Whilst staying at Hotel du Vin, Birmingham, we decided to dine in their restaurant - Bistro du Vin. The evening called for a casual dining affair, and the bistro offered the perfect setting for our evening meal. We were greeted as we entered by a friendly member of staff who grabbed two menus and showed us to our table.
As an aperitif, we decided on two glasses of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut. The cold, fizzy apple notes went down swimmingly whilst we took our time perusing the menu.
To start, I opted on the roasted tiger prawns with Pastis and chilli butter, which was a wonderful dish, perfectly balanced with neither the Pastis nor the chilli butter overpowered the delicate sweetness of the perfectly cooked prawns. My partner opted for the chicken liver parfait, which came served with hazelnut brioche muffin and tomato chutney. This was a well-presented, rich dish, full of bold flavours.
“…melt in the mouth meat, indulgently complimented by crispy fries and buttery spinach.”
For our main course, we chose to share the chateaubriand, which came served with pommes frites and a choice of side, for which we chose the sautéed spinach. The chateaubriand is prepared table side, which offers quite a theatrical performance that turned the heads of our fellow diners. Although, theatrics aside, this chateaubriand is a must try – melt in the mouth meat, indulgently complimented by crispy fries and buttery spinach. This was a real highlight.
After such a meal, we both decided upon an affogato for dessert; a simple choice that sees a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of espresso. It was the perfect finish to what had been a great meal.
To accompany our menu choices, we chose a bottle of the 2015, Sangiovese Farnese Fantini Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy, which was superbly easy-drinking with a deep chocolate palate and a gentle dusty finish.
We thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Should you ever find yourself in Birmingham, regardless of whether you're staying at the hotel or not, we are quite sure you'll have a pleasant dining experience at Bistro du Vin.
The Bill: £53 per head
