Job Done!

Wow, I have no photos yet, but I can provide concrete proof, at 2am after our opening party, that when 700 people say they will be coming along, they really mean it - We had Oxford Culture Vultures, we had the Dons of Oxford, we had the North Oxford Mums, we had artists, we had cycling steampunkers, we had pissheads and we had devout sausageers!

All in all, we had a group of folk who dearly loved the old place, yet feel, quite honestly, that the new place replaces all of the fine aspects of the old and adds a million new splendid touches - We'd love the rest of you to come along, and to feel the same way

For now, Bed, a day off and then an early start to Monday - I think we can safely say we came back with a Bang! Max

Last Night 'off'!

It's 1am on the morning of what will be our opening party and I wanted to share a bit of the excitement of heading into today, combined with the weariness of having worked flat out to produce what I believe will be the very best restaurant in Oxford (with apologies to Monsieur Blanc!).

Best of British

I hope that we will have combined all of the fun from the old place, without the crappy loos, in essence. This new place has more heart, more potential, and a more central position. Everyone thus far who has seen it has only good words to say for it, but maybe they're just being nice, because they realise I'd currently collapse if they said anything bad.

Swanky new floor

Later today, hopefully after a little fitful sleep, I only have to organise another 20 or so tasks, then the rest happens. One of my guiding principles in life is that you HAVE to enjoy a party that you host, otherwise why endure the spend and the stress? So, before that time, we need a floor, some more beer.... in fact a local beer chilling system and some of Oxfordshire's best beers, we need a till system, we need 8,000 sausages cooked (Yes, 8,000!) and we need the mash to go with it, so that entails a lot of baking, boiling, peeling, cutting, mashing and hard work.

The Sign finally hoisted

It'll be a night to remember, and I hope it will be the night when Oxfordshire learnt to make the Castle Quarter their own - I believe we have the best possible position in Oxford with the biggest courtyard, the best design and the finest menu - And the Maitre'D isn't too bad either!

For the past 8years we've not really rammed the ethics of the place down your throat, but hopefully those who have followed the story closely will realise it's all built on pretty solid ethics - I trust that they are more visible and more intelligently explained, now we have a suitable building from which to do so.

About the most important lunch you can imagine

Aaaah, that's enough - it's time for bed. One last thing, everyone today seemed to want to know whether I was nervous, and I answered "No" each and every time. I have the best menu, the finest, sweetest and most hard working staff in both kitchen and restaurant, I have the best looking website and restaurant thanks to some amazing work behind the scene by my FashionHack and her family of designers and clever brains and we're going to make it work incredibly well, from tomorrow you should be in possession of a new clear favourite Oxford restaurant.

Good Night

On the brink of opening - Scary & Exciting

Another ramble from me.... but I think it's an important one, which includes what we're all about - It is the brink of the week when The Big Bang makes its reappearance on the Oxford scene - We have grown at a terrifying rate, as eight year olds always seem to. Our new home, which I'm hoping you'll come to get a look at over the coming week or two, is much larger, much more central and holds much more potential than our much loved Jericho home, from the past eight years. It's a place which has never been fully embraced by Oxford, but I feel it's time to do so. It has so much potential, so much history and a wealth of character that you can't match anywhere else in the City. With The Big Bang sitting at the heart of it, I feel you now have a Castle Quarter to be truly proud of, and I hope I can count on your support.

We've had a VIP lunch on Wednesday (for some of Britain's most influential tour party operators, I'm never one to start the easy way), then I'm inviting everyone, and I really mean everyone, you included, for an opening night party from 7:30pm on Saturday 29th September. No entry charge, just come down and see what we've done - I'll be putting a couple of free drinks on the bar (as few as I can get away with), doing my best to bring out nibbles throughout the evening and having a cheap bar, even if it's not free, to welcome you to our new place and try to ensure that you regard it as the new heart of Oxford. 

I have to admit, in this quiet moment before the storm, that I'm quite nervous. It's a terrific challenge, one that I am delighted by the prospect of, but I have no misconceptions about how hard we are going to have to work, to make this your favourite new Oxford restaurant, yet we have lots of history on our side - People seem to like what we do, and I believe we've just grown all that you love and transported it to a better place.

I'd like to recruit your help, if I may; if you dine here and don't like anything you experience, or just think we can do something a bit better, or even you just want to send us a compliment and tell us we're travelling in roughly the right direction, then please drop me a line, stop me and chat.  I'm adamant that the only way to ensure you come here, as opposed to a chain restaurant, is by ensuring we're offering you a home from home, a place for reassuring, unpretentious, local, ethically sourced, affordable and fun food, in a tremendous atmosphere, in what I believe is the smartest courtyard and finest restaurant in Oxford. 


Please take our Big Bang newspapers away and share them with schools, colleges and shops around Oxfordshire, tell friends about us, recommend us, think of bringing folks to see us when they visit Oxford, and we'll do our best to give you everything you want in return.  In this economy, our promise to you, in return, is that we'll always stay as affordable as we can. We will always source from the most interesting array of Oxfordshire suppliers, so you can always rest assured that you are supporting the components of this county which most need it and when you fancy a Great British, as opposed to an Indian or a Chinese meal, we'll be there, turning out the greatest British classics we can.

I keenly look forward to hearing your thoughts, and to seeing you all shortly

Max

Some mouthwatering images to tempt you...

Photography: Greg Blatchford 

Coming Back with a Bang!

Eight years ago, I nervously signed a tenancy agreement on a tatty building which was meant to be reduced to rubble some five months later, it seemed like a fun idea, and so was born the rollercoaster ride which was The Big Bang - based on some pretty solid ethical principles, but all geared around the unpretentious enjoyment of our greatest British Dish, Sausage & Mash. 

Now, a full eight years later, I'm about to sign again, but more excitedly, with a greater number of noughts at stake, but safer in the knowledge that people have thoroughly enjoyed what we've done over the past eight years, and that the Great British Brand is more popular now than ever. Secondly that people are ready more now than ever before, for a restaurant which offers great, ethical, local food at a good price. We're coming back with a Bang!

I'm aware that if I were sensible, I'd admit that I may not have enough time to commit to a blog, but also that this will be a ride along which many people will want to accompany us - We're going to be doing some exciting things, getting into some innovative partnerships and encouraging your involvement majorly along the way - I'd love to be building a true Oxfordshire restaurant, including as many Oxfordshire folk as we can and this has to be the best way of inviting you to accompany me from the start. 

For those who may have thought that our menu was too limited or our restaurant was too scruffy, you'll be impressed.  The new Big Bang will have a fantastic broad menu which serenades Great British ingredients, demonstrating where we're able how much you are supporting your local farmers and not contributing towards the balance sheet of some multinational chain restaurant. I'm delighted to report that our new home is set within the very heart of the Oxford Castle Quarter, where a Carluccio's used to be. It's a fabulous place, with enough space for us to enjoy all of what we did before, but now with a huge kitchen within which we can offer full English breakfasts, all Great British classics, brunches, Sunday roasts and even outdoor catering from, and even a courtyard where wintry Bangers & Mash can become spectacular summery Barbeques and Beers.

The Big Bang has been absent for a year, but I've taken time to find the perfect premises and know that you'll be impressed, just ensure that the next time you go out for dinner that instead of the restaurant you've been tolerating for the past year, come to a new one that you'll hopefully embrace as your new favourite.  Through this blog, I'll be taking you through the process from signing the tenancy agreement, to developing partnerships, through searching for new local suppliers and encouraging your advice and hearing your findings, to opening the doors, welcoming your feedback and driving towards the long winter ahead. 


Max