The Victory Restaurant is a basement restaurant and bar set back from the road. A German--Russian joint venture, the owners seem to have aimed to produce the atmosphere of a smart international restaurant, and have largely succeeded.
We were promptly met at the door by a waiter who took our coats and showed us into a well-lit, comfortable bar, with a television in one corner. Through another doorway was the large, more dimly lit restaurant, where a three-piece band was playing Russian music.
The place was fairly quiet so we were able to choose a table with a good view of the band. Seeing we had chosen one without a candle, the waiter immediately brought us one.
Victory's decor is pleasant if a little characterless, featuring fitted carpets, brass trimmed dark-wood furniture and dried flower arrangements on the walls. The management obviously takes pride in the name, for even the table linen is monogrammed with a "V." Everything, from the paintwork to the glasses, is immaculately clean.
The evening livened up -- from my partner's point of view -- with the arrival of two "Camel" girls, proffering Camel cigarettes. Though wearing extremely short skirts both were miraculously free of goose pimples.
I preferred to concentrate on the extensive menu, which is printed in Russian, German and English. A wide range of hors d'oeuvres and soups are offered as well as main courses.
To begin with my companion chose lampreys (a kind of eel) at $7, on the grounds that King Henry VII died of a surfeit of them. I decided to play safe with a mixed salad ($4), although other tempting choices included salmon with malossol ($7) or caviar ($15).
For the main course there was again a large selection of both fish and meat dishes.
I finally decided on the "Fish Moscow," a perch-pike steak oven-baked with potatoes in an onion and cheese sauce ($10), whilst my companion went for sturgeon with a mushroom sauce ($15). Other dishes included beef with a cheese and mayonnaise sauce ($13) and a mysterious sounding "Beef with goose liver," presumably pate, at $12.
While there was plenty of choice of food, when we asked for a wine list, the waiter simply asked if we wanted red or white. Well, red, we replied, but we would like to see the wine list. He nodded deferentially and returned with a bottle of Mukazani Georgian red, usually sold for around 8,000 roubles but here for 65,000 ($14). As there seemed to be nothing else available we accepted it, and sat back to enjoy the music.
The band was excellent, consisting of two guitarists and a violinist, who also sang, all wearing some of the loudest shirts I have ever seen. The repertoire was varied, although the musicians were noticeably more confident when playing Russian airs than with the occasional Simon and Garfunkel melody. The band was friendly without being intrusive. The music wasn't overly loud, often a problem with live performances.
Our starters were something of a disappointment. My companion said his lampreys were tasty and the portion was generous, but they were served plain without sauce or dressing. My salad was also a little plain, consisting simply of sliced cucumber and tomato, as commonly encountered in Russian cafes. It too was served without dressing, though bottles of oil and vinegar were available.
However, the food definitely picked up with the main courses. Again, the portions were plentiful and my pike-perch was certainly appetizing, served piping hot in the dish in which it was baked, finished with a salad garnish. Although a little under-seasoned it was savory and certainly filling. My companion's sturgeon was also good. It was served with a tasty mushroom sauce, plain boiled potatoes, and a truly eclectic salad, containing everything from sharon fruit to spring onions.
The dessert selection is basic, running to little more than icecream. Instead we decided to finish our meal with coffee ($2).
All in all, with a lively band but lackluster decor, decent but ordinary food at decent but slightly fancy prices, and an extensive menu but slim choice of wine, the Victory Restaurant tasted more like a goal-less draw than the fruits of triumph.