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Its nothing new to say that Lucas restaurant is arguably one of Casa de Campo’s most popular restaurants, at least by the sheer volume of villa owners and residents who frequent it, so it is a nice surprise to see that Lisa Perrone, the wife of Sandro, the proprioter of Lucas, is now the head chef at the newly re-opened Victory Club Bar Lounge. After having gone on two occasions to sample the cuisine here is our review of the newly reopened Victory Club Bar Lounge.
The ‘NEW’ Victory Club Lounge Bar is essentially the ‘OLD’ Victory Club Bar Lounge – but the concept is different, as now their focus is food. So if you have not yet tried it, and you are a fan of Lucas, you definitely should give it a try – you will very likely enjoy it! So aside from finding the name “Victory Club Bar Lounge” insanely long and a ridiculous clinging to the past, the new restaurant concept is indeed a welcome surprise.
When arriving, the Victory Club Bar Lounge is the same charming place, with arguably the loveliest sunset in Casa de Campo and a cool view of the Marina’s Plaza Portofino. The seating area is outside on the porch, which is wonderful right now with the cool winter weather, the ambiance is nice, relaxing and laid back – inspired by the good tastes of italy…and with the appropriately Italian music playing in the background, you have the perfect setting for a very pleasant evening.
The incredible view of the Marina Casa de Campo – as seen from the deck of the Victory
NOTE: We know the Victory Club Bar Lounge is a little bit of a walk up the Paseo del Mar (700 meters from the parking lot) – but do not let that put you off! Simply call them when arriving and they will send a golf cart to come and fetch you! TEL: 809-861-7863
The ‘dining’ area is small – very small, only able to accommodate around 25 covers at once. But that give’s the Victory a nice intimate touch, and ‘away from it all’ feel that few places in Casa have the luxury of achieving. It allows Lisa to personally attend to tables and costumers to make sure she cooks everything exactly as her costumers desire it – a nice touch! If you have special requests and call in the morning the day of, Lisa will fetch the necessary ingredients and prepare any special dishes.
The Menu is small. Seriously, there are mearly a handful of items, but taking into account that the ‘pasta’ item can come in different pastas and sauces, its actually larger than it would first appear; and quite frankly speaking, this is a lovely place to come for a simple and good meal, while being able to leave behind a little of the pomp and circumstance of the main square.
The following is our review of all the food we tried:
Focacia (RD??): Quite nice indeed – a nice focaccia with a hint of an olive oil flavor, delicioso!
Antipasto Italiano (RD$500): a nice selection of italian cold cuts that are good in quality and quantity – and go great with the focacia!
The Cheese Platter (RD$400) – a nice selection of italian cheeses. Perfect before the meal with a nice glass of wine – preferably while enjoying one of winter’s spectacular sunsets.
Off menu items: – while it is clear that we get a little extra attention when doing a review, we where also privileged to taste a little of chef Lisa’s inspirations, that while not fixed items on the menu, may very well represent what one may expect from seasonal extras to come along; which in my book is something to look forward to.
The following dishes are NOT strictly speaking on the menu, but are available if ordered in advance and occasionally as ‘specials’:
Spinach crepes: – a delicious and subtle flavor of the spinach with a wonderful savory sauce of ricotta and almonds. Nicely done Lisa!
Shrimp, Calamari and Potato salad: – Tender tender tender calamari! This was astounding! Seriously – tender! The shrimp were also incredibly tender and delicious and I personally loved the potatoes – nice and garlicy!
Semifreddo: Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy yum! I have never before tried a Semifreddo and now I would say it is probably one of my favourite deserts – chocolatey , almond-y, amaretto-y, nutty heaven!!! I want another one now!
And that is all we tried! Wow talking about it really makes me want to go back for more! – maybe we’ll see you there tonight!
CONCLUSION! We liked it. We reccommend you give it a try. And remember although the menu is limited, any reasonable request can be accommodated – if one calls in advance, be it a desire for fresh fish or that special pasta dish! With a true italian in the kitchen, with her reputation at stake – we expect good things to keep coming!
And finally a word from the Italians…..
Whilst we were there, the small place was full (on a Tuesday) with 2 tables of Italians, Casa de Campo residents and villa owners who called the new Victory ‘Casa de Campo’s Best Kept Secret’ – well if the Italians say so it must be good! Sorry guys it’s not a secret anymore!
