Trader Vics London Review
Trader Vic’s
Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London
Reviewed by Petra Aston
Wednesday night was our date night and we had been looking forward going out for ages to have a lovely meal without the kids. Despite the tube strike and the awful weather we made our way to Trader Vic’s in London. Trader Vic’s Restaurant & Boathouse Bar is located in the basement of the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane. As soon as you walk down the stairs into the restaurant you are received by a warm welcome and holiday atmosphere, allowing you to forget about the day you just had.
Sitting at the bar with a drink, nibbling on complimentary spicy popcorn, we took in the Polynesian themed décor. Surrounded by bamboo interior with dark wood carving figures, dimmed lighting but not too dark, and you think you are in a beach bar somewhere on holiday.
Our cosy corner table of the restaurant has really made us feel like being on holiday and all the little details of the interior matched with the restaurant theme, even the water glasses on the table had the Trader Vic’s design.
We couldn’t decide what to eat as everything on the menu sounded absolutely lovely, so we went for recommendations from our waiter. The starter was a Cosmo Tidbits which was a platter to share with crispy prawns, crab Rangoon, char siu pork and BBQ spare ribs. As we wanted to try something new, this starter was absolutely spot on and very delicious, shame I had to share it. My husband went for the calamari salad, which was a perfect size for a starter and very tasty. As the starters went down so well we couldn’t wait to see what our main meal would be like and believe me, we were not disappointed.
I had chosen the beef and reef, the perfect combination for meat and shrimp lovers. The beef tenderloin pieces were cooked to perfection, and the garlic shrimps were big and delicious, cooked with black pepper, spring onions and red onions accombide with jasmine rice. My husband went for his favourite, steak, a wood fired certified Angus beef with potato puree, and spinach and bacon croquettes in red wine sauce. As a steak lover my husband soon realised that this steak was perfectly cooked, succulent and tender, and had a very different taste. Traders Vic has two big wood fired ovens in the restaurant (behind glass) but this unique cooking style allows the dishes to cook slowly. The meat or other dishes are hung from hooks and cooked slowly over a hardwood fire, producing a unique and original flavour.
The wine which was chosen for us was a red Shiraz, which went very nicely with the woody flavours of our meal.
We unfortunately haven’t drunk any cocktails for which Trader Vic’s is famous for, but only because we wanted to leave some space for a dessert. I went for my favourite, mandarin and cranberry vanilla crème brulee, this pudding doesn’t need a lot of words… splendid. My husband went for something different and has not regretted his choice, he had chocolate Pecan Pie. Both were good potions and particularly tasty.
Our overall dinner experience in this restaurant was very nice. All the staff were very friendly, introduced themselves to us and were very attentive not just to us but all the dinners in the restaurant that night.
My highlight of the night was when the head chef came to see us and explained the unique cooking style with the wooden fired oven. It is really nice to see that staff nowadays are interested in their customers. I can honestly say that every single table was treated the same and had as much attention from the staff as possible.
Even though this restaurant is on the pricy side, I would definitely recommend it. The atmosphere, the live DJ, food and drink will make every dinner night a special night. If you book it for an occasion, birthday party or family get together, it will be a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We would give this restaurant a 5/5 and will definitely go back again and try those cocktails.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information, to download menus or book online visit www.tradervicslondon.com.
