Victor Restaurant, located on the ground floor of Le Germain Hotel at 30 Mercer Street, recently opened their private dining room in the space that was previously occupied by the Victor Café. Torontonicity was invited to attend the media launch of The Sullivan Room, and sample one of the many menus available to guests in the space: A Retro Affair.
If you’re not familiar with Victor and Le Germain Hotel, you can read about my visit to the newly renovated Victor Restaurant that opened back in 2017 here! Victor Restaurant allows guests of the hotel, the city and locals, to enjoy dining within a quiet and modern space right in the core of downtown Toronto – just a short walk from Union Station. Victor is a hidden gem on the King West dinner scene, known to those who frequent the hectic night life of the strip but don’t want to wait for a table to eat delicious food.
Guests attending the launch were treated to a rhubarb and ginger gin cocktail to start the evening out that was both refreshing and flavourful. The rhubarb-ginger gin added a vibrant note without being overly sweet – incredibly delicious!
The Sullivan Room now allows for groups of up to 50 guests to enjoy a meal together in a lovely space, without having to shout over music that’s too loud for an intimate setting. This is perfect considering that we’re now in celebration season and often need a dinner space for friends and family either before, after or specifically for that anniversary party, bachelor/bachelorette, or wedding or baby shower.
The menu that we were treated to for the launch was titled, A Retro Affair. It was created by Executive Chef Lanny McLeod and intended to transform the bland dishes of McLeod’s childhood: deviled eggs, jell-o salad, cheese balls and the classic ambrosia fruit salad of many family picnics. The cheese ball struck many guests first, as it was presented in the form of a pineapple with pecans embedded around the exterior, mimicking the original pattern. The pecans not only added a great design element, but also a crunch and nuttiness that played off the sweeter notes of the cheese ball – which also contained pineapple pieces.
Another surprising flavour came from the deviled eggs. Chef McLeod incorporates warmer spices with heavier smokiness, adding a depth in the eggs that left guests grabbing for seconds – and in some cases even thirds. Another surprising crowd pleaser was the jell-o salad made with lime, cucumber, pineapple and cilantro. The ingredients were all freshly juiced, which gave the flavours a real punch with each bite. The cilantro and cucumber helped retain the savory element of the salad, and though this may not be a go-to item when read on a menu, I would seriously encourage anyone booking the Sullivan Room to consider it.
An instant favourite of many guests was the double-smoked bacon-wrapped scallops with creole aioli. A bit more kick than expected from the creole aioli, but the scallops were still sweet and held their own against the smoked bacon.
After all the grazing on the savory, we focused our attention on dessert. One item that many guests missed out on, strictly due to appearance, was the Ambrosia Fruit Salad. It doesn’t have the most appealing look, as all the ingredients are combined with a toasted coconut cream, but I would argue that the ambrosia salad – along with the freshly juiced jell-o salad – really demonstrate chef McLeod’s strengths in the kitchen. The dark cubes in the dessert are blueberry-cassis squares and allow for a completely surprising burst of flavour. They add a lovely floral quality that lightens the creaminess of the coconut, which can be a very dominating flavour. I absolutely adored this dish and put it at the top of my recommendation list.
The Retro Affair menu is just one option for guests looking to book the private dining space, but make sure to reach out to the Victor team to see what other menu options are available throughout the changing seasons. If you don’t have any large events coming up, but just want a peaceful, delicious and enjoyable dinner experience, I would recommend you take a stroll down Mercer Street and visit Victor restaurant at Le Germain Hotel. Enjoy!
Victor Restaurant at Le Germain Hotel, 30 Mercer Street, 1-866-345-9501
[…] you didn’t hear about the recently repurposed café space at Victor, you can read about my last visit to Victor Restaurant here, where I was introduced to their new private dining area and the fun nostalgic menu created by […]
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