insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 04 - June 2015 | Page 46

food+DRINK

Lunch Al Fresco at
Bistro du Vin
by Donna Martin

You know those days when the rain doesn’t cease, and the wind coming from the sea irritates you
to the point of madness? And then unexpectedly, through your frizzy hair and smeared eyeliner,
the sun peeks out, the wind dies down, and within a matter of minutes life couldn’t be better?
It was one of those days when I visited Hotel du Vin Brighton’s Bistro du Vin, and though the
sunshine played a part in my day’s happiness, it was the food that really hit the spot.

Walking into Hotel du Vin’s bar area is what I
would imagine walking into the Tardis would
be like. The reception area, though not small,
doesn’t give any hint of what lies around the
corner. The two-storey open-plan bar is what
I would describe as swanky chic; beautifully
tactile sofas to lounge on, and lots of interesting
elements to observe, most notably the custom
mural adorning the wall the entire length of the
venue.
Being a weekday and all, I wasn’t there for the
bar (unfortunately). But fortunately, I was there
for the food. Back across reception brought
me to the Bistro du Vin – the hotel’s classy
and comfortable eatery. As I mentioned, it had
been chucking it down earlier, but somewhere
between elevensies and lunchtime, Mother
Nature had decided to grace us with her
sunshine – and what a treat, as we were offered
a table al fresco to soak up some of those
vitamin D rays while we enjoyed our meals.
We ordered a bottle of sparkling water and
settled in to have a look at the extensive menu.
The French-inspired à la carte menu included
‘Plats Principaux’ dishes such as parsnip and
beetroot tarte tatin, or dandelion and burdock
roast ham hock; and ‘Comfort’ choices such as

duck shepherd’s pie and Toulouse sausage and
mash. The Bistro also recently launched their
Al Fresco menu, which I’m sure was created
just for me, just for this sun-after-the-rain kind
of day.
My guest and I decided on the Caprese salad
to start. If you enjoy Caprese salad, you’ll know
it can either go terribly wrong, or magnificently
right. Hats off to the chef, as this Caprese was
beautiful (and I’m not just talking about how
it looked). The green, yellow and red Heritage
tomatoes sat perfectly amongst the chunks of
soft buffalo mozzarella, spring leaves and aged
balsamic dressing – a refreshing start to our al
fresco mid-day meal.
The selection of mains on the menu made me
feel as though I was at an outdoor bistro in
France, with offerings such as steak frites and
Normandy chicken cob salad. What better
way to enjoy a sunny day lunch than to eat a
delicious salad outside, so the obvious choice
for me was the cob salad, which was…huge.
Colourful, fresh, and huge. The tender cubes of
grilled chicken, slices of perfectly ripe avocado,
homemade brioche croutons, sundried
tomatoes, crisp roasted pancetta and Roquefort
cheese made for one fabulous meal. My guest’s

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poached Scottish salmon – though delicious
with its hot buttered potatoes and hollandaise
sauce – came second place for the day.
Who wants dessert? I do! I do! Not one to ever
say no to a sweet happy ending, I opted for the
mousse au chocolat – a wonderfully rich dessert
topped with fresh whipped cream, and some
chocolate shavings for good measure, mais oui!
I’m very possessive of my chocolate, and had
to fight off my dining partner for this one – in the
end I had to remove all cutlery from the table
apart from my own spoon, to prevent cheeky
chocolate thievery.
Finishing off with a freshly brewed coffee,
basking in the glorious early spring sunshine,
it was nearly impossible to make myself leave.
But…sigh…work beckoned – so off I went,
daydreaming about returning on the next sunny
day in Brighton.
Bistro du Vin at Hotel du Vin
Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AD
0844 736 4251
www.hotelduvin.com/locations/brighton