| The Victoria, Oxshott | | by Chris Pople Nov 6, 2023 | More often than not, any given world-class gastropub is a good journey away from London. There are exceptions, of course - the Drapers Arms, the Pelican, and the Baring are all brilliant places to enjoy a pie and a pint within the M25 - but these are rare. Usually, to find that sweet spot between value and quality, comfort and availability, rural charm and culinary excellence, you have to travel. And whether that's a full day's drive to Cornwall or Lancashire, or the 4 hour round trip on Southeastern trains to Fordwich, the inconvenience of the location is offset by the reward at your destination.
The Victoria in Oxshott is good enough to be worth a full transatlantic flight and expensive airport taxi, as I'll explain shortly, but it's a delight to report that this handsome building, a true Surrey neighbourhood pub, is only 30 minutes train ride - and, at the weekends at least, a measly £7 for the round trip - from Clapham Junction. Which, for some people (not least me), puts it closer to their front door than many London food pubs.
And what a pub it is. Our lunch was served on a table for two next to a log fire in the smart - though not tablecloth-y - restaurant section, although it's important to point out that unlike some "gastropubs" there is a whole other half of the building which is drinks and snacks only, served by the same smiling and helpful staff but more than fulfiling its role as a proper pub. Albeit a neighbourhood pub that serves elevated Modern British food like these fried oysters with seaweed mayonnaise, which had a lovely grease-free batter and very addictive texture.
I've got in the habit of ordering soup whenever I see it on a menu, partly because it's getting towards that time of year when being sat inside next to a log fire tucking into a bowl of hot soup just feels absolutely right, but also because actually, something as simple as a soup - in this case leek and potato - is quite a good way of testing whether a kitchen can get the basics right as well as the fancier end of things. And this soup was pretty much perfect - perfectly seasoned, a nice thick satisfying texture and packed full of seasonal flavour. I practically licked the bowl clean.
And speaking of the 'fancier end of things', mushroom parfait matched some very cheffy techniques (such as a beautifully smooth and richly flavoured parfait) with strong presentational skills, slices of raw mushroom arranged delicately around the parfait. Alongside some beautiful, buttery toasted brioche, it was another near-faultless course.
From this point, the Victoria could do no wrong. I was never likely to not enjoy a course of duck breast (pink, sliced) and leg (made into a kind of sausage), especially not when served with lovely soft girolles mushrooms and hay baked carrot. But when a neat little jug of exquisite duck jus was plonked down alongside, I was in my own personal heaven. The extremely clever thing about the Victoria is not that it does fine dining dishes like this so well - well, not just that - but also because it does fish and chips, a burger, and a selection of chargrilled steaks to keep the, let's say, less food-wanker element happy too.
Halibut with courgettes, basil and nori was also good, I'm told, although it had long since disappeared by the time I scooped up the last few bits of duck from my plate, and then, when I thought nobody was looking, pouring the leftover jus straight into my mouth. I'm not exactly proud of that, but I don't regret doing it either.
Desserts kept up the same fierce standards. Banoffee pie soufflé was everything it needed to be and more, big and bold and with a fantastic internal structure - none of that egginess or grease you get with lesser examples. This was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, an intelligent choice which highlighted the main flavours without adding a confusing extra note.
And Black Forest cake brought to mind the famous Heston Blumenthal version, containing a variety of different textures and techniques, and the "cherry liquor ice cream" delicate and moreish. It's worth repeating that everything was so good, so intelligently presented and skilfully built, that I can confidently predict you can't go wrong at the Victoria. This is an operation working at the very highest levels.
Now, of course, there's the disclaimer that we didn't pay, but as I've repeated ad nauseum on these pages, that just gets you slightly better service, and if you're lucky a nice table next to a log fire - you can't make better food just for the PR invites, it's still the same kitchen. I've totted up roughly what we ordered and it comes to about £152 for food, £50 ish for booze, so it's not exactly a budget offering, but then food like this never comes cheap. If you're heading out for a top gastropub meal these days and hoping to spend under £100/head, you're only likely to be disappointed.
And again, there's the factor of its location. If the Victoria was in Cornwall, or Lancashire, or East Kent, I'd still be singing its praises and recommending you sort yourselves out with a local AirBnB and intercity train. But in Oxshott, 30 min from London on a very cheap South West Trains weekend ticket, the Victoria has all the benefits and charm of a local rural pub, but with no need for the extra expense of a room for the night. It really has everything going for it. And you'd be silly not to take full advantage.
9/10
I was invited to the Victoria. Apologies for the lack of photos - the above were salvaged from a friend after my main camera died. | | | |
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