Surrey is a marvellous place to live, as it is an easy commutable distance from London, and one of its more exclusive areas is Oxshott village, which, in 2010, was voted the village with the most footballers, as it is very close to Chelsea’s training ground. Indeed, the alleged who’s who of celebrities that live in Oxshott is very impressive, as it includes Andy Murray, Jamie and Louise Redknapp (she of Strictly Come Dancing fame and the band Eternal), Colin Montgomerie and David Lloyd to name but a few, and The Bear, one of two local pubs, has just had a complete overhaul, so who knows, you may see some of this celebrities here now over a pint or two!
As mentioned, The Bear has been lavishly renovated and extended, and they have taken the old design and modernised things to give a classically designed interior with rich fabrics and finishes which provides a lovely relaxing space to enjoy fine pub food, and for those looking for a place to hold a party or large family lunch, there is a private dining area available and flexible spaces throughout.
My wife and I visited The Bear on a Tuesday lunchtime, and although not full, it still had a lively buzz (I would suggest booking as this Pub gets very busy in the evening), and having drunk in the pub a number of years ago I was immediately struck by the change.
We were taken to a comfy booth adjacent to the new conservatory, and after ordering a crisp and light Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (£22) we perused the menu that has been updated to complement the new de´cor. It was then I started scanning the room for those well known stars, but to my disappointment they must have all been working that day!
‘Our food is all fresh, seasonal and British’ states the menu, and you will find classic dishes along with more contemporary items and an extensive wine list to suit all tastes. We started our meal with two dishes from the nibbles section, the Crispy Pork Fritters with chilli jam (£5) and the Smoked Salmon Pa^te´ with seeded wholemeal loaves (£4), and although the pa^te´ had just enough horseradish and lemon to bring out the flavour of the salmon without overpowering it, the pork fritters were a little over fried, which slightly detracted from their lovely meatiness. I would also say that for me fritters are flat, whereas these should be more like pork balls. For our starters I chose Cod and Salmon Fish Cakes (£7) and my wife the Spiced Bramley Apple and Roasted ParsnipSoup (£6).These fish cakes were this time lightly fried and were suitably fishy, whilst my wife’s soup was warming with a perfect amount of sweetness from the apple.
The main courses are split between a range of pub favourites and The Bear’s Signatures Steaks, and although I love steaks, and these are all hand selected 28 day dry aged certified English Aberdeen Angus beef, I chose a British classic,Young’s Beer Battered Cod,Triple Cooked Chips, mushy peas and chunky tartar sauce (£13), and my wife chose The Bear Beef Burger, cheese, ale onions, and pickles in a brioche bun with fries (£13). The fish and the chips mirrored each other in that both were light and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside and this is just how I like them and my wife, who is usually not a burger type of girl, loved it, as the meat was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle and the cheese and other fillings complemented the burger perfectly.
For dessert I had a thick and fudgy Brownie (£6) which certainly satisfied this chocoholics taste buds, whilst my wife opted for a lighter option of Cookies and Jude Ice Cream scoops (£6).
Oxshott is a very fashionable suburb of London, and it now has an equally fashionable gastropub to cater for its residents, and next time I come hopefully I will be luckier with my celebrity spotting.
Leatherhead Road, South East England KT22 0JE
Telephone: 01372 842747
Website: www.thebearoxshott.co.uk