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Set in Little Clarendon Street, Pierre Victoire is just what you would expect of a smart French restaurant. Large windows, a bright painted frontage, even the heavy set back door. All that’s lacking are the tables and chairs al fresco. Sadly, Little Clarendon Street, as the name suggests, isn’t quite wide enough.
Inside, the restaurant is beautifully laid out with rose adorned candlelit tables for two. With a ‘bonjour’ from the waiter, you know you’ve arrived. In the true spirit of the French, we stated the evening with a basket of French Bread and two glasses of house white. To my surprise, it was the best house White I have ever had.
The selection of starters is good and I chose to try the fresh Cornish Moules in creamy sauce. My girlfriend, on the other hand, went with the Peppered Duck in a Mango Chilli vinaigrette. The Moules and accompanying sauce were stunning, and the Duck was perfect.
We ordered two more glasses of House White and waited with excitement for our main course. I’d set myself up for more shellfish and plumped for the White Crab meat and Prawn Risotto from the specials board. My girlfriend opted to try their Baked Salmon with Prawn on a base of Shallots and courgettes.
When the main courses arrived, the presentation was excellent and just as good as we were hoping! The Risotto was full of flavour with a good lemony kick, and although very filling, I managed most of it. The Salmon was a generous portion and coooked to perfection, with delicious vegetables, by far the best dish of the evening. We finished off the meal with the pudding menu choosing Sable aux fraises ‘strawberries and cream on a rich shortbread base.’
I was amazed by the amount of cream the chef managed to fit on the shortbread - no disappointment there. My girlfriend went for a Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream which was light in texture and not too filling. The chocolate was superb and the fondant was light and fluffy, thoroughly enjoyable. You can’t go wrong with a good chocolate pudding. Overall it was a friendly, relaxed and enjoyable experience. The service was excellent and the food even better. I would recommend Pierre Victoire to anyone wanting a taste of France in Oxford!
Reviewed by Charles Coundley
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