Pub Spy decided to go somewhere a bit different this week, as the Oil Basin has had a refurb.
On first impressions The Oil Basin Brewhouse on Copenhagen Street was wonderful.
It feels warm and welcoming as well as being very chilled out. I liked the quirky decor. They have really put a lot of thought into making it different, with various antique pieces, lots of paintings and mismatched furniture. It is definitely the sort of place I would go to with friends.
Some of the beers are brewed on site. I just had a coke and my partner had a pint of Barbourne cider which he said was really tasty.
The barman was very friendly and animated, and a bit of a character.
The instructions were to order drinks downstairs and order food upstairs.
I sat upstairs and waited to be served. It took me a while to realise that you had to order from the kitchen, from the chef, which I thought was slightly odd and not made completely obvious.
There was no ‘order here’ sign or anything to indicate the manner of procedure.
I usually prefer to be waited on when I go out to eat rather than having to stand behind other people in a queue to order, but it wasn’t that bad.
They were very busy and only had one member of staff bringing the pizza out - but the service was quite fast and we were not waiting long. I would recommend booking a table if you are going to go during a weekend.
At the moment the food is limited to a selection of pizzas, but they are simple and tasty. The pizzas come in two sizes, 12in or Goliath – I had a 12in vegetable and it was absolutely delicious.
The pizzas are proper thin crust pizzas with the little charred bits on the crust which I love.
They are the pizzas you have to bend slightly when you hold the slice to stop all the good topping falling off.
Mine was topped thickly with so many things I liked including courgette, fennel, pine nuts and pesto. The pine nuts and pesto worked really well and it was a nice, unusual twist on the vegetable pizzas I have had before.
My partner had a pepperoni pizza, which he said was also delicious.
Also on offer is a garlic bread pizza which a few people sitting near us had and it looked amazing.
There are vegan and gluten-free options and a range of sides to choose, but the pizzas were more than enough for me.
The slices I couldn’t manage were boxed up to be polished off the following day. I am not really a fan of next day food but I thought it would be a shame to waste it. And it was fine.
One of the best things about the pizza was the price. I couldn’t believe I’d had such a great pizza for just £9. The pepperoni one was only £8.50.
Other options on the menu included the twisted fire starter for those of you who like a bit of spice and the chicken pie, which involves chicken, leaks and cream sauce on a pizza.
I would definitely visit this pub again for the food and the atmosphere.
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