 Just in case you haven't seen the abundance of slick adverts that have adorned the pages of this paper over the last few months, I should explain that The Royal Oak in Kelsall is no more, having been replaced with extensively refurbished, clipped-titled The Oak. With the owners' well-publicised promises of 'Great food, great wine, great time!' ringing in our ears, Jon and I decided to head out of the city and into the countryside. First impressions count on such occasions and from the roadside the imposing former coaching inn looks at its architectural best. The interior has all the traditional charm that a century-old building should offer, but with the mod con fruits of its £500,000 refurbishment. You will find no dark, smoke-filled back rooms in this country inn - from the rear car park you enter the new light and airy conservatory, with exposed eaves and a window looking straight into the kitchen. Even several months after its grand opening, The Oak was almost booked up for Saturday night when I phoned. We managed to get a table for 6.30pm but, alas, not in the conservatory and we were told that we needed to leave by 8pm to free up the table for someone else. We were seated in one of the lounge rooms of the original building, which are separated from each other with a series of columns, semi-walls and open fireplaces. There is no question that this semi open-plan layout works, while the use of rich wooden panelling around the walls and at the bar reflects the build-ing's name and the woodlands around Kelsall. But I was surprised at the choice of furnishing and general decor. A pair of bright, fuchsia pink velvet sofas were positioned next to a window hung with noisy patterned curtains and watched over by a carved wooden elephant. Elsewhere, another noisily patterned sofa sat by a large fireplace with a gaggle of carved wooden ducks arranged on the hearth. Clustered around the walls are unframed canvas prints of abstract patterns - some look vaguely African-inspired but most with no noticeable theme or style. Collectively this all amounts to a look that is slightly unco-ordinated. I would not in any way prefer uber-minimalist surroundings or over-the-top country-fied deco, but it seems strange that the owners have clearly spent so much effort on the building without establishing a clear style inside. | 
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