Get a Sneak Peek at The Victor’s Exciting New Menu

Last year we told you that The Victor’s patio might just be the best in the city when you’re looking to pre-game a concert. Earlier this year, the steakhouse at the Parq also snagged an honourable mention in the Best Steakhouse category of our 2024 Restaurant Awards. All that’s to say, when I’m looking for a celebratory restaurant, I look no further than down my street (I do literally live up the street). So when I was offered a sneak peek of the restaurant’s new showcase menu, I jumped at the occasion.

Though I ventured to The Victor for the new menu, vibe carries a lot of weight around these parts—and the sleek-yet-tastefully adorned rooftop with a bustling crowd and the swift-as-ever cocktail service (I always order a vodka martini, The Victor’s is perfect) really sets the tone for a night to remember.

But the vibe carries through to the food as well. Take the new menu’s Brant Lake wagyu beef carpaccio—I’m not stranger to a carpaccio, in fact, I’ll order it at practically any steakhouse in town and be at minimum satisfied. But here, pecorino cheese mingles with pickled shimeji mushroom; a combination that almost shouldn’t work, but sings when combined with a punchy horseradish aioli and broken caper vinaigrette. Even though the dish is light, it’s unforgettable.

As is the tartare—my other go-to steakhouse appetizer, for obvious reasons—it’s not a new menu item at The Victor, but the egg yolk buttered sourdough and horseradish-forward steak are a standout in in their category. A must-order dish that apparently will soon be available with a smokey cloche reveal. Just saying.

The new barbecue unagi roll also cements its place in my heart upon first bite. To be fair I am incredibly biased, I adore unagi; though The Victor’s iteration comes with all the usual suspects (barbecue eel, masago, cucumber, avocado, traditional kabayaki sauce) it’s also topped with shichimi pepper which, when paired with delicate eel creates an incredible contrast. Like ice cream melting on a piece of hot apple pie, or sour cream with five-alarm chili—it just works.

The other sushi (not new) at The Victor is equally delicious. The Gringo Salmon (its take on the classic salmon aburi) is delicate and just torched enough and the crab and mango roll tastes like an upgrade to the ubiquitous California roll thanks to yuzu mayonnaise, bluefin tuna and, obviously, mango.

Though I often think of The Victor as a steakhouse, its offerings are expansive, with a large seafood focus. The new menu features a Pacific bouillabaisse, which is rich with local seafood: side stripe prawns, mussels and salmon fill the soup (plus additional Hokkaido scallops) all flavoured with fennel, tomato and a traditional rouille (a thick French sauce made of saffron, egg yolk, breadcrumbs, garlic and olive oil).

Braised lamb shank is also a new addition, and is flanked by San Marzano tomato polenta, Madeira braising jus, heirloom baby carrots and a divisive ingredient: mint. I’m pro mint when it comes to lamb, and here, when combined with other traditional accoutrement, I think it works.

The steak though, is a home run. The new addition is a churrasco wagyu flat iron from Snake River Farms in Idaho. The cut itself is cooked to a perfect medium-rare and thanks to a garlic and herb marinade it’s bold. The accompanying sweet peppers, roasted corn and vinegar-forward chimichurri add depth to the already flavourful dish.

The rib cap, which is a staple of The Victor’s regular, is extremely marbled in comparison to the churrasco. To me this is a positive, there’s something ultra “special occasion” about steaks like these: from the presentation to the cookery.

Equally special-occasion-worthy is the cart that comes by just before dessert to offer after-dinner drinks—from tequila to brandy and everything in between—it feels like something lost to time, that table side service that elevates the entire experience.

But as I see it go from table to table, while I dig into a pitch-perfect yuzu and vanilla bean creme brulée, all I can think is—it’s too bad my birthday already passed, because this would be a hell of a spot for a party.

The Victor