Evening Standard
Mina Holland wondered whether the successor to long-time local favourite Franklins would carry on as a bistro or lean into its pub roots. The welcome news is that it remains a place where “good cooking and hungry locals happily collide…. The Victory does what a good neighbourhood restaurant should, with a talented kitchen to boot.”
High points of her meal included a starter of raw English tuna, shallots and capers and main dishes of cod served with tarragon-flecked chanterelles and a “genius sweetcorn puree”, and generous malfatti pasta balls with ricotta and green herbs in cavolo nero sauce.
The only disappointments were the “throwback” slices of airy white bread: “in London 2026, bread is an easy thing to get right; I can’t help but feel that failing to do so is a disservice to the restaurant’s cooking — those oily juices deserve better.”
Mina Holland - 2026-09-27
