When Dave and I first moved to Bristol in 2015, I used to walk past the Hotel du Vin on my way into town. It’s a gorgeous building in an old part of the city and dates back to the 18th century when it was originally a sugar refinery processing plant. Now, still looking as elegant as it must have done then, it’s a rather lovely hotel and bistro. They’ve kept many of the original features and the mix of restored grade II sugar warehouse brickwork with modern glass and industrial metal beams is just gorgeous.
A few weeks ago, we were invited to dine there. Finally I was going to step through the doors of a place I’ve always loved the look of by never experienced! Their Head Chef Marcus Lang has recently introduced a fixed price menu which is full of locally sourced seasonal ingredients and available until 7pm every day except Saturday. It’s priced at £19.99 for two courses or £24.95 for three courses.
Sugar bar drinks
Before I launch into telling you what we ate, I’ll take a moment to tell you about our pre-dinner drinks. We sat in the Sugar Bar and had a couple of cocktails. They were delicious. Really really lovely. My favourite was the Gin Bramble, not too sweet which is how I like them, and garnished with dried orange. Dave pushed the boat out too and had a Kir Royale, made with (of course) proper French Champagne. After all, this is a french inspired brand.
Prix Fixe dining
After our drinks, we headed into the dining room – an historic panelled affair, decorated with French artwork and old fashioned advertising. The window sills are packed with old wine bottles and half burned candles. You could argue that it felt quite dated, as though we’d stepped back into the 1970’s but I personally loved it. It felt classic, auspicious but not in your face fancy. Casual but elegant.
The fixed price menu is short with three choices per course. They all feature locally sourced ingredients and suppliers and it changes regularly. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I’d be having. I got my own way for the starter but had to fight with Dave for the main. It’s ok though, turns out that my second choice was just as delicious. More of which later…
Onto the main event… the food!
So here we go… I started with the Somerset cheddar and Bristol beer factory stout welsh rarebit croquettes. Yeah I did!! They were served with piquant balsamic pickled. It was as delicious as it sounds. Cheesy, beery potatoes. Yes please. My only criticism – I wanted a whole pile of them!
Dave had the Escabeché of Mackerel wih Evesham Wilja potato salad. It was fresh tasting and delicious. I was expecting the mackerel to be scortched, which is wasn’t, but the flavour was great and the fish still shone through the pickling. I really loved the potato salad too – again, fresh and tasty with chives cutting through the cream.
At this point we were pretty impressed by the service and food we’d experienced so far. The staff were allfriendly, helpful and knowledgable. They have a sommelier in house (as you’d expect I guess, for a place literally called the hotel of wine). This was particuarly useful as we weren’t sure what wine to choose, given that I was having fish and Dave, duck. We opted for a young New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc which turned out to be an excellent choice.
I’ve given it away. Dave had the confit duck. I wanted the confit duck. I was a bit grumpy to be honest. Until the food arrived and my dish was unexpectedly yummy. When we were there, the choice for mains was duck, Galettes with poached salmon or ratatouille. Aside from the duck, nothing floated my boat. But, I went with teh galettes and hoped for the best.
For me then, Shipton Mill buckwheat galettes with poached salmon. On the plate there was also smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and a dill butter sauce. They don;t look much but they really were heavenly – to my surprise. The galettes were light (despite the buckwheat) and packed full of soft poached salmon. The little cubes of earthy beetroot and sharp smoked salmon cut through the rich buttery sauce and the finely diced shallots added a sweetness to the whole thing. I did actually add more salt but I’m not saying it was underseasoned, just not quite there for me!
I’d never order a dish like this but I’m glad Dave won the duck fight because you know what? I bloody loved it.
Dave’s confit duck leg with Wye Valley asparagus,baby gem lettuce, peas and pancetta was as good as we both hoped. The meat was falling off the bone but with the prerequisite crispy bits on the edges. The peas and pancetta were a classic combo which never goes wrong and the addition of new season asparagus lifted what could be a wintery dish firmly into spring. Sometimes, dishes are classics for a reason eh?
By this point, several cocktails and a bottle of wine in, we were feeling a little tipsy and very full. Knowing that we had a 10km cycle home, we opted (sensibly) to share a dessert. Obviously we went for the chocolate fondant with Rodda’s clotted cream. It’s actually a crime to order anything else when it’s on a menu. We had it with a rich Pedro Ximénez sherry. Just perfect. You know, a little bit more alcohol to lubricate us for the cycle home.
Chef smashed it out the park. A 10/10 finish to a fantastic meal.
Final thoughts on Hotel du Vin Bristol
I’ve always known of Hotel du Vin but hadn’t been to eat or stay at one before. There are 19 across the UK, with two in Bristol – the second is at Avon Gorge in Clifton. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I thought it would be nice, but possibly a bit average. Possibly a bit standard mid-price hotel. It really wasn’t. I was totally wrong. It was a lovely place with fantastic staff and a warm vibe. We loved our cocktails in the Sugar Bar and will pribably go back soon for a drink after work, especially once the weather improves so that we can sit out in that gorgeous courtyard.
The fixed price menu isn’t the cheapest in the city but as far as I’m concerned, worth every penny. A chance to eat well cooked, tasty food in a lovely old building. I’d recommend it to any of you and am sure that if this one is anything to go by, the food will be tasty and delicious at any one of their bistros.
Find them here:
For more fantastic meals and places to eat at in Bristol, check out these posts:
*We were invited to dine for free at the Hotel du Vin Bristol. As usual, all opinions are my own. You should know by now that i always speak my mind!*
Wow! This looks amazing, the presentation on the food really looks top notch!
I schooled in Bristol. I love the city. Would be nice to dine here.
We go and visit my son at uni in Bristol and are always looking for places to stay – thanks for this
Oh, how lovely was the food presentation. The food looks so delicious. I hope it really tastes as good as how it looks.