You know you're in for some serious brunching when a trolley is rolled up to your table soon after you're seated, loaded with all the fixings for fresh Moscow Mules, or their alt-spirited siblings. This is The Victor, after all, named for the saying "to the victor belong the spoils."
Situated inside the glimmering Parq Vancouver casino and hotel development, The Victor is one of just a couple of the venue's restaurants where you don't have to pass through a gaming area for access. Winning big - or even playing at all - is totally optional on the casino floors below; come Sunday brunch-time, there's nothing to gamble on at The Victor, because their expansive, and often decadent, menu covers it all, with live music, to boot.
The Victor Benedict. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
So do you choose a Moscow Mule, made before your eyes with freshly muddled mint, served up in a branded copper cup? Or do you take yourself to the DIY Bloody Mary/Caesar Bar with your choice of spirit, and build your savoury brunch cocktail, with as many garnishes as you can spear and sink into your glass? It's your roll of the dice, baby.
Obviously, for the sake of full reporting, I did both, starting with the Bloody Bar and building a Caesar made with Vancouver's own Walter Caesar mix, extra tabasco, a Montreal Steak Spice rim, celery, cucumber, mini mozzarella balls, a pepperoni stick, and probably a few other things, too. Later on, I had a Moscow Mule from the cart, ice cold and super refreshing.
Peel and eat side stripe shrimp. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
The brunch menu at The Victor works in some of the calling card elements of the restaurant, including their sushi and raw bars, extravagant add-ons like foie gras or caviar, steak, seafood, dim sum, and breakfast dishes. You can kick things off with nigiri, rolled, or torched aburi sushi, or get interactive with a bag of peel-and-eat side stripe shrimp. Larger seafood platters and towers, as well as east and west coast oysters are available from the raw bar.
On the breakfast end, the options range in scope from lemon curd and ricotta pancakes to fully tricked out Wagyu Breakfast Burger. Take things lightly with an egg white frittata, or go big before you go home with Foie Gras French Toast. Their Chicken and Waffles, as is their Victor Benedict, make good use of the restaurant's signature Mac and Cheese Waffles. The rich, cheesy stand-in as a Benny Base (and the sub of a cheese sauce for the Hollandaise) takes their basic Benedict to an indulgent new level.
The BELT at The Victor. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
Amidst the array of big time brunch options is the dark horse standout BELT: An epic slab of toast branded with grill marks and shimmering with mayo, stacked with ruby-red tomato slices, creamy scrambled eggs, and the most perfect piece of thick-cut bacon you might ever savour. This is the kind of over the top that absolutely nails it.
Because nothing is subdued at The Victor - and why should it be? - there's even a Brunch Dessert menu. If you can manage it, after all that's come before, they offer fluffy donut pockets filled with a cheesecake cream served with a fresh berry compote for that slightly tart balance to cut the rich sweetness. Forget rolling the dice, you might need to be rolled home...ideally on that Mule Cart, please.
Cheesecake Donuts at The Victor. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
Albacore Aburi Sushi at The Victor. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
Tableside cocktail service from the Mule Cart at The Victor. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
Steak and Eggs at The Victor. Photo by Lindsay William-Ross
Brunch is served Sundays from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm at The Victor, which is located at Parq Vancouver at 39 Smithe Street.
