Sunday roast as it should be

It is not always easy to please every member of the family. but it turns out that a Sunday roast from Oscars Bar is an easy solution.

Oscars Bar is located in the pristine Vila Sol resort, just a stone’s throw away from Vilamoura and the golden triangle resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo in the Algarve. The bar is very easy to find, is well sign posted from the entrance and had plenty of parking, which was a great start to the entire experience.

When you walk around the corner it is easy to spot Oscars, thanks to the wooden façade and ample seating outside the front of the building, complete with outdoor heaters for cooler winter evenings, shades for sunny days and a large screen TV to watch all the latest sports.

Warm welcome

We were greeted warmly by the staff who were all complying with all Covid-19 health and safety rules and seated in a spacious booth with a view of the fireplace, bar and television screens showing a variety of different sports.

Inside is spotlessly clean, tastefully decorated with feature lighting and the perfect temperature for settling down to a Sunday roast. We were here to see if they could create the perfect family roast but there were also other options on the lunch menu including an all day English breakfast, omelettes, toasties, baguette, jacket potatoes, burgers and classic fish and chips. The lunch menu is updated frequently, so look out for updates on their social media and website.

Once we had ordered our drinks then it was only a short wait before we were presented with our roast lunches, which this week we had the choice of pork, beef or gammon, while a vegetarian option was also presented to us. Oscars are happy to accommodate vegetarians and can either provide a meat free version or, because I had called ahead of time, I was served a beautiful homemade nut roast.

Sunday roast lunch

It was a good job we had a large table because we were served up both the regular sized vegetarian and pork Sunday roast and also the XL version of the beef roast, perfect for anyone who has worked up an appetite or for even a hungry teenager!

The beef, pork and nut roast were all cooked beautifully, with tender meat, seasoned well, and the nut roast packed with Mediterranean flavours. While for many the meat is the main star of the show, I have always been more of a fan of the trimmings and at Oscars Bar I was not disappointed as each roast was served with broccoli, carrots, pan fried leeks and mashed potato. Of course the stars of the show were always going to be the stuffing, roast potatoes, which were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the cauliflower cheese which had been oven baked and finally, the home cooked giant Yorkshire pudding – pure perfection.

And if the trimming were not enough, we were also given English mustard, mint sauce, apple sauce horseradish sauce and both a regular gravy and a vegetarian one – a real bonus as we are very much a saucy family!

All the food was piping hot and the XL version came with an extra slice of beef and more vegetables, however the regular version was more than enough for all of us, with the exception of the hungry teenager who of course who then went on to polish off an entire dessert as well.

Homemade favourites

Homemade favourites make an appearance on the changing dessert menu, and this week we were treated to a choice of sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble, chocolate brownie or ice cream, with the choice of ice cream or custard with the hot puds. Yet again the portions were very generous and the real taste of home came through with every dish.

Once the meal was finished the children went off to explore and discovered the children’s play area at the back of the bar, while currently upstairs there is the pool table, a dart board, table football and a space for the kids to relax while parents can watch the end of the match.

Oscars Bar also serves a wide dinner menu, including snacks, pizzas, salads, a selection of homemade burgers and classic dishes including chicken piri piri, fish and chips, pie and mash, lasagne, chilli con carne, grilled salmon and bangers and mash.

I love a Sunday roast but I don’t like all the washing up and I certainly don’t enjoy cooking one in the summer when the temperature in the kitchen makes it a once in a blue moon occasion! Being able to go out and enjoy all the tastes of home, without any of the hassle, was a great experience for us all as a family.

There really isn’t anything better than sitting down at a table with your nearest and dearest, enjoying some great food and watching the world go by on a Sunday, and we will be returning again to repeat the experience in the very near future.

For further information about Oscars Bar, please visit www.oscarsbarvilasol.com

Originally from the UK, Daisy has been living and working in Portugal for more than 20 years. She has worked in PR, marketing and journalism, and has been the editor of The Portugal News since 2019. Jornalista 7920

Daisy Sampson