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Love
is in the air... |
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February 14th is Valentine’s Day and it’s
your solemn duty to spend silly amounts of money on red roses
or take your loved one out for dinner! Luckily we have a fabulous
menu ready for this special occasion – which means you get
to enjoy the evening too – not guaranteed with the red roses
option! |
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We also have a few tables left but they
will now start to book up fast so call our reservations team
on 020 8876 4238 and make sure you are not
left penniless and hungry outside the local florists! |
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Further
flower purchasing avoidance tactics... |
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Sunday 18th March is Mothering Sunday.
We will be offering a Mother friendly menu featuring the famous
Victoria spit roasted rib of South Devon Beef with Yorkshire
puds amongst other suitable treats. This is always a hugely
popular day so call up quick and make sure your mum feels
loved up! |
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| Rugby |
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The RBS 6 Nations championship is
back and on February 25th England play Wales at Twickenham
which means a lively day at The Victoria. |
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We are open for brunch from 8.30am
so if you want to get your rugby watching day off to
a great start then why not book a table and enjoy a
pre match treat – we are happy to book taxis to
and from the game on request if required. |
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Perhaps you’re more the post
match type, in which case do come up after the game
for a drink and something to eat. |
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| Do
us a favour... |
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The Good Food Guide’s
Annual Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Awards’
are about to get underway. Nominations open on Monday
13th February and run through until Monday 23rd April. |
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We will have postcards (and stamps!)
available for anyone coming in to the restaurant and
wishing to vote. Customers can also vote by logging
on to www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/awards |
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Oh go on... please! |
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Guest Ale for February |
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Each month we showcase a real Ale
that we think is well worth a sup! We’ve had ales
from Yorkshire, Somerset, Sussex and Devon but this
month we have decided to stay local and have chosen
‘Sambrook’s Junction’ as our guest
ale. |
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Based in Battersea and brewing since
2008, Sambrook’s Brewery have created this traditional
English bitter, using only English hop varieties, crystal
malt and barley to give it an inviting auburn colour
and a great taste. |
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There's further information on ‘Sambrook’s
Junction’ and the brewery on their website. |
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| Wines
of the month... |
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Larry Cherubino, Ad Hoc Wallflower
Reisling 2009 Australia
This is a single vineyard wine made with intense fruit,
creating this fresh and aromatic beauty from down under!
A brilliant all rounder with Citrus and Lemon notes,
soft acidity & luscious fruit! This can handle a
plethora of rich flavours, shellfish, salads, pasta,
grilled fish, pork or duck. |
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Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon
2008, Cederberg,
South Africa
David Nieuwoudt carries on the pioneering family tradition
dating back to 1893 making innovative & award winning
wines and wow, this is pure grace and finesse. With
surprisingly low alcohol content, it screams dark fruit
with smoky depths, silky tannins, lingering eucalyptus
with a mouth watering finish! |
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| Financial
update |
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We are currently offering 2 courses for
just £12.50 every Monday to Thursday lunch and dinner
– well worth the investment! |
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Notes
from the Kitchen |
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We have just had a truly busy January!
The kitchen has been a hectic place all month with lots of
new dishes on the menu and a full dining room most days. |
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My very favourite ingredient at this early
stage of the year is forced Yorkshire rhubarb – it’s
on the menu right now if you fancy a real seasonal treat.
Other ingredients worth mentioning at this time of year are
Jerusalem artichokes, Seville oranges, Blood oranges and Sea
Kale – all of which will feature at The Victoria over
the coming weeks (though not in the same dish obviously!) |
Many of you will be aware of our commitment
to an ethical sourcing policy that we have had in place at
The Victoria since day one - I am proud to be an ambassador
for both Freedom Foods and Compassion in World Farming. I
recently attended a very interesting seminar on the drive
to make London the world’s first ‘ Sustainable
Fish City’. |
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It’s well documented that many
of the more popular fish species are under serious threat
and it really is down to restaurants to order from sustainable
stocks and indeed to utilise fish species that are more
abundant. We will be looking carefully at our approach
to fish purchasing and we are always keen to hear your
views so do let us know if you support our bid to provide
a menu which is responsibly sourced. |
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Right on a possibly less worthy note...
I filmed a few bits for the Good Food Channel towards the
end of last year – a show called Perfect is all about
2 chefs cooking their perfect version of a particular dish
which is then tasted, picked over and scored by esteemed food
writing judges. The next show goes out on February 13th at
7pm and features myself and Matt Tebbut behind the stoves. |
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Finally I know you will be interested to
hear that I spent the whole of January avoiding carbohydrates
in a bid to recover from my December ‘eat whatever you
fancy’ policy. I haven’t touched any pasta, white
bread, rice or potatoes – not even a pint of beer! Thankfully
it’s now February so I’m off for a potato sandwich
and a pint! |
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| Bon
appétit |
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| Paul,
Greg and The Victoria team |
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