Burford has transformed in the past five years into a genuine foodie destination, with the Bull and Highway leading the charge.
Both bought by PR guru Matthew Freud a few years ago, Highway, originally an oldy-worldy gastropub with rooms, was then transformed into a stylish gourmet retreat run by newlyweds Bex and Adam Harris.
A sophisticated, clever and tasty addition to Oxfordshire’s food scene, now ranking high on our new favourite places to eat
However, the couple soon realised there was a gap in the market for something more novel than gastropub food, closing last year for three months while the dining room was transformed into TORO – an authentic and stylish tapas restaurant, which has since proved a winning formula.
Which meant that our meal there was an exceptional evening all round, because not only is Adam’s menu perfectly executed, but the service under the watchful and friendly eye of his wife Bex is seemingly effortless, and the decor and vibe wholly intoxicating.
‘not only is Adam’s menu perfectly executed, but the service under the watchful and friendly eye of his wife Bex is seemingly effortless’
In fact TORO feels special as soon as you enter, it’s Spanish feel embracing the building’s original 14th century features including the wooden beams, floors and its distinctive fireplace.
Settled with a glass of very good vino, the menu was joyful, although rendered us in the ‘paralyzing paradox’ of too many tempting choices. “I could eat everything on here’ my husband proffered, a frown of concentration breaking out on his brow, as he deliberated.
How were we supposed to pick? Bex sensing our dilemma offered a few suggestions – a mix of her favourites, house staples and some of the newer, more seasonal dishes – enough to demonstrate Adam’s skill set in the kitchen.
dish after dish of distinctive, adept and utterly delicious offerings poured out of Adam’s kitchen
The arrival of the chargrilled Coca bread (flatbreads) with aioli and some huge juicy, piquant Gordal olives blew us away before we’d even picked up our knife and fork, and so our meal continued, dish after dish of distinctive, adept and utterly delicious offerings pouring out of Adam’s kitchen.
The roll call included the bacalao (salt cod) fritters served with a lemon aioli (£12) which almost had me on my knees in gratitude. Perky, generous with fish but not overpowering, a squirt of lemon juice and a dab of heady mayo, they were completely divine.
TORO feels special as soon as you enter, it’s Spanish feel embracing the building’s original 14th century features
Resisting the urge to order more, we endeavoured instead to work our way through the rest of our Andalusian feast. A scattering of the day’s croquetas – pork belly nestled on a paprika aioli (£12), soft and rich with meat like a Dutch Bitterballen, hot and crispy on the outside. The yellowfin tuna (£12) followed suit although boasting a hit of the chilli and lime, while the pumpkin, goats cheese and crispy sage (£8) was more pungent.
The recommended Spanish flatbread pizza-esque choices came in four options, and we nabbed the whipped Iberia ham with tomato and chive (£18), the ham sprinkled on top like Nduja, in crispy, dense, sweet, oily heaps.
the crispy paprika pork belly with hot honey was unashamedly rustic – large, generous, moist, dripping chunks of superbly cooked meat topped with a thin layer of crispy skin
As for the crispy paprika pork belly with hot honey (£26) they were unashamedly rustic – large, generous, moist, dripping chunks of superbly cooked meat topped with a thin layer of crispy skin.
The only misstep was the BBQ aubergine half, filled with tomato, basil and manchego (£10), the topping heady and rich but the aubergine not quite cooked through. The hispi cabbage quarters with garlic, park and lemon (£7) more than made up for it – chargrilled and bursting with flavour and texture.
Replete, we glanced at the dessert menu and were immediately sucked in, throwing caution to the wind and ordering one of each. But that’s the joy of tapas, it allows, indeed encourages, you to do so, and we were justly rewarded in so many ways.
Did the dessert overshadow everything that came before? Not quite, but it was a magnificent effort
Did the dessert overshadow everything that came before? Not quite, but it was a magnificent effort.
The salted caramel and chocolate tart with orange and olive oil ice cream (£8) was so elegant, but packed a punch in terms of taste – the citrus cutting through the chocolate, aided by the ice cream.
The sangria poached pear with green apple sorbet, ginger crumb and hot chocolate sauce (£7) was ridiculously good. Visually picture-perfect, the lightly poached pear spicy with cinnamon, the delicate sorbet aiding the bitter but sweet chocolate sauce served in a jug, decadently poured over – heady, indecent and completely irresistible.
the hot churro ice cream sandwich was so naughty it needed to be put in the corner and spanked
But it was the hot churro ice cream sandwich, clotted ice cream and cinnamon sugar (£10) that took the biscuit, literally, and so indecent and naughty it needed to be put in the corner and spanked. Hot fried light sugary dough, encasing soft creamy ice cream, we went back time and time again, our spoons clashing in our haste to finish every last morsel.
So yes, Adam and Bex have made rather a lasting impression at TORO after an exceptional evening all round, and we are so there for it. A sophisticated, clever and tasty addition to Oxfordshire’s food scene, now ranking high on our new favourite places to eat.
TORO at Highway, Burford is at 117 High St, Burford OX18 4RG https://www.highwayburford.com
