The Gray Ox
HARTSHEAD LANE, HARTSHEAD
THERE’S a scene at the end of
cult 1980s film Dirty Dancing
where Patrick Swayze
sweeps up to Jennifer Grey
and declares: “Nobody puts Baby in
the corner.”Unfortunately, there was no such Hollywood rescue for Oliver at the Gray Ox in Hartshead.
Arriving at an admittedly bustling Sunday lunchtime, this food critic and his dining partner were shown to what I now believe to be officially The Worst Restaurant Table Ever.
| FACTFILE | |
| Tel: 01274 872845 The Gray Ox, Hartshead Lane, Hartshead, Liversedge, WF15 8AL Website: www.thegrayoxinn.co.uk | |
| STAR RATING | |
Food 
| Service 
|
Atmosphere 
| Value
|
There it was squeezed into the corner of a dining room already packed as tightly as a sardine can.
The waiter looked on helplessly as we tried to work out whether our best bet was to go over or under the table to get to the other side. Eventually, we – notice the absence of any help from the waiter here – had to lift out the table ourselves and then pull it back in.
I then spent the rest of the meal in a semi-crouched position trying to avoid hitting my head on a low-hung cupboard or smacking it on an ornamental golf bag.
My partner, meanwhile, got to listen to a fascinating discussion on whether Windows XP or Vista was better.
It wasn’t that the people on the next table were talking especially loudly, just that my partner was virtually sitting in another guest’s lap.
It was not, it must be said, the best of starts. And it didn’t instantly get a whole lot better. With the table finally negotiated, we were handed menus and left to peruse them. And left, and left and left.
In all a good 15 minutes went by before anyone noticed us (I blame the table) and came to take our food order. The wine was also an age in coming. In fact the starters were on the table before our Aussie chardonnay.
I also had to ask twice for a glass of water which ultimately turned up after the meal was almost over.
I could go on (and on, I know) about the table and the poor service, but it’s probably about time to turn my attention to the food. And it’s here that things really do start to pick up.
Oliver has visited the Gray Ox before and it has to be said on each occasion the food has been pretty much first rate.
And the Sunday lunch menu at a competitive £13.95 for two courses will take some beating.
For my starter I went for the goat’s cheese in filo pastry with beetroot marmalade and watercress sauce.
It was an unusual but delicious combination. The filo cracked open satisfyingly to reveal a tasty semi-melted lump of tangy goats’ cheese. The beetroot marmalade was the perfect accompaniment, though the watercress sauce was neither here nor there really.
My partner’s Dexter beef meatballs stuffed with mozzarella and swathed in a rich roast tomato sauce was equally triumphant. The succulent beef with its oozing cheese centre was perfectly balanced by the tomato and onion sauce.
Clean plates all round.
For the main, I opted for the roast pork loin with Lyonaise potatoes and cider sauce. And, as much as I’m still smarting from the table issue, I have to say this was sublime. The pork was melt-in-the-mouth tender, the potatoes perfectly al dente and the sauce just scrumptious.
My partner’s Pond House Farm beef with duck fat potatoes and Yorkshire pudding was very good, but still not a patch on the pork. The pudding was excellent, however, and the real gravy delicious. There were plenty of vegetables on the side, too, including cauliflower, roasted new potatoes, broccoli, mashed carrots and swede, all of which were cooked perfectly.
Desserts were pretty good too, especially the honeycomb ice cream and the berry trifle, though the alcohol did make the sponge layer a little bitter.
All in all, no complaints, and, in fact, plenty of praise.
With a good bottle of chardonnay and a couple of soft drinks, the total bill came to just over £56 – extremely reasonable given the amount and quality of the food and drink we had consumed.
However, the tiny table in the corner is a price that I’m not sure is worth paying. The owners would do better to lose a couple of tables to make customers more comfortable.
That, coupled with a bit of whip cracking with the service, would make this a truly special dining experience.
