First things first – Victors is beautiful.

There’s no point ignoring this fact because it almost feels like it is the point of the restaurant. In one section, canopies of faux wisteria and fairy lights twinkle over wide tables. Elsewhere, low-hanging lanterns reflect in enormous mirrors that hang on rustically-distressed cream brick walls.

A frankly distracting amount of delicate glassware hangs above the enormous square bar, gleaming in the soft light of table-top lamps. We visited in mid-November, so there were also enormous but very tasteful Christmas decorations.

The overall vibe is enchanting and romantic, like the kind of weddings you only see on social media (if your algorithm is anything like mine, anyway…).

Whether this is your cup of tea or not, it’s impossible to deny that any meal here is going to look great on Instagram, and Victors were kind enough to invite us along to try out some of their newly updated menu items.

We started off with some cocktails from the very extensive drinks menu. My ‘Raspberry beret’ (red berry vodka, Chambord, lemon juice, vanilla syrup, cranberry juice, apple juice, prosecco) was refreshingly fruity and stayed flavourful until the end. My partner ordered a ‘My Chilli Amore’ (tequila, Cointreau, raspberry syrup, red chilli, raspberries, lime juice, cherry bitters) which was beautifully presented but, unfortunately, overpoweringly spicy. It essentially tasted like chilli squash, needing much more sweetness from the fruit to balance out the heat.

The food menu is equally wide-ranging, and it was particularly difficult to pick out some ‘small plates’ from a very tempting array of dishes. We plumped for crab and yuzu tacos, alongside the lobster rolls which have recently been added to the menu.

We were pleased to find out that the tacos were well-sized (maybe we’re just greedy, but normally tacos are way too small and we end up ordering approximately 140). The crab was well-flavoured and sat on a bed of coleslaw made with wasabi mayo, which melded beautifully. A crunchy topping gave a lovely additional texture. The tacos were accompanied by a helping of smashed avocado that had a jarring acidity, which ran slightly at odds with the rest of the dish.

The lobster rolls were another generous portion; every bite had a good heap of the filling, which was very delicate in flavour. It’s safe to say that I could eat many more of these – probably an unhealthy amount…

Both of our main courses were new menu items. The first was a miso-blackened cod, with pickled mushrooms, crispy kale and pickled ginger. The cod flaked nicely but was on the edge of being slightly overcooked for my preference. Nonetheless, it was still moist and worked well with the fruity, teriyaki-esque sauce which I could have eaten by the spoonful. The kale was perfectly crisp and crunchy, while the ginger gave a nice kick.

Next up was the lobster mac & cheese. My initial instinct was that this was going to be the most decadent dish I had ever ordered in my life, but it was pleasingly light. I’m still not quite sure how that is possible, given that the key ingredients are textbook indulgence, but the cheese sauce wasn’t overly rich and there was a good amount of crunchy topping that helped to cut through the pasta stodge.

This was comfort food taken to extremes. A side helping of broccolini brought some welcome greenery to the table – although it was drenched in a buttery garlic and lemon sauce, so whilst it was very tasty it maybe wasn’t providing the usual health benefits.

Finally, we found space for a pistachio cheesecake and affogato.

The cheesecake was almost too pretty to eat, but we managed to convince ourselves (for the sake of Bitten, obviously). It was almost mousse-like in texture and not too sweet thanks to the earthy savouriness of the pistachio flavour, which was perfect at the end of a big meal.

The affogato seemed like my ideal dessert: espresso, vanilla ice cream, amaretto, amaretti biscuits and orange zest. There were a lot of flavours going on there, though. If you managed to hit all the elements in one mouthful, it was delightful. However, if you missed the ice cream, for example, you were hit with a heavy punch of strong competing ingredients.

The service throughout was attentive if a bit perfunctory. In a way it was nice to be left to our own devices; the aesthetics make this the perfect spot for a date night where you might want some uninterrupted time to gaze lovingly at your partner.

The prices mean that this would probably need to be a special occasion, though. Larger plates range from £17-£28, while the lobster rolls alone will set you back £18. However, if you’re looking for a picture-perfect ambience, this is a good spot.

Victors
RU5, Westgate Shopping Centre 307 The Westgate, Queen St, Oxford OX1 1PG

Bitten were guests of Victors, all views are our own