Kingham Plough

Mediocre

Slow Braised Oxtail Ox Tongue, Fried Bread & Horseradish

When a chef gain success on TV, it is only normal that you would want to pay a visit to their restaurant for a taste of what the chef is capable of. Kingham Plough, is a gastro pub in the village of Kingham in Cotswolds, it's owner, Emily Watkins won The Great British Menu on BBC back in 2014 and that alone was enough to warrant a visit for me. From the restaurant's website, the menu is very short and seem fairly basic. But that was no issue for me, I was hoping for some classic British flavours done in an elegant and skillful way that would take my taste buds away. By judging from all the awards it has landed in recent years, surely the Kingham Plough can deliver something rather special. 

Hanger Steak & Bone Marrow Butter,
Braised Ale Onions, Black Cabbage

Venison Wellington Autumn Squash & Braised Red Cabbage

For starter, I had the slow braised oxtail dish and it was very enjoyable, it had a classic combination of beef and horseradish which offered bold spiciness but yet refreshing taste to the palate. The hanger steak was very solid, moist and finely seasoned. It was impressive enough that the addition of the bone marrow butter wasn't really needed as the meat itself was already packed with rich delightful flavours. The venison wellington was an odd dish as the pastry was fairly tasteless while the filling was heavily seasoned which resulted in a somewhat imbalanced dish. The hot chocolate mousse was well blended with a playful element of hazelnut marshmallow for dipping, however the portion was far too tiny for the £8 cost.

Hot Chocolate Mousse Hazelnut Marshmallow & Praline Cream

Overall, the meal itself was good but far from exceptional, which fell well below my expectation. Emily as a chef is capable of so much better than that surely, also the cost of those dishes are very expensive for what they are, I was charged decent to solid pub dishes at high end restaurant price. The service was nowhere near to the level I was hoping for, such as forgotten our drink request and the dishes took forever without warning us in advance. It is hard to give myself a reason to return to Kingham Plough, as just down the road, The Wild Rabbit, a pub that has just landed a Michelin star is charging similar price. It wouldn't take a genius to work out which of the two pub I will be visiting again on my return to Kingham.


Food 2.5/5

What I paid: 
£45 per head with a beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£40

The Green, Kingham, Chipping Norton OX7 6YD, United Kingdom

http://www.thekinghamplough.co.uk/