Bill’s
Northgate Hall
St Michael’s Street
OX1 2DU
01865 202550
bills-website.co.uk

 

  • Opening times: Monday to Saturday 8am to 11pm; Sunday 9am to 10.30pm. Breakfast served 8am to noon (until 1pm Saturday and Sunday)

  • Parking: City centre car parks

  • Make sure you try the... Cream of cauliflower soup (£5.50), crab, salmon and chilli fishcakes (£5.95) and tuna salad nicoise (£5.65); pearl barley risotto with chestnut mushrooms and thyme (£9.95), home-made cod fish finger sandwich (£8.50), Bill’s macaroni cheese (£8.50), 10oz chargrilled rib-eye steak (£15.95); warm chocolate brownie with vanilla pod ice cream (£5.95), rhubarb and custard crumble (£4.95), warm mini cinnamon doughnuts with strawberries and chocolate dipping sauce (£5.50)

  • In ten words: Good-looking, buzzy joint where cheery staff serve robustly flavoured dishes.