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The Oaks, Rickmansworth
West Hyde
Postal town: Rickmansworth
WD3 9XP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Oaks
Corner pub not far from the HS2 route, where construction is underway. The pub has a reasonable sized car park and is set up mainly for dining.
The landlady and other staff were very friendly and we tried the Turkish food that is now on offer. The large sharing platter we had was filling, but good value.
Just 3 ales were on - Sharp's Doom Bar & Doom Bar Extra Chilled & Fuller's London Pride. I tried the Doom Bar Extra Chilled for the first time and found it to be quite pleasant.
Inside may be for diners only, as most drinkers appeared to be inside. But we had reserved a table to eat on this occasion. So, all worked well.
Not a destination pub, but recommended as a food venue that serves real ale.
On 8th October 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Oaks
Noticed from the first time poster with obvious self-interest below that the Oaks had undergone a recent makeover, so diverted off the M25 again to have a look.
Yes the Oaks has been given a major refurbishment by people who seem to have some connections to the well-known Rickmansworth gastro pub, the Feathers. Normally I would bemoan another traditional pub being modernised, but the previous incarnation of this pub had had any decent character knocked out of it long ago, and this makeover has been quite sympathetically done, so this is actually an improvement and is certainly a lot smarter.
The usual modern décor technique of liberal use of Farrow & Ball pastel paint colours over all surfaces including the half-timbered walls has been employed. But they have managed to avoid the pitfall of making the place look like an Ikea showroom. And although a couple of sections to the left of the open plan internal space is now set for dining with cutlery and church candles sat on every table, the right hand section remains more for just drinking with an eclectic mix of furniture, and a sensible balance between pub and restaurant has been achieved. Character is provided by some tables and chairs in this right hand section that fall into the shabby chic style and look like they have been reclaimed and renovated from second hand shops. Although you can take this too far and the old gutless sofa I first tried to sit in would be straight back on the skip if it was me, to be replaced by a decent comfy leather chesterfield.
And the external space has been smartened up as well with new wooden benches next to the redone car park and a small wood chipped garden area with gazebo that is still a long way from a decent pub garden space afforded to the nearby Coy Carp and Old Orchard for example, but is a good use of the external space available.
Unfortunately there has not been so much improvement on the beer front and, although all three taps were now in operation, two of these were dispensing London Pride, and the third had Adnams Lighthouse. And my pint of Lighthouse, at a reasonable £3.10 was perfectly fine, after a bit of short pulling had been rectified without fuss by the pleasant barmaid.
I was only stopping for a pint and didn’t eat, so you are better looking at the restaurant reviews on trip advisor for guidance to how good this place will function as an upmarket food place. But from what I could read, there is a reasonable sandwiches & summer salads menu between £6-£8, which are marketed as specials to the more gastro evening food menu. This more expensive menu includes a lot of items with references to the dreaded jus and fumet, which as far as my traditional pallet is concerned, is code for adding several quid onto the price of standard chicken and fish dishes. And although there is a section referred to as pub classics, this includes fish and chips at a wallet hurting £13.00. Perhaps the quality will justify this price level but I did also notice that, like the Feathers, it does take tastecard during the week for a 50% discount which would bring it down to something more manageable for a mid-week meal.
So, in conclusion, as a pub, this new guise is definitely an improvement on the old, but perhaps not to top status intimated by David below, and certainly could do with a more interesting ale choice to be able to compete in that respect against the pubs in nearby Harefield. And whether this place has enough about it to entice the foodies with expansive wallets out of Gerrards Cross and the Chalfont’s remains to be seen and time will tell. But it’s a brave venture and I wish the independent owners the best of luck and hope they succeed.
On 25th July 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Beaney left this review about The Oaks
This pub changed hands about 8 weeks ago. It is now owned / managed by a new guy who has a lot of credibility in the area for the quality of food served in the establishments he has previously managed. Just eaten there tonight - food was excellent and reasonably priced for the quality. At the moment it is quite quiet ..... a genuine hidden gem, but the word I am sure will quickly get out. I found the contact details hard to find on Google, so here they are Phone number is 01895822118. Website www.theoakspub.co.uk
On 22nd July 2013
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Oaks
The Oaks public house is visible from the A412 Denham to Ricky route, which is a common cut through for those of us who have to suffer the vagaries of the parallel section of the M25 and from afar it looks like a picturesque country pub. So when traversing the route again yesterday on what proved to be the hottest day of the year I decided to take the small detour for a pint.
The pub is on a sharp bend at the corner of the Old Uxbridge Road and Coppermill Lane. Unfortunately reality is that it is more community estate pub than quaint country inn, but it seemed to be functioning well as one with plenty in (or I should say outside on this hot evening).
Internally it is now one large open-plan layout that may once have looked very different in a former guise. Plenty of seating around the different areas and also large plazma teles dotted around tuned to the horseracing. There is no real outside area except for bench tables to the front and side adjoining the tarmacked car park.
The usual chrome lager and cider options were available and although there are three ale hand pumps on the bar only two are operational and one (London Pride) was reversed clipped. This left Flowers Original, which, however well it is kept, it is still a poor shadow of its former self.
The service was friendly and efficient, but this will be one I will be leaving to the locals.
On 25th July 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]