Oscar's Bistro

Much as I like fine dining, it isn't something I can afford to do an awful lot. Tuesdays at Oscar's has been a life saver if I have something to celebrate without the moolah to do it big style.


Oscar's Bistro is a French restaurant on Chandos Street in Leamington that I'm very fond of. Not a huge selection on the menu, but what's there is good. And Tuesday is Auberge night, which means a set three course meal for £14.50. Thank you very much. OK, so you can't choose your meal, but I've never had a problem with what I've been served, and generous portions mean that I leave so stuffed I have to have a little lie down with severely unbuttoned trousers when I get home.

Last time I was there I had a roasted garlic soup, followed by rump steak and frites and a french apple tart for pudding.

Because everyone has the same meal on Tuesday's, service is super speedy. Sit down, order some drinks, eat some bread, and your starter is suddenly there. This is just as well as it limits the amount of bread I eat beforehand.

One word of advice. Don't fill up on the bread. I know that saying this is fairly redundant because even when I tell myself to stop eating the bread I don't stop eating the bread. It's nice bread, and if I'm sitting down to dinner I'm probably hungry. Why should I not eat the bread right in front of me? That's what it's there for.

Don't fill up on the bread. I'm not kidding about the portion size. By the time I finished the soup, I was already pleasantly full. The soup itself was delicious, sweet and earthy rather than harsh, but it was still powerful stuff. I could smell the garlic on my clothes the following day, and our bathroom smelt, in Pete's own words, like a Frenchman's balls. Not for the faint hearted.

Both Pete and I ordered our steaks rare, but they came out a little uneven - his was clearly a little rarer than mine. This is only a minor point, and after some consideration I decided not to take it personally, as it is difficult to feel hard done by when you have a mouth full of tasty steak. Nicely charred on the outside but still tender and red in the middle. It was served with 'Cafe de Paris' butter. I asked the waitress what was in it as I was hoping to recreate it at home, and was told that it was mainly diced shallots and seasoning, but I'm sure I could also taste tarragon, and possibly some white whine as well. It added a lot of flavour to the steak and melted beautifully over the chips. Sorry, 'frites'. They were unmistakeably Gallic in origin, as no British person would consider slicing potatoes that finely. Very crispy.

Having a sweet tooth I am usually all about the pudding, but on this occasion I could really only half heartedly nibble at the french apple tart. Not that I didn't finish it, because I absolutely did. The apples were buttery and caramelised, but the pastry was a touch disappointing. Not quite as crisp as I was hoping, but hardly a major downer on the evening.

The whole thing was accompanied by a very nice bottle of red (I would tell you what it was, but I've forgotten), and ended with the feeling you get after you dream of eating a giant marshmallow and wake to find your pillow is gone. Did I say pillow? I mean cat.

Highly recommended.