Daily Information nipped over to the Rickety Press, Jericho’s Dodo Pub, for an indulgent lunch and a look at their recent updates. Read our verdicts below!

Niamh

I opted for the Al Capone Burger, which amps up the classic Dodo by adding a generous layer of ‘nduja relish. These sorts of additions can run the risk of being finicky, but the richness of the relish added a lovely depth of flavour to the burger patty and made for a very hearty bite. I’d recommend pairing with a side of the crunchy slaw, which had a very good sauce-to-veg ratio to keep the crunch and cut through the burger’s richness. It’s also a generous portion for what you pay even without the £5 burger Monday deal (although I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that in the future!).
Though we didn’t test them out, I was very impressed with the variety of vegan options on offer - there’s a tendency in some restaurants to skimp on quality when it comes to their vegan fare, but the Symplicity Burger and Big V ensure that no one’s left out of the Dodo burger experience. I will say that the gluten free options for buns and pizza bases could be more prominently displayed on the pub’s website, as gluten-free diners might not realise they can get in on the fun too!

Sophia

I ordered the Chorizo Picante, which boasted a spicy hattrick: chorizo, ‘nduja, and pickled chilli. What could have been a flaming disaster was in reality just pleasantly warming, with a zingy kick from the pickled chillis. The ‘nduja had a surprisingly squash-like, autumnal taste, and added a hearty richness. Like Niamh, I was impressed by the Crunchy Slaw. Coleslaw is a dish that tends to dress its shredded veg in one of two unpleasant extremes: a gluey, mayonnaise soup, or an acetic, shrill vingarette. Not here. The light coating of dill mayo softened the shredded vegetables while still letting their flavours shine. I ended up using it as a creamy condiment of sorts on my pizza to balance out the heat, like one might with raita and curry. On a menu this dominated by rich, deep, and hot flavours, the slaw makes for an excellent side with almost any dish.

Alongside updating their screens to better entice sports fans, the pub has also given its interiors a subtle facelift. The décor is fresh and cheerful: with lots of wood, orangey accents and kitschy details, hitting the right unfussy, cosy notes without looking run-down (bad) or artificially rustic (worse).

With drinks ranging from lattes, a range of beers on draught, to their own range of shots (4 for £10!), it seems the Rickety has been envisioned as a Jack of All Trades. Weekend brunch, weekday lunch break, first date, night out at the pub, post-cinema nightcap, they want it all. And with speedy service, great food, and a location nestled into buzzy upmarket Jericho, I can’t see why they won’t get it.

Russ

I am somewhat of a burger connoisseur. And Oxford and the surrounding area has a number of terrific choices for fans of the scrumptious beef (or chicken or vegetarian alternative) and bun meal. There was, therefore, a quality Dodo Pubs had to hit to be one of the good burger options in town. And thankfully it all came together for a really good meal.

There is an excellent range of burgers at the Rickety Press, with terrific names like Angry Bird and Al Capone. But for me the Big ‘D’ was calling – a beef patty with cheese, smoky bacon, onion jam, burger sauce and ketchup. The swirl of ingredients combine for a flavoursome burger, strong enough to offer lunchtime punch without overwhelming the flavour palette. The bun holds the consistency well, the level of sauce not too much to compromise the meal (I’ve had burgers that have collapsed as you’ve attempted to devour it as quickly as possible). It lands on the good side of the burger ledger, circling great (although I’ll confess to being a fan of more adventurous burger fair and feel a desire to return and try the other options at the Rickety Press). Also worth noting that the accompanying fries were flawless - crunchy, soft in the middle and with just the right amount of salt.

Burgers here are definitely affordable, and particularly so on a Monday (when they are a mere £5) or at lunch when you can get a burger and fries for £10. So if you know when to go, the Rickety Press can be a cheap date (something to appreciate in our current climate). I also tried the Cluck Bites, which were a wonderful addition – crunchy and flavoursome.

Outside of the food eaten the Rickety Press is a charming locale with friendly, welcoming staff. They’ve done good work in their recent refurbishment to give this pub its own identity without stepping on its Dodo-ness. If I have a critique it’s that the space is a tricky one to manage, somewhere in-between a restaurant and a more open pub. But this didn’t detract from our meal and I heartily encourage a visit. Why not treat yourself for lunch or dinner?

Grown up sibling of Magdalen Road’s Rusty Bicycle, The Rickety Press has been a firm favourite of Jericho residents for five years now. The grey-blue painted former Radcliffe Arms on the corner of Cranham Street and Terrace manages to be cosy yet spacious, stylish but not affected and friendly but not annoyingly familiar. It’s filled with chunky wood-topped tables, sometimes on Singer sewing machine pedal stands, and a mixture of tall bar stools and appropriately rickety chairs. The formalishness of the dining room is apparently to be scrapped in the 10-day refurb currently underway, and anyway we opted for the more relaxed atmosphere of the main drinking bit of the bar.

To our pleasant surprise we arrived during midweek happy hour, and immediately decided on the pre-seven £15 prosecco. The food choices required much more consideration though, as salmon warred with breaded mushroom burger, and roast aubergine green curry with all of the steaks. We could have come to blows over the starter options; smoked mackerel pâté and sourdough toast, crispy fried baby squid and aioli, quails eggs and smoked salt, grilled flatbreads and pea hummous or simple foccacia, olives and oil - where, indeed, to start?

In the end I opted for the black pudding scotched egg, which comes with a big dollop of brown sauce, because I’ve never ordered another starter at the Rickety Press and to branch out now would make next time too difficult. Also it’s incredible. I was the first BPSE I ever tried, on an autumnal afternoon after a few hours of intense punting. I’ve never turned one down elsewhere since, but it’s also never been bettered. Hot, crispy and gooey, you’ll wolf it down in about 30 seconds. My colleague ordered the English asparagus with poached egg and tarragon butter. It was apparently very tasty, with lots of herbs and fancy un-overbearing rock salt. It was a bit on the cold side but overall yummy and not so filling that you don't want your main. More of a whet-your-appetite kind of starter. We chose well.

Salmon and steak won out in round two. Nat’s salmon fillet was found to be smoky and juicy. The accompanying celeriac slaw was crunchy and tasty with humble homemade mayo, and thankfully no secret onions. The cous cous was the perfect amount of moist, packing lots of flavour despite only containing a few tomatoes. There were many secret (un-menu-listed) raisins, but they weren’t too hard to avoid, and the secret rocket was a pleasant surprise. It was entirely forgotten that the dish was supposed to come with yoghurt though, as there was no sign of it.

My grilled dry-aged flat iron steak was perfectly rare but basically cold. The knob of house butter plopped on top barely melted at all as it sat there. The fries were fluffy, crisp and generously supplied, and some nicely dressed mixed leaves completed the plate. The steak was super tender and juicy, it’s such a shame about the temperature.

After much dessert debate, and both being near full, we compromised on a vanilla affogato to share. Sharing would mean it barely counts and it’s also like having an after dinner coffee. Except it’s not! It’s so much better. It might sound like we’re a sucker for a gimmick or just like to childishly play with our food, but getting to pour an espresso shot over a glass of creamy ice cream all by yourself, makes it much more fun. It was exactly what was needed, and the perfect amount.

This is really good food, well thought out, and served promptly with friendly ease. It’s also the type of place you’d feel happy to go and work, have a coffee, or sit in the corner for hours playing homemade Jenga while nursing a pint. Let’s hope not too much gets changed with their updates, and bring on the re-opening party!