The joy of Whatsapp is one can be contacted immediately when a spare place pops up for a blogger tasting evening. When that evening turns out to be trying out burgers, ribs and wings at The Ox in Clifton…well you could have seen the grin on my face from the International Space Station.
The Ox, Clifton is the lighter, brighter, airier of the trio, sitting above ground on Whiteladies Road. Large windows flood the front part of the dining room with light whilst the rear still retains the dark, sophisticated look of the other two.
They haven’t scrimped on the decoration here either, the walls are adorned with curiosities, the lighting is beautiful and the taxidermy is present (much to my happiness). We were seated at the bar for nibbles and drinks and decided that actually, we would like to stay there for the entire meal.
To whet our appetites a round of cocktails were ordered and we were served olives and beef dripping popcorn to share. I am not a fan of olives but always try and eat one when I have them in case I suddenly change my mind…I hadn’t…why do people eat these things? The popcorn, however, was moreish and that distinct beefy, salty flavour you’d expect from dripping. I may have suggested the next time I hit The Everyman Cinema on Whiteladies Road ill be popping in with my own paper bag and ordering some to take away. Delicious!
Next we were treated to ribs and wings. The ribs were of a sensible size (no Flintstone impersonations here!) and had the most beautiful charred taste on them. Smothered in a tangy BBQ sauce they had plenty tender meat on them and were devoured with gusto. The hot wings again were of a sensible size with a generous coating of hot sauce, potent with spice and vinegar and complemented with a dollop of blue cheese dressing. The dressing, incidentally, went super well with the ribs, waste not, want not!
The kitchen prepared 6 different combinations of the burgers on offer, three beef and three chicken, and we were left to split the offerings between ourselves. The first impression was good, stacked up burgers with plenty of toppings and shoestring fries were placed in front of us, I started with a chicken and bacon burger with plenty of cheese. Cutting through revealed a thick, tender breast with plenty of batter and it was a joy to eat…ashamedly with a knife and fork but it was so big!
The beef burgers again had that gorgeous charred taste on them and were thick, juicy and very moreish. The structural integrity of the buns held up mostly to the demand of them but it isn’t a good burger unless you need to wash your hands! My only complaint is the stinginess with the side sauces, I need ketchup damnit!
It was a nice experience to sit up at the bar, until I tried to get off the high stool and my weak ankle let me down (boo) but definitely, somewhere I’d eat again. It seems incredibly subversive to say I went to The Ox and mostly enjoyed the Chicken burger but my goodness, it was everything I wanted in a burger and more. However that flame grilled, charred taste is from the beef and ribs is something I cannot get out of my head, so that’s a testament to them.
I highly recommend popping in soon and giving their burgers a go for a casual night out, you’ll leave full and happy, I guarantee.
You can find The Ox here to book your table
Bedsit Bonne Vivante 