Press Visit
Last week I was invited along to The Oaks in Highcliffe to try out their newly launched autumn dining menu, which is filled with fresh, locally produced favourites that are perfect for the colder season including absolute classics such as Beef Bourguignon, warming and delicious. If you are looking for a family-friendly restaurant in the Christchurch area, The Oaks is definitely the place to be.
We were greeted by the super friendly manager and shown to our table, where we were talked through the menus by our waitress for the evening, Georgie, who was the most friendly waitress I have met and so good with the children, who were both a little tired after a long day at school. My youngest has only just been prescribed glasses, which are quite strong and magnify his eyes, he was feeling a little unsure about them but Georgie instantly put him at ease, as well as reassuring him about his choice of main – he tried bacon in his burger for the first time, as well as chorizo ketchup to dip his chips into.
We were given a lovely glass of prosecco to enjoy whilst we perused the menus and waited for our food and the children had activities and crayons with their menu.
We shared the Cheese Soufflé and it was a taste sensation, so creamy and rich and the sauce was perfect with it. For our mains, I had the Bourguignon and Ed had a burger. Both meals were tasty, but I definitely made the best choice for me, helped by Georgie who recommended the dish and allowed me to take off the mushrooms, as I am not keen on them.
My daughter went for the pasta from the children’s menu, which came deconstructed, which she loved as she could control the amount of sauce and cheese she had. Both her and her brother finished everything up and were more than ready for their puddings – a Jude’s milk lolly and Jude’s Ice Cream scoops with chocolate sauce. Again, there was a pot of sauce that my daughter could pour over as she wanted, she loved it!
Ed and I shared a pudding, we had the chocolate delice and it was superb, simply gorgeous from the rich dark chocolate flavour to the textures that went together so well, smooth chocolate mixed with the slight crunch of the base and toppings, and the beautifully created cacao tuile, with honeycomb ice cream. I would go back in a heartbeat just for this alone.
The whole family, minus my eldest who was with my mum that evening, really enjoyed the meal at The Oaks. The atmosphere was lovely, laid-back but without compromising on style and glamour, and we all felt comfortable and at home in the restaurant area, definitely helped by Georgie and her down to earth approach. My daughter was so at ease with her that she asked to pose with Georgie for a photo as they were both wearing black polo neck jumpers.
We will definitely come back for a special occasion and have sung The Oak’s praises to family. I work in Christchurch and have already suggested colleagues go along for dinner, it’s a lovely place to spend an evening.
We were invited along for a complimentary meal at The Oaks in exchange for social media coverage. I was not asked to write this post and all words and images are my own.
