Karina and James Hitchen, the powerhouse duo behind Spinningfields’ chic celeb haunt Neighbourhood and BBQ hotspot Southern Eleven launched their new restaurant Victor’s in the gloriously green suburb of Hale back in August.
Since then, is popularity within the suburb has grown and its reputation for fine dining and local produce is growing by the day.
We popped down one Monday night to try out the restaurant for ourselves and it certainly exceeded our expectations. For a Monday night, it was rather busy, but Andy one of the managers told us that it was actually one of their quieter Mondays since opening 3 months ago.
The restaurant is decorated to an excellent standard with lots of wood and comfy sofa seating and the uniform’s of the staff, which are designed by Nadine Marabi, are a great hint to the preppy American style that Victors alludes to. It has a totally different atmosphere to its sister restaurant and at the weekend it does have a DJ to keep you entertained.
The restaurant’s bright seaside menu presents America’s flamboyant take on International cuisine, crafted by the city’s most coveted chefs with local premium produce and the finest hand picked ingredients. And before ordering, we were told that because of their high standards, there was no cod on the menu tonight.
Bento Box, £16
Victor’s signature dishes include the daily Bento Box of sublime sushi rice, fennel & cucumber with miso soup, as well as Lobster Taco and Porterhouse Steak. As many of our regular readers will know, I am a rather fussy eater, so for starter I opted for two types of chicken, Skewers and Lollipops, both of which we’re succulent and tasty and great for sharing. The skewers come with crispy onions, oysters sauce and a delicious red pepper ketchup, while the lollipops (which were my favourite) are served with a coriander and lime mayonnaise which takes the heat off the chicken.
Chicken Lollipops, £8
The full dinner menu can be seen here but for our entree, we opted for their 14oz Ribeye which is served on the bone and was cooked to perfection, with a side of the perfectly seasoned fries.
14oz Ribeye, £23
We also choose (more) chicken in the form of the Corn-Fed breast with asparagus and porcini cream and a side of sweet potato mash. This dish was lovely and presented in the middle of a hot griddle plate which kept the chicken warm and juicy throughout. The only downside for me was the asparagus, being fussy, I didn’t like it but if you love your greens then you will love it!
Corn-Fed Chicken Breast, £14
The side of Sweat Potato Mash is fab! It comes in small stone pot with a wooden spoon and is such a great portion size that you could definitely share it!
Sweet Potato Mash, £4
Then on to pudding! WOW Is all I can say! We opted for the Fondue which claims to serve 2, in actual fact it could serve 3 easily! The self-serve dessert comes with a massive bowl of melted chocolate surrounded by eclairs, marshmallows, churros, honeycomb and strawberries. Safe to say we thoroughly enjoyed it and next time we plan to sit and eat our way through the dessert menu!
Fondue, £12
With a tiny space left in our stomach, we took at look at their extensive cocktail menu. Victor’s bar menu boasts extraordinary cocktails with funfair flavours and explosive bubbles, worldly wines, spirits and opulent champagnes. I opted for the American Girl, a Passionfruit Skyy Vodka based cocktail, with Passoa and Creme de Banane, topped off with glittery bubblegum foam! Its the perfect drink for those with a sweet tooth!
American Girl, £9
I would highly recommend Victors as the place to be in Hale, with excellent food and cocktails, friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Head to their website or call 0161 928 4651 to book; we’ve been told that the popular 7.30pm-9pm sitting on a Saturday is booked up till November so plan ahead and ensure you pay a visit.
www.victorshale.co.uk
By Emily Parker
