19 Mar 2025
James Cameron is at Oaklands College to sample the offerings at their student showcase restaurant…
Normally if I’m at Oaklands these days it’s to wade through the Somme-like quagmire of the new Park Run there, so it’s a pleasant change to be taking on calories there rather than burning them off.
The Stables is the showcase for the catering students studying at Oaklands to put into practice what they have learned on unsuspecting members of the public, and luckily for us they seem to be very apt pupils.
Though they are in danger of mixing their agricultural metaphors we were there for Paddocks night, which is their interpretation of small plates.
Unfortunately for both the table and our stomachs, though, the plates were in actual fact not particularly small. Before we even got onto them we were presented with some tortilla chips in a wooden chest, served with some bracingly fresh salsa. It was a lovely touch and made us feel welcome.
There were no starters or main courses, so everything came out as and when it was ready which meant it was warm and fresh from the kitchen, but also meant the enormity of how much we had over-ordered was not immediately apparent.
First out of the gates was Crispy Tofu, amazingly creamy with a nice level of Asian spicing and with a mild sweetness that paired well with the coconut rice it was served on. There was also a meat version that we went for, the same great coconut rice but this time with well-marinated and juicy Pork Belly Char Siu.
Next were some Crispy Bass Tacos, with Mango and Smoked Cheese. It was a very interesting mix of flavours, you don’t often get fish and cheese together, but definitely worked and the overriding note was one of citrussy freshness.
Jackfruit ‘Sliders’ were not sliders but a burger cut in half, but this did not impact on the flavour.
They had a great sweet BBQ taste, however the jackfruit hadn’t really coalesced into a patty, and the whole thing was maybe a little too moist. More of a Sloppy Jack, if you will.
We also went for a range of sides, of which the Triple Cooked Chips were the highlight, possibly of the whole meal. They were equally crisp and fluffy, a perfect shape and size, and served with a creamy aioli. The only disappointment was that despite being one of the few vegan options on the menu the aioli they were served with wasn’t, and without this they were as you would expect a little dry.
Broccoli was also executed well, a beautiful vibrant green and left with enough bite and with a smokey char that was set off well by a balsamic glaze. The Texan Corn, on the other hand, was an interesting attempt to make corn interesting, cooked in butter and served with a chilli aioli (although not obvious how one was supposed to combine the two), but a trifle overdone.
I was slightly worried about dessert, given how much we had consumed up to this point, but my companion insisted that I had to try the Coca-Cola Sticky Toffee Pudding, and I’m very glad that I did.
As I’m sure you’re aware Sticky Toffee Pudding is notoriously stodgy, but the Coca-Cola, whilst not obviously altering the flavour, added an ineffable lightness to the pudding that belied its massive bulk and enabled me to polish the whole thing off.
There were no vegan options on the dessert menu, but they were able to rustle up a Strawberry and Champagne Granita which was very nice but very cold. This was probably a better choice after the mammoth savoury selection, more akin to a jolly rancher slushie than a sorbet.
They were out of ale on the evening we went but did provide some lovely chilled beers, and seemed to have a wide range of wine if that’s your thing. The dining room was tastefully decked out, centred around the open kitchen so you could watch the young chefs beavering away. As soon as you ventured away from the dining bubble, however, things very quickly got municipal.
It was also rather chilly in the room, possibly due to the fact that there was only one other table dining there on the evening of our visit. This seemed rather odd, not only because it was fantastic food and very good value but also because they are fully booked for the remainder of the academic year.
All the servers were incredibly sweet, so much so that you didn’t really want to mention it if anything went wrong, but luckily if very rarely did. I would be very keen to return to the Stables, but possibly on one of their Tasting Menu nights.
The Paddocks set up was a bit confusing, with no clear idea of what portion size you would be getting from the different sections of the menu and no obvious correlation between pricing and quantity, with the result that we probably spent, and certainly ate, more than we really needed to.
Despite this it was fantastic and innovative cooking at a fraction of the price you would pay at most restaurants in old country houses which don’t also happen to teach people how to look after alpacas. If this is the future of the culinary arts in this country then we have a lot to look forward to.
