Victors, Hale – A Taste Cheshire Review #Blog

Gaile Wundke
14th December 2015

There is no downside in a trip to Hale, such a pretty village surrounded by the most beautiful properties and jam packed with places to eat.  I can only imagine that the people who live there have kitchens that are rarely used as when we visited at lunchtime on a Wednesday, all the places we drove past were busy and I think we also found the last parking space in the area!

We had been invited to review Victor’s and from the moment we walked in, I was delighted that we had accepted the invitation.  The first thing you notice is the décor, shades of taupe, cream and gold, then big windows that allow plenty of light, sparkling glasses and cutlery and wisteria that hangs from the ceiling adding a pop of colour to the stunning room.

We were shown to our seats and our waiter asked if we had dined there before and then explained how the menu worked.  Basically you can have a selection of small plates to share, something from the raw bar or choose from a variety of sushi rolls or sashimi.  For those with a more traditional palate, there are salads, sandwiches, Victor’s burger, a selection of steaks and even lobster!  There really is something for everyone.

We decided on a selection from the Small Plates, Sushi and Raw options.  To start we ordered Victor’s Lobster Tacos, Chicken Lollipops and Tempura Stretched Prawns.  The presentation of each dish was beautiful and for those who eat with their eyes, this place is perfect!  The lobster tacos were pieces of lobster in a Tempura batter, served on tiny soft flour tortillas, with pickled apple and avocado mayonnaise, absolutely delicious.  The chicken lollipops had been marinated in buttermilk, then fried and served with a coriander & lime mayonnaise, which complimented them perfectly.  Our final starter of Tempura stretched prawns was served with Kimchi mayonnaise, Kimchi is a Japanese pickle, which gave a lovely sharp flavour to the mayonnaise and cut through the richness of the prawns.  Everything was so delicious that we cleared our plates rather too quickly, but there was more to come, so while we waited we simply sat and enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere and watched the chef in the Sushi bar, creating his masterpieces!

For our main course we chose Chorizo Croquettes, Crispy Duck Sushi Roll, Tuna Tartare and a portion of Victor’s fries.  Again the presentation was outstanding, the Tuna Tartare was served in a dark orb, on a mound of crushed ice, the tuna was topped with fried rice noodles and accompanied by avocado, pomegranate seeds and a sesame and soy mayonnaise, I could have eaten this over and over again, it was so lovely and fresh and the flavour combinations worked perfectly.  To contrast with this raw freshness were the chorizo croquettes, golden deep fried balls, oozing with cheese, the Padron peppers and sun blushed tomato salsa adding just the right balance of acidity.  The Crispy Duck Sushi Rolls with sour plum, sesame and orange dressing and watercress were a revelation, who would have thought of crispy duck and Sushi, but thankfully the clever chef did and they were gorgeous.  Last but not least were Victor’s fries, hand cut, hot and crispy, all you could ask for from a chip, but something that is so rarely well delivered, another big tick!

Sadly due to time constraints, we weren’t able to sample the desserts, but oh how I would have loved to and I’m not usually a dessert eater, but with choices like Lemon Meringue Pie with Raspberry Caviar, Poached Kumquats and Marshmallow or to share, Chocolate Fondue with Praline Éclairs, Honeycomb, Strawberries and Churros, who could resist?

Everything about Victor’s is good, the décor, the menus (Breakfast, Bar, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Weekend, Dessert and Sunday Roast), the food and without doubt, the service.  All the staff are reasonably young, but they know what they’re doing and they do it very well.  As we were leaving I said to the waitress that I would like to come back and eat my way through the entire menu, to which she replied that the staff do menu tastings every day!  My job application is in the post!

Well done Victor’s, we thought you were exceptional and Hale is very lucky to have you!  However, if you are thinking of opening anywhere else, can I put in the first bid for Chester?!

Venue                  10/10

Staff                      10/10

Food                      10/10