The Victor — Restaurant in Vancouver

We visited Victor Steakhouse inside the Parc Hotel tonight to celebrate my mother’s birthday. I’ve been here a few times before for both dinner and happy hour, and up until now, my experiences have always been positive. Just last month, I ordered the bone-in striploin, and it was absolutely perfect — well-marbled, juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Naturally, I ordered the same steak again tonight, really expecting the same high quality, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the previous experience. The steak was dry, lean, overcooked, and lacked any noticeable marbling. It was tough to cut, and each bite felt very chewy and lacking in moisture, which made it hard to enjoy. This was especially disappointing, considering how great it had been just a month ago. I was really hoping for that same perfect cut. The steak doesn’t come with any sides, so we ordered three sides to share, and they were great. The portions were perfect for sharing and complemented the meal nicely. On a brighter note, the crab cake appetizer was excellent — probably the best in town. It was lightly seared, not deep-fried or oily, and made with 100% crab meat and no fillers. Our server recommended it enthusiastically, and we were glad they did. I also ordered the sable fish, which was cooked to my exact request: no sauce, lightly salted. The fish was fresh and perfectly cooked. The location was very easy to get to, and we really loved the open-air feel of the restaurant. There’s a nice outdoor seating area, and the restaurant itself was airy and spacious, with tables not too close together, making it very comfortable. The ambience was great — relaxed and inviting. Our waiter was very attentive — he kept our water glasses full and checked on us a few times throughout the meal. I could have told him that my steak was dry, but honestly, I don’t like to complain about my steak. What’s the point? It just felt like a missed opportunity to see the quality maintained. When we arrived, there were three girls at the welcome reception, but unfortunately, they did not acknowledge us. There was no greeting, no “hello,” or even a goodbye when we left, despite there being no other customers in front of them. I was standing right in front of them, so it felt a bit strange. It’s a small thing, but customer service starts the moment you walk in, and this was definitely a miss. We were very full by the end of dinner and didn’t have room for dessert, but our waiter surprised us by bringing out a slice of coconut cake with a candle for my mom’s birthday. The cake was delicious! It was a nice touch and definitely made my mom happy because we weren’t expecting it. In summary: while the appetizers, service, and ambience were great, the lack of consistency in the steak quality, the lack of acknowledgment at the reception, and the overall experience makes me uncertain if I’d return again. There’s definitely potential here, but I’d need to see more consistency to...

Stopped by on a Sunday for their special prime rib family feast for two which comes with Caesar salad, lobster and crab bisque, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, mini Yorkshire pudding, and 24oz prime rib.

Located on the sixth floor, we had a bit of difficulty finding how to get to the restaurant until we followed the signs inside the Parq hotel. Nice looking patio which probably looks great at night with the lights from BC Place next door.

Tables are spaced out well and very attentive service. The meal was amazingly good. While not a fan of the chickpeas in the Caesar salad (hard to pick up with a fork), the aroma of the bisque was nice.

The caramelized Brussels were coated with a slightly sweet glaze that we delicious. I'm not a fan of Yorkshire pudding but the shift and airy ones they had here just melted in your mouth. I took our server's reco and took some of the fat and gravy from the prime rib and stuffed it inside the yorkie... So delish.

Prime rib was nice and tender with some char on the outside. Overall, impressed with the food and service and would come back to try the rest of their dishes.

Tip: prime rib only available on Sundays.

Update: Revisit Feb 2024 We came back for a visit this past Feb (again to have their roast beef). Their menu had slightly changed since our visit few years ago and they now had a single version of their Sunday Roast ($58) with included Brussels and mashed potatoes as well as yorkies. Prime rib was as good and tender as I remembered.

We also started our meal with a seasonal feature of kampachi carpaccio ($24). Beautifully tasty with a slightly tart yuzu vinaigrette.

I've been eyeing their rib cap steak for a while now ($72 for 10oz) as I love ribeyes but never had just the rib cap by itself. It does cook differently than the eye portion of the ribeye and this turned out super tender and flavourful.

We really liked the creamed kale and spinach ($13) topped off with crispy shallots and nutmeg.

Ended our meal with the black forest gateau ($16) - a rich and luxurious Valrhona manjari chocolate mousse with cherry compote, chocolate cherry sponge, and hazelnut praline.

Drinks: Amelie ($16) Raspberry, blood orange, lavender, bubbles Tiki con nada ($15) tropical fruits, falernum, coconut

Update: December 2024 - Revisted in December for my birthday. Seated at a nice booth but they wound up turning off the lights above our table for ambiance (really wish places wouldn't do that).

Ordered the Royal Chilled Seafood Tower ($138). It's not a huge seafood tower but it makes for a good appy for 2 people. You get 4 oysters, scallop ceviche x2, king crab pieces, lobster pieces, poke.

Also ordered the Lamb Shank, Sablefish, and Brussels Sprouts. Lamb was super tender and it was a good portion size. Sablefish always a good option. The yuzu creme brulee was very light in flavor and not too burnt -...

My first time dining at The Victor and I went for the happy hour 5-7 pm on a Monday and was very pleased with the experience. The server was both friendly and attentive. I wish I had caught his name to recognize him here. Curly brown hair, very sweet. Food was very tasty and well prepared. My friend and I ordered many 25% off happy hour dishes (in order of my personal preference): half dozen Fanny Bay oysters (these were so wonderfully "creamy" on the finish - have had Fanny Bay's before and many raw oysters before. Don't know why these were so good for me this time), wagyu croquettes with a really great arrabiata dipping sauce, thick fries with truffle aioli (I know it's not tartar sauce, but it was like the best tartar), beef tartare served with slabs of a nice bread (I'd probably add a couple more cornichons or or other pickles, but it was great), complimentary (I think) warm milk bread with crispy onion top, hamachi Nobu style (I think Nobu would have had cilantro leaves instead of their microgreens and possibly more yuzu? Personally, I think these tweaks would not hurt). We also had the mac and cheese waffle side off the regular menu which I found impressive but I'm not sure I'd order again.It was cool that the macaroni kept their shape inside. There's maybe a thin batter on the outsides to hold it together. White sauce. I think my friend liked it better. They looked great, but it was not as good as either having just a great mac and cheese or a great waffle to me. Maybe more cheesy creamy, saucy ooziness for the mac inside would help? Could even do some sort of "lava" effect to keep it moist inside. I wonder if a sprinkle of cornmeal on top before the waffle iron could help with crisping. In retrospect, the fried brussel sprout side would have been nice for some fibre. We had The Hideaway cocktail and the dealer's choice today was a mango margarita. There were great seasonal choices too and there was a flight of whites which I thought about. And I could have ordered the prime rib instead on the regular menu. So lots of appealing choices on the menu. I want to try the Sunday Brunch so I hope they keep doing that. I would come in for a breakfast buffet on the other days if they had it. I even liked the cut glassware and rustic plates. But I did want to sit in the skylight area (before the actual outdoor patio which was nice and bright but they would only offer the Happy Hour menu in the bar area and the entire huge restaurant was empty when I arrived. I chose the bar, but this would be an easy fix especially on a case by case if someone asked for the Happy Hour Menu and knew about it...