In a charming neighbourhood setting, The Victory offers a blend of nostalgic vibes and ambitious cooking—but does it hit the mark?
If you’re craving a Gilmore Girls-inspired, autumn-feeling day, turns out you don’t need to stray far from central London. Today I discovered East Dulwich, the cutest wee community with a couple mellow high streets filled with shops and pubs, and homely neighbourhood streets lined with trees just starting to show off their orange foliage.
At the heart of it all is The Victory restaurant and bar, a name that’s only been revived for a few months but was well-known long ago. Earlier this year, Franklins restaurant lived in the same building but sadly closed after 26 years in business. Nearby restaurant owners and partners Jamie Younger and Rema Waterhouse decided to take over the lease, wary of the alternative that it may become another chain or burger bar. Hidden by the Franklins sign was ‘The Victory’ still in prominent letters across the building, and thus the original name of the restaurant who inhabited the space before Franklins was reborn.
In the fashion of the surrounding area, The Victory has a cosy, neighbourhood vibe that emanates warmth yet with a subtle upscale touch. You’ll first find their bar area when you enter, walking on original heavy wood flooring through to their dining area outfitted with mismatched wooden chairs, whitewashed brick, and candles glowing on each table.
If you’ve seen anything about The Victory so far, you’ve likely seen their chopped egg mayo and Cantabrian anchovy soldiers, a dish that will stay on the seasonal menu year-round. Groundbreaking, no—yummy, yes. Though we found ourselves wishing the soldiers weren’t deep fried, as the fry grease, the mayonnaise, and the oil from the anchovy made it a fairly heavy bite.
Next was the steak tartare, also served with a thin crisp of deep-fried bread. Extremely mustard-forward with pops of capers, the flavour was fantastic, but we found the steak quite chewy and the bread still greasy. Maybe they’re trying to make the menu reminiscent of pub food, but I thought both dishes would have benefitted from simply toasting the bread instead of deep frying.
Highlights:
- Charming Atmosphere: Nestled in East Dulwich, The Victory features warm decor with mismatched furniture and a cosy bar area.
- Menu Highlights: Signature dishes include chopped egg mayo with anchovy soldiers and steak tartare, though both suffered from heavy frying.
- Culinary Ambitions: Bouillabaisse and braised pork cheeks showcased excellent cooking techniques but lacked vibrant flavors, prompting mixed reviews.
- Dessert Disappointment: The chocolate tart ambroisie was rich yet bland, needing more sweetness to balance its flavours.
- Beverage Praise: The espresso martini and Pimm’s cup received commendations, enhancing the dining experience.
- Staff Coordination Issues: Initial service was abundant but lacked cohesion, leading to confusion during the meal.
- Overall Verdict: While The Victory shows promise, it must refine its offerings to justify its pricing and meet expectations.
In our bouillabaisse seafood stew and our braised pork cheek dishes, several very difficult proteins were cooked flawlessly, showcasing the talent they do possess in the kitchen. I’ve had many a rubbery octopus in my day, and every mussel I’ve ever tasted has been chewy; but here, the mussels were the most tender I’ve ever had, the octopus was succulent and meaty, and the cod flaked apart beautifully with a stunningly crispy skin. The pork cheeks, a tough cut, fell apart with a prod of my fork. However, the flavour of both dishes was what made us furrow our brows. Were they bad? Not by any measure. But were they worth the hour-and-a-half journey? Also not by any measure. They were, in a word, flat. The pork stew is served with apricots, a very intriguing choice, but one that gets completely lost in the rich, heavy, bitter gravy. The dish desperately needed lifting, something punchy and exciting to match the innovative flair of a gastropub, such as Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, or even a pickled shallot on top to help add zest. The bouillabaisse was equally one-dimensional yet fishy. I’m fully aware that neither dish actually contained beef, but they both tasted of something akin to beef stock and not much else. It feels as though the kitchen’s focus is on fresh, seasonal British ingredients and doing good cooking—all wonderful things—but they’re missing the love and passion that adds an irreplaceable depth and flavour to one’s food.
The chocolate tart ambroisie, named for the Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris that made it famous, consists of an airy dark chocolate sabayon baked into a shortcrust pastry shell and served alongside a quenelle of crème fraiche. This dish stumped us just as much as the entrees. The chocolate filling was smooth and rich like a mousse, and the tart shell was nicely crumbly, but bland. Between the dark chocolate, the flaky salt, the savoury crust, and the crème fraiche, this dish actually needed to be sweeter—not often something I ask of desserts. Crème fraiche is typically a welcome side to a dessert that’s incredibly rich and sweet to lighten it and add a sour note. But when your dessert is not sweet, I’m not convinced it’s needed. In fact, after trying the tart, I took a large bite of the cream, thinking it was whipped cream that would have a light, vanilla sweetness. Imagine my surprise! On the bright side, the espresso martini we paired our dessert with was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Though it had a large heap of foam which isn’t to my taste, the drink was straightforward, strong, had just the right amount of sweetness, and was ice cold. And to note, my Pimm’s cup, while classic, was of course delicious, and the wines they helped us choose from their extensive wine list complemented our entrees beautifully and matched our tastes well.
The Victory is a stumper. While several reviews note the same as what we thought, that it’s quite pricey for good food but not excellent food, others say they loved it. Of course, everything is based on opinion. I’m extremely curious to see how this restaurant continues to evolve and what trend the reviews follow as they work out some of their kinks of being only a few months old. An experience we found that was also shared within the Google reviews is that there is an abundance of servers, but a disconnect with who’s doing what jobs. We had two servers come to ask for our order after we’d already placed it with someone else, but when we looked around actually needing help, nobody stopped by.
If you live nearby and are willing to spend a pretty penny on a dinner, I’d say give The Victory a shot, and I’d be extremely curious to hear your thoughts.
