insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 48

FOOD+DRINK

Lunch at Bistro du Vin

B Y P O L LY H U M P H R I S

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; tactile, trendy
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 right by the window, so we
could bask in the warmth of the sun’s rays
while we enjoyed our food.
We ordered a bottle of sparkling water and
settled in to have a look at the new bistro
menu, which only launched last month. Frenchinspired, it includes interesting starters such as
scallops ceviche, and crispy porc joue terrine,
alongside comforting mains including braised
Herdwick lamb breast, and smoked salmon
bâtonnets with a Bloody Mary chutney. The

Bistro recently relaunched their Al Fresco menu
too, so diners can choose to grab a table on
the terrace, and eat, drink and be merry under
the welcome heat of the summer sun.
My guest and I decided on the scallops
ceviche and the Provençal fish soup to start.
If you enjoy ceviche, you’ll know it’s a pretty
easy dish to get wrong. Hats off to the chef
here though, as the scallops were beautiful;
not just in looks alone. Presented thinly sliced
and placed back in their shells dressed in a
zingy concoction of lime juice, salt, sugar,
pomegranate, chilli and baby coriander, the
flavours sang sharp enough to surprise your
tastebuds with every bite, but never to the
detriment of the scallops’ delicate sweetness.
The fish soup was refreshingly light in texture
- sitting somewhere between a broth and a
bouillabaisse - with a deep, seafood flavour
and a welcome hit of Mediterranean to mato.
With offerings such as moules frites, canard
and boudin noir saucisson, and a classic
salad niçoise, the selection of mains on
the menu made me feel as though I was at
traditional French bistro, but in a gorgeous
modern setting. Torn between two dishes,
my guest and I opted to share a fillet steak
and a superfood salad topped with chargrilled
Normandy chicken. Served with crisp, salty
chips, and a thick Béarnaise sauce flavoured

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with tarragon, the steak was beautifully tender
and cut like butter. The salad of baby kale,
edamame beans, quinoa and sprouts – though
colourful, inviting and extremely tasty – came a
close second.
Who wants dessert? I do! I do! Not one to ever
say no to a sweet happy ending, I opted for
the Manjari pot au chocolat – a wonderfully
rich dessert made with Madagascan Manjari
chocolate, which is slightly bitter with lovely
hints of soft fruit. 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, 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, when I shall bask, on the
terrace, under the early summer sunshine.
Bistro du Vin at Hotel du Vin
Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AD
0844 736 4251
www.hotelduvin.com/locations/brighton