Giving Oxford a new spot for lavish-style dining since its opening earlier this year, Victor’s have introduced a shiny new Christmas menu, and it’s opulent as you are probably already imagining.
You won’t find a classic Christmas-style dinner here, which I think is quite nice; there’s only so much turkey one can handle in a short period of time.
At the Christmas Showcase on Thursday where I sampled the new menu, we were greeted by the super helpful sales co-ordinator Tom, who took us to the ‘cocktail tree’… Obviously, the camera came out instantly. The Wisteria Lane cocktail, one of their signatures, is a sweet gin drink, as fancy as the restaurant’s decoration.
We tried pretty much the entire Christmas menu, canape style, with selections from the veggie menu also on offer. Containing four ‘waves’, the menu is set out with sharer-style foods, such as chicken skewers and sushi, with a dessert to finish.
One of the performers for me was the ‘Surf & Turf’: 24hr marinated grass-fed steak with lobster and prawn tempura. Three is the magic number after all, especially when it involves both steak AND lobster:
Along with the above I also loved the beetroot cured salmon blinis, with lemon crème fraiche and topped with caviar (because it really isn’t Christmas without a good blini, is it):
The firecracker prawns with crispy rice noodles were also great – so juicy and flavoursome, with a kick:
Another personal favourite was dessert, which was a real showstopper: festive cheesecake bites with cranberry, as well as mini chocolate tarts with a cream and pistachio topping (I can safely say I had more than one, of each):
Other canapés included the chicken yakitori skewers, cauliflower tempura (as part of the veggie menu) and a sushi selection of duck, avocado and tuna. As a sushi lover myself, I will admit I’ve had better – it was nice, but needed a bit more of a kick or a crunch.
As a whole, the menu certainly makes a special and alternative Christmas feasting, which for me with the sharing element, offers a perfect evening. Obviously, the décor is also as ‘Instagrammable’ as the food – wisteria for days!
Victors were joined by other Westgate friends such as Jo Malone and Aveda giving out goodies, along with a funky DJ. If you’ve been to Victors in the evening, you already know they have a jazzy and fun vibe with DJs and live musicians. So with that being said, if you’re planning on having your Christmas meal of choice here this year, it’s probably the place to go with friends or family who enjoy that loud music style of dining. The girls and I have already booked in! My granny, however, would probably not be so keen when the DJ kicks in past 8pm.
The set menu is £32.50 per person.
Contact tom.cross@victors.co.uk for bookings.
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