When you think of French cuisine you think refined dining, rich flavours, and simple dishes done well. This is exactly the case when you dine at Hotel du Vin.
Our writer, Rachel McAlley recently dined at Hotel du Vin in York to try out the autumn menu with her family.
You instantly feel welcome at Hotel du Vin on The Mount, York. The hotel itself is a beautiful Grade II listed mansion house with plenty of charm and quaint nooks and crannies. It is a perfect place to relax with family and friends over drinks in the bar, or nibbles inside the heated Terrace.
We were invited to try the new autumn menu in the Hotel du Vin, Bistro du Vin. Presented with both the Classics Menu and the Les Enfants Menu we took our time to mull over the choices of entrées (starters), grillades (grills), plats principaux (mains) and desserts.
The restaurant supervisor and all-round lovely lady, Yanshi took care of our every need. She explained the dishes in great detail, and answered all our questions, we couldn’t have had a nicer person to look after us.
Starters & Mains
There was so much to choose from on the menu we opted for the children’s garlic bread and dippers, which comprised of homemade garlicky sourdough with houmous, carrot and cucumber sticks. For the adults we decided on the traditional soupe a l’oignon (French onion soup), which was bursting with flavour and covered with cheese croutons. We also chose the chicken liver parfait, which was silky smooth and came served with brioche toast and raisin chutney.
When it came to the main course, the youngest at our table ordered a huge dish of mac n’ cheese, and she couldn’t have been happier. It was ‘cheese and pasta perfection’ as she put it!
With such a vast selection of dishes we opted for a couple of French classics. Firstly, sirloin steak, which was served with pommes frites (fries) and a grilled tomato, and secondly, grilled Normandy chicken served with pommes frites and petit salad. Furthermore, we went for a peppercorn sauce for the steak, and garlic butter for the chicken, both the perfect accompaniment to our main courses. Finally, we added a side of cauliflower cheese and a side of glazed carrots.
Each of the side dishes gave a little something extra to the plate, especially the carrots as they were super sweet and perfectly cooked. All round, our main courses were exceptionally good, and were exactly what we expected of this high-end French restaurant.
Desserts
With absolutely no room to fit desserts we somehow managed to still order some cracking puds. The crème brûlée was a must and it was incredible, plus the Café Gourmand, which was a choice of coffee served with three sweet treats. These treats included a chocolate brownie, petit madeleine, and a chocolate dipped Florentine. The Florentine was excellent! Our little person chose a healthy freshly cut fruit salad, which was a refreshing end to her meal.
The Bistro itself was very comfortable, decorated with calming colours and great wall art. We stayed a little while after eating to take in the surroundings and enjoy people watching before heading off into the night to make our way home.
If you’ve never experienced dining at Hotel du Vin, make sure you do because the food is excellent, the service exceptional, and the venue beautiful.
Visit Hotel du Vin, York to make a reservation at Bistro du Vin.
Words by Rachel McAlley
