Cambridge’s Bistro du Vin serves up a feast of melt-in-the-mouth French dishes. Our reviewer tells all
The Hotel du Vin cuts a handsome figure on Trumpington Street opposite the iconic Fitzwilliam Museum.
One of a 19-strong chain of hotels, based from Exeter to St Andrews, the Cambridge branch is surely one of the prettiest – its ancient brickwork glowing in the warm afternoon sunlight – and it’s conveniently located for exploring the historic city centre.
The building itself is Grade II listed; it was once a university building and also a former 19th-century hospital. Today, it offers a combination of historic character and modern architectural touches, with a quiet and refined air bestowed by its potted palms, crisp white table linen and soothing, Chinese-blue decor.
The Bistro du Vin is the hotel’s in-house restaurant, offering a modern take on classic French and British dishes. It emphasises seasonal and locally sourced ingredients and is known for its relaxed-yet-elegant atmosphere. The hotel also boasts an extensive wine cellar, hosting a wide selection of wines that pair well with each meal: the back of the menu even provides pairing suggestions.
Don’t rush home after dining: its public areas include interesting nooks, exposed brickwork, restored fireplaces and dark wood floors. Like a gentlemen’s club, it’s the perfect spot for after-hours cocktails.
Service is swift and polite, and my colleague Maria and I felt spoilt for choice when perusing the seasonal à la carte menu on a sunny autumn lunchtime. She went for the sautéed mushrooms on toasted sourdough for an hors d’oeuvre, followed by chicken schnitzel with lentils, salad and fries; I chose the beetroot and goat’s cheese salad, followed by beef cheek bourguignon with haricots verts.
The sautéed mushrooms were utterly delicious, their moist, buttery juices soaking brazenly into the sourdough. The beetroot and goat’s cheese salad was a lighter, more colourful dish, comprising an archipelago of red, yellow and orange beetroot along with a scattering of crumbled goat’s cheese.
For main courses, or plats principaux, the menu provided a good selection of meat and fish dishes, from rib-eye steak to the fancy choucroute Alsacienne – a traditional dish from Alsace consisting of sauerkraut with various meats.
It turns out I chose well – the beef cheek bourguignon arrived on a warm bed of mashed potato surrounded by a moat of rich brown gravy, accompanied by bite-size cubes of pancetta, button mushrooms and baby onions for an exciting combination of flavours. The slow-cooked beef swooned onto my fork with no resistance whatsoever.
Maria’s chicken schnitzel was a tasty surprise too, topped with lentils and a salad both drenched in delicious dressing.
Replete after just two courses, we had to call on our ‘pudding stomachs’ to sample dessert, tackling a poire belle Hélène (pear sundae) between us with two spoons. Thinking the pear may represent at least one of our five a day, we were pleased to discover that cream and chocolate were another two. This topped off a lovely meal in an elegant but cosy setting.
