We Test OXBO, Hilton's New Menu With Produce Grown On Their Roof
Nestled in the back of The Hilton, Bankside you can find OXBO, showcasing the best of British with their new seasonal menu and produce grown right there on the roof. The menu: the brain-child of Executive Head Chef Ollie Couillaud highlights home-grown produce with a layer of European, Middle Eastern and British influences paying homage to the restaurant’s multi-cultural neighbourhood.
The dining space its self hosts an almost country farm chic vibe - but with a fine dining upgrade. A perfect spot for a late night dinner with friends or date night. And trust me when I say… you will not go hungry. The portions here are more than generous, for a fraction of the cost you’d expect.
Starters consisted of OXBO’s take on a Minestrone with Pesto, Goat’s Cheese and Focaccia Croutons, which were the perfect accompaniment for this dish. The balance both the croutons and cheese gave just took it to a whole new level. Salty. Crispy and Punchy. With the goat’s cheese adding both creaminess and body to the delicate, light and well-balanced broth.
Their love for seasonal products shone bright in their Summer Vegetable dish. A delightful showcase of British seasonal products that were al dente to the bite with just a touch of luxuriousness from the egg yolk the perfectly placed and positioned produce were sitting on and finished with a zest of lime. This helped to lift the richness of the dish and compliment each individual vegetable on the plate. The beetroot, specifically stood out to me; was a welcome edition to the dish adding that earthy element its famous for.
Mains were in the form of a Pumpkin and Sage Ravioli with Leeks and Saffron Veloute. The sweetness of the pumpkin contrasting with the saffron sauce each fully-packed morsels clinged to; the leek and onion added some extra depth to the dish. The saffron after a while became a little overpowering and the other flavours got lost. The portion was also far too large to finish, especially when dessert was on the menu.
The large portions were reflected in their Chicken with Wild Garlic Butter with Roscoff Onion, Morels, Green Beans and Jersey Potatoes. The chicken moist with flavour that ran throughout the entire breast. OXBO’s team know how to let the ingredients shine in their natural habitat by keeping them simple but adding a little bit of acidity to just lift them up, a technique we saw and appreciated in the starters. The morels mismatched, misshapen and imperfectly perfect added a huge umami punch making the sauce super moreish as they bathed in it imparting all their flavour.
Sticking to what they know, a bright note of lemon infused tender stem broccoli was our preferred side dish for the meal. The citrus infusing into each stem and crevice. Even though with the portion sizes of the mains, a side isn’t needed - but highly encouraged.
After two courses with big bold flavours I was a little disappointed with my dessert. Their love for those flavours didn't transcend into my final course which left me feeling a little lacklustre. The Lemongrass Crème Brûlée may have had a faint memory of a whisper of lemongrass some time ago and paired with blackberries, which, at the time of visiting were unseasonal - taking away from their key selling point that had wowed us so far. However, they know how to work with chocolate because their Hazelnut and Coffee Crunch had both beautiful layers and a perfect balance of flavours. Best eaten with all the layers infused and squashed together, if you can bear to ruin the masterpiece they have created. This dish, along with the broccoli make visiting OXBO a high priority.
A key theme noticed throughout our meal at OXBO was refinery and continuity. Some dishes were carefully thought about and plated with Michelin starred precision, where others were slap-dashed put together. But the overall experience was definitely a pleasant one. Delicious food, seasonal produce (for the most part), but an overall complete vibe I would be happy to experience time and time again.
This was a comped meal on the base of a review - but all thoughts and opinions are of the writers with no influence from the brand.