At the moment, the only way to eat dinner in a restaurant is to become a hotel guest; and why not - a staycation is the way forward.

Hotel Du Vin extended me the invite and so I packed a wee overnight bag and headed into town. You can find my review of the overnight stay here.

REVIEW - BISTRO DU VIN, EDINBURGH

I’m a fan of Bistro Du Vin, and enjoy their French style cooking with seasonal Scottish produce. We are heading into winter and the dishes become more hearty.

It was a very different dining experience this time round. Diners were all hotel guests and tables held bottles of sparkling water and glasses of Coca-Cola. Not a wine glass in sight, no clinking of a dram and no music. The ambience that is usually convivial was now filled with whispers and the odd laugh. I have to say that the addition of the real fire was a welcome background noise and filled that cold silent void. Nice touch HDV.

Bistro Du Vin have two menus - the A La Carte and their Specials menu. The A La Carte is £19.99 for two courses and £24.95 for three courses. The specials menu is individually priced.

For starters we started off with :

Oak Smoked Salmon and Dark Rye Bread with horseradish creme fraiche and the Soupe A L’oignon.

The Salmon was tasty but felt you needed the horseradish to bring some flavour to this dish. The smokiness was lost.

The French Onion Soup, I hate to say it, but it was so disappointing. I’ve had this before and it was sensational. The cheese is usually sprinkled ontop of the crouton that floats atop the soup. The cheese covers the top and the bowl but when you dive into it, it produces the most insane cheese strings and scooped up with a spoonful of silky onions, is one of the best soups I’ve tasted. However, on this occasion, the cheese was too thick and sat atop like a lid. I had to remove its mass to a side plate. Next time, less cheese!

For mains we tried :

Steake Hache with pomme frittes, peppercorn sauce and a salad and the Fillet Steak with pomme frittes and peppercorn sauce.

The Burger (Steak Hache) was decent with a lot of cheese. The burger was very dense but not too dry and the fries were thin and tasty.

The Steak was lovely but a wee bit overdone for a carnivore like me (I asked for medium rare and it was medium) but it was seasoned well and an excellent piece of steak.

Alternative choices would have been the Veal Cheek Bourguignon and the Normandy Chicken Kiev

It was a no-brainer for me on the dessert front - Creme Brulee all the way (no sticky toffee pudding on the menu) and the Pot Au Chocolat was Mr TS’s choice.

Creme Brulee was sweet perfection. A perfect caramelised sugar topping that any spoon would be honoured to crack, revealing a layer of silky smooth rich custard. Freaking delish.

The Chocolate Pot was a simple dessert but one that any chocolate lover couldn’t resist. It was thick, dark, rich, smooth and a ‘death by chocolate’ way to end the evening.

The staff were attentive and friendly, and although the food wasn’t the best that I know Bistro Du Vin can produce, it was just lovely, to be dining out.

Bistro Du Vin is open to non-residents for lunch only (selected days of the week) and dinner if you are a hotel resident. Please check their website to make bookings.

Bistro Du Vin, 11 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 1EZ. Tel : 0131 2851479 www.hotelduvin.com/locations/edinburgh/

My Spoon Award : Bronze Spoon 7/10

I was invited by Hotel Du Vin to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.