Pierre Victoire has been here on Little Clarendon Street for decades – one of our porters even worked there before coming to college. So I was personally delighted to have the chance to try their menu for a second time, after the arrival of Chris Prow, who had 2 AA Rosettes at his last restaurant in London.
Phoebe, the Lifestyle Dep Ed, arrived with me that evening to a slightly packed bistro and an immediately homely atmosphere. The warm lighting and candles with a vase of flowers lent itself well to the intimate atmosphere; though we were near other tables, they never bothered us, so we were able to enjoy the bread basket with butter in peace.
The menu is prix fixe: there’s a choice of two or three courses without drinks, where certain menu options (like escargot) have a small additional surcharge. Two courses are £29 and three courses £36, a decent price comparable to some college formals. Pierre Victoire also serves lunch, with a slight discount on prices. The menu is filled with classics: moules-frites, duck leg, French onion soup, steak frites, chicken and bacon pate, the list goes on. We decided to share escargots and mussels for the starter, with venison and sea bass for our mains. The vegetarian options were decent in the starters, with fried Camembert or chicory salad, but risotto or a mushroom tart were the only veggie mains. The fondue options in both the main and desserts options were tempting, though.
Starter wise, we were decently satisfied. The first time I was here (pre chef change), I found the garlic in the escargot almost overwhelming; today, it brought a nice kick of flavor without overpowering the parsley and butter. The mussels were not sandy, and the sauce was quite light, though a bit runny. What we could taste had a bit too little of the parsley and shallot flavor, but the white wine did not give an overly acidic taste.
The wine! We had a bottle of the house white, which I found not too bitter and paired well with most of the food (curse my choice of venison!) I am notoriously not much of a wine taster, but I am very picky about wines, and I happily finished my half of the bottle. The wine list was long, besides an option of various coffees and teas, though we were perfectly content with our wine and water.
The mains certainly didn’t disappoint either. Last time, I had a splendid duck breast with raspberry sauce that was perfectly pink and a nice blend of tart and salty. The venison tonight was knife tender; the burgundy sauce blended together with the horseradish creme fraiche and added a bit of a kick to the otherwise less seasoned meat. The burgundy tasted of mushroom and bacon and less so shallot, but was decadent and fragrant. I loved the dauphinoise potatoes; they always are extra tender and creamy, which adds a smooth sensation in your mouth compared to the venison. My candied carrots were sweet but not sickly so, an overall success. Phoebe found the sea bass itself well-cooked and perfect with the hit of salt from the capers, with the beurre blanc adding a nice citrusy hit from the lemon. In comparison, the crushed potatoes were almost bland, though the leek fondue added an interesting texture. The portions were sufficient with the appetizer to fill up someone not too hungry, but it’s definitely more of a special occasion restaurant than for a post-practice team dinner.
Dessert gave us the option of various ice creams and sorbets, fondue for two, cheesecake, and a cheese board. We ordered the creme brûlée and the dense chocolate marquise. My brûlée came freshly torched with a hot dish. It was easy to crack, but I realized some parts of the sugar was thicker than the others. The relative runniness of the custard was relieving and the dish as a whole was not too sweet. The mint added a nice zing as well. In the marquise, the zing came from the orange sauce, where the orange came nicely through as an aftertaste when combined with the marquise. Though small, the marquise was dense, easily filling us up. The chantilly was “nicely sweet” with a nice vanilla aftertaste. Phoebe found a nice balance with a good blend of chocolate in the dessert. I thought there was a slight alcoholic aftertaste, but was still happy with the results.
I wasn’t disappointed by the night, but considering we were on a student budget, we found that the restaurant was not perfect. I certainly think it depends on the menu at the time, but Pierre Victoire had certainly improved from the last time I was there. The cozy atmosphere also proves perfect for anniversaries and other one-offs where the tight-knit French experience is allowed to be truly appreciated. We certainly had fun!
