I have a particular affinity to Oak Garden and Grill, mainly because I was privileged, when the Chairman of La Sala Group, Ian Radford asked me to open it in 2016. It was a simple idea, take a villa with a large garden, build the facilities such as kitchens, loos etc in the house itself and design a fabulous timber structure in the gardens and add a huge Oak tree in the middle, making the whole place alfresco. The only problem with that was, that come the winter, the restaurant would close for the season. I am very pleased that last year they enclosed much of the area in glass which means it can prevent the wind. Despite not eating there in the last couple of years I ventured in recently with a friend; A great welcome from the Restaurant Manager Luke who has been with the company for some time. His soft South African accent adds to his charm and his welcoming manner. We were quickly seated and presented with the menus and wine list.

The wine list is comprehensive and reasonably priced for an eatery of this calibre. The menu itself offers a variety of dishes pertaining to its oak and charcoal grill although there are other fabulous dishes some with a Thai style, influenced perhaps in part by sister restaurant La Sala by the Sea. But make no bones (sic) about this, it’s a steak house. Top quality beef aged and cooked perfectly on the open grill. Despite that, there is even a selection of vegetarian options. We shared a Beef Carpaccio, Parmesan, Sun Dried Tomato and Rocket, a Tuna Tataki with Wasabi and Asian Salad, both of which were excellent. And I loved the Langostine and Sea Bass Ceviche with Mango, Avocado and Tigers Milk which at 17€ I thought was well priced. My friend with an upmarket passion for burgers went for the classic 100% Beef Burger, Bacon, Cheese, Coleslaw and hand cut fries. Strangely I don’t eat a lot of red meat these days but you can’t not have one of their classic steaks when you are there, so I chose the 300 gm Argentinean Rib Eye which proved too much for me but the remnants made an excellent sandwich the next day.

All washed down with the superb Segrel Albariño and a couple of glasses of Ribera del Duero. Desserts are there for those that want; Cinnamon Apple Crumble, Banana Spring Roll with Dark Chocolate and Baileys Cream and a Cheese Board amongst the choices.

They also do an excellent early bird two course menu including a glass of wine for 29€; Having said that the a la carte with wine will only be between 40/50€ per person.

THE NEWLY INSTALLED GLASS COVERING MAKES IT A                     PRACTICALLY ALL YEAR ‘ROUND VENUE

So no need to rush to eat there to catch the good weather, even when it’s inclement you can still sit in the fabulous garden and still feel alfresco, but it maybe some time before the roof is enclosed encouraging all year round dining.

Tel 951 319 411 reservations@oakgardenandgrill.com