The Ram was a great grungy pub. It had a wonderful beer garden, band-eoke every Tuesday night, and an authentic student atmosphere. it’s turned into ‘Inferno’ cocktail bar and restaurant. The appearance from the outside hasn’t changed much — it still looks pretty shabby and uninviting.
I had low expectations upon entry. However, we were greeted by the sound of The Smiths — always a nice welcome. We were completely shocked by the transformation. The restaurant now has a country pub feel, with feature beams, wooden panel floors, an AGA stove cooker, big Chesterfield booths, and fairy lights dotted about the place. The floor space is on the larger side, and we were the only people in the whole restaurant, which made us feel like we were in a village hall. Not ideal.
The cocktail list is good but lacking variety — considering it’s marketing itself as a cocktail bar. The options are a pornstar martini, espresso martini, strawberry daiquiri, pink gin fizz, zombie, elderflower spritz, mojito, toasted marshmallow piña colada, and an after eight.
All are priced at £10.95 for two or £6.95 for one. On average, the bottles of wine were priced at around £18 and a pint at £3.30. We went for the pornstar which was pretty tasty and well-made. However, due to the lack of atmosphere in the restaurant, we weren’t tempted to order a second.
There seems to be a wide selection of food on offer. Students get 30 per cent off their food bill too. They have a range of Persian dishes, kebabs, steak, burgers, and pizza. An extremely varied menu to satisfy all tastes and cravings.
To start we had the aubergine dip with naan to share. The naan made an entrance due to its sheer size and was covered in toasted sesame seeds giving it a lovely flavour. However the showstopper was the aubergine dip: smoky, garlicky, and creamy. For our mains we ordered the Persian salmon dish (£12) and the veggie hot pizza (£9). Both dishes were very average. There really isn’t a lot to say about the pizza, but considering it was a veggie hot it definitely lacked some spice. The Persian salmon came with two fillets of salmon and steamed herbed rice. Overall the dish was extremely dry and the salmon was overcooked. Considering the quality of the mains I would say the prices are too high.
On our way out we noticed that the patio area of the ram has been converted to an outdoor shisha space with big round sofas, and it has been decorated with beautiful colourful lanterns. A nice spot to remember for the summer.
Overall, I would suggest trying Inferno if you are a large group of people. For the two of us, due to the sheer size of the place, it felt quite strange given its emptiness. I think Inferno definitely has potential if word gets out. I presume it is the exterior that is not enticing people in, which is a shame, as it stands in complete contrast to the tasteful interior.
