News that Table 13 is upping its game this December had me grappling for my diary. Nine courses with matching drinks for each dish! It’s now top of my Christmas list.
Head chef and founder Georgia Gallacher has added countless new dates to her festive repertoire to accommodate her avid fans over the Christmas period.
Which took me back to the last time I tasted her fine cuisine at a pop up in the wonderful Horseshoes in Witney.
Landlord Luke Champion hosted Georgia on a Monday night, when the Horsehoes would otherwise be shut, and in so doing introduced her genius to a whole new audience.
And despite the hype, Georgia certainly lived up to her reputation, introducing herself by explaining who she is and what she’s trying to achieve, before serving up seven stunning courses for £50 a head.
The young entrepreneur who burst onto Oxford’s culinary scene over lockdown, runs weekly gastronomic supper clubs from her home in Wheatley where she serves the most incredible dishes, her attention second to none. READ OUR REVIEW HERE
Like an alchemist she experiments and concocts, transforming a simple ingredient until it shines, and only then slowly building a dish layer upon layer.
Which means that each mouthful is like a puzzle as you work out what constitutes each part and how it works together so convincingly.
Take the amuse bouche – the first a seemingly innocuous list – lettuce, seaweed, walnut and radish, which metamorphosed into a grilled salad cup containing seaweed mayo, walnut salsa, pickled shallot and shaved radish – a tiny mouthful of vegan perfection.
Similarly the tomato, ricotta, purple basil and raisin (it was the summer and Georgia’s ingredients are always seasonal) the fried green tomato serving as the base topped with whipped feta, a green tomato chutney and micro fennel. (see above) forming a piquant, juicy, summery bite.
Appetites suitably sharpened we moved onto the dark and seedy bread (I could have eaten the entire loaf). The stout treacle and oat soda bread (crumbly and soft) accompanied by a light, airy TOAD Oxford rye butter, which added a light whisky taste, and a stout reduction.
Knowing I had four more courses to enjoy I resolutely concentrated instead on the asparagus, Jersey royals, mustard seeds and pea shoots; the asparagus served three ways as a Vichyssoise poured on afterwards, grilled and shaved, and served with chive flowers.
Not only pretty as a picture but so fresh it zinged, with a wonderful depth of flavour, it screamed seasonality.
The beetroot dish with horseradish, cherry and mustard was similarly dainty, transformed into a beetroot taco, the earthy maroon vegetable also roasted, smoked and pureed and served with crispy garlic, fresh cherry and even a nasturtium.
The aubergine was as complex, this time glazed with date, served as a tempura and smoked as a puree, complemented with zhoug (a spicy coriander and parsley sauce), some roasted almond butter and a dusting of dukkah (made up of herbs, nuts, and spices).
Dessert was a pea, meringue, white chocolate and mint offering and a gentle palate cleanser; delicate, light, fragrant and a wonderful mix of textures it almost floated into the mouth like a fairy dessert.
God bless Georgia, working away behind the scenes to bring us these incredibly inspired dishes and introduce us to the benefits and wonders of plant based food, because carnivores and herbivores alike were lost in the wonder of the occasion and the evidence.
Her talent and ambition should not only be applauded but championed.
So book in, give it a go, buy a meal for someone you love and keep your eye out for her upcoming collaborations with Earth Ale in Abingdon and Darle and the Bear in Woodstock.
December’s Menu will be released next week where the nine course dinner with wine flight/drinks is £79 per person. So keep your eyes peeled, or book for January when Veganuary will be well underway.
To find out more or to book go to https://table13oxford.uk
