Chaps can multitask at The Oxley’s urinals

A few weeks ago the Brits in Toronto crew set out into the cold night to prove that good — no, great — British grub DOES exist in Toronto. You just have to know where to find it.

Having heard positive things about The Oxley from other less-well-read blogs as ours, we decided to give it a go. Our intern John Thomas took one for the team and held things back at the office as our crew ventured out.

After yomping through the Yorkville snow, The Oxley stood out with its red brick facade. We were pleased to see a roaring fire in the entrance bar, and that immediately gave the impression we were walking into a favourite aunt’s house for Sunday dinner. Nice touch.

The dinner menu had a great selection of choices, so we opted for the scallops (nice and plump and juicy), the cream of chicken and tarragon soup (just the right tang), deviled brace of quail (first time for some of us — not disappointed), the thunder oak brick chicken (very moist) with some sides of duck fat potatoes (crispy and delish) and carrots with ginger (cooked just right).

The whole meal was delicious and portion sizes were generous. Our server was very humorous and knowledgeable about the menu and wine pairings.

One small grumble — we heard there was a “snug” upstairs so we checked it out. It wasn’t as warm and cosy as the downstairs space, but that’s not a deal-breaker. We just expected a smaller, darker more intimate room, that was all.

They also do a Sunday evening meal of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding which is definitely on our to-do list.

To sum up = EXCELLENT British food at a reasonable price in a nice, relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommended and I give it a rare Brits in Toronto 5/5 stars.