PUB GRUB #1: THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPS

In a groundbreaking new series for the Tab, Joe and Tag will venture outside the safety of collegewalls to dangerous and uncharted lands to bring you sacred knowledge – the best places for pub grub under £10…

There’s a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southernmost tip of Africa, the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Tab can now exclusively reveal that it’s a pub on Iffley roundabout. Meals run every day 10-12pm, and menus offer starters, sides, desserts and mains ranging from £3-£15, plus a set menu of 1-3 courses, £6-£11.On Friday 9th November, we went there to eat and hang out with the sophisticated 25-and-over clientele. Our tutor was there. With a woman. Eye contact was avoided and we hid behind menus.

Tag had: Half a roast Shropshire chicken, herb butter, baked tomato, red wine gravy & fries £9.75 + a pint of Peroni £4.50. He was slightly miffed because his Peroni was missing about a centimetre of its head (which in my opinion is just desserts for ordering a pretentious lager). The food arrived within 5-10 minutes in a blinding, gold, ethereal light from the kitchen’s food hatch. Sort of fitting. Like poultry heaven. He was pleased that this was the second time he’d been offered ketchup, yet on a downside he didn’t have enough gravy. “I just like gravy”. So while his chicken was succulent, for him, anything short of a torrent of animal juices was a disappointment. Having not eaten meat for several months, to me, the chicken smelt incredible. Tag took his time with this Shropshire bird, it was a heartily filling meal but he wasn’t sure it was worth only having 25p change from a tenner. Along with his chicken he ate decently-cooked fries and plenty of them. He doesn’t care for “buckets” of chips, preferring them alongside a meal. “They’re on the plate anyway…unnecessary packaging. That’s what I want to come out most srongly in the article, my distaste for that convention”. A contented smile from Tag for his half chicken. He didn’t touch the tomato.

 Joe had: Handmade lentil & spinach burger topped with houmous & served with fries £8.50 + a pint of Becks Vier £3.60. The presence of lentils on the menu instantly perked Joe. A fussy (read ‘discerning’) vegetarian, he remarked instantly that lentil burgers were superior to Quorn. This led to a discussion on the problems plaguing many establishments whereby the vegetarian meal takes slightly longer than the others to appear and disrupts the social atmosphere of eating. “And I’m always the first to finish” – nothing new. I offered him my tomato but Joe was wary of its billing as a ‘beef tomato’. Fortunately for me and the Cape, the provision of vegetables was swift, and cut short a riveting critique of Nando’s. Joe ordered a suitably northern looking and healthy pint and looked smugly at my towering glass of foam. Joe was keen to stress that his burger had not fallen apart, apparently a recurring issue. Scared by the presence of a pot of something on his plate, Joe requested

I check the mystery condiment and I confirmed its identity. Mustard. I inquired as to why exactly he felt qualified to do a food column. Desperate for notes on the food, we talked about portion size and temperature. Just as he was telling me that it was hot but not ‘burn your mouth hot’ we were interrupted by a woman asking if anyone was sitting with us. Replying that this was “fine”, we were then surprised that the initially spacious table became rather cramped as 4 of her middle aged friends asked us to ‘budge up’. The ambience changed as we listened to a 30-something man attempting to convince some reluctant 40 year-olds to accompany him to “this cool place called lola lo’s”. It was at this point that we tactically decided to check out the upstairs. Two czech beers later (from
the excellent range of ales and lagers in the bar, also enjoyed by some Hawaiian-shirted men), Joe decided it was time to assess the quality of the toilets. Investigation complete, we left the Cape fully sated.

Half Chicken: ***
Lentil Burger: ****

Take Your Parents? Yes. They might even be impressed seeing your tutor.
Take Your Date? Yes, for a pre-drink, but don’t eat there with them. Only bromances.
Take Your Overdraft? Yes. With only £1.75 in total left from our food limit.

Overall: ***, With an interesting setting, the daily menu doesn’t offer a wide range but what’s there is very good and very well portioned. The Cape is nicely located for those living out in Cowley, and the framed images and old posters make for attractive viewing. In conclusion, fans of vintage lampshades will not be disappointed.

Finding the Cape.