Simon and I took advantage of a superb offer this weekend from the newly opened Bistro du Vin and Bar in the Edinburgh Hotel du Vin which opened in Bristo Place in December.
The deal is two courses, a bottle of house wine and coffee for 2 for £29. You need to print off a voucher which you can find at www.hotelduvin.com/2009 and mention it when you book. The deal lasts until the end of March for any lunch or dinner except for Saturday evening. We plumped for a long and as it turned out somewhat boozy, Saturday lunch. The hotel looks great. Set off the road with a cigar shack being built in the charming courtyard to satisfy the needs to smokers. We didn't see the bedrooms, but there are 47 of them.
The lunch menu had many of the French bistro classics you'd expect to see and it was very good to know that they are sourcing a number of local ingredients such as Buccleuch beef and Linda Dick's chickens. We had a chicken liver parfait served with a fig jam and brioche and a mutton broth. Both were tasty and substantial. Then Simon had a steak hache served beautifully on a wooden board with a small copper pan of home made ketchup whilst I chose duck confit, partly as I had started the long process of making it for the first time and wanted to have tasted one to compare mine too.
For us the star of the show was definitely Romain Audrerie who is in charge of the wine. Simon and I said that we'd never been served by such a knowledgable and charming person in the 14 years we've been eating out in Edinburgh and it turns out that his credentials are impeccable. He comes to Edinburgh from the Savoy Grill and seriously knows his stuff. Wine buffs should check out his comprehensive wine list and take up any suggestions he makes. We had a glass of 18 year old Calvados to finish, Romain's favourite, and it was superb. The rich taste still lingering 5 minutes after the last drop had been savoured.
We walked home taking in the Henry Moore textiles exhibition at the Dovecot exhibition space on Infirmary Street. Both were inspirational new finds and well worth checking out.
We've just taken on a sweet little attic flat just around the corner from Hotel Du Vin at 1 Forrest Hill and so if you are looking for an Edinburgh self catering holiday apartment in the very heart of the Old Town, take a look at our Self catering holiday apartment at 1 Forrest Hill . It's available from only £275 per week.
Happy lunching!
