Wednesday 10 September 2008

Hotel Du Vin III



The glorious steak board


It was Damian's birthday so we though that Hotel Du Vin would be a lovely place in which to celebrate. After the obligatory cocktails we settled down for what would be a very fine meal indeed. I do like the Gentleman's club atmosphere and the wait staff are attentive but unobtrusive. I would say however, that the portion sizes are ridiculous for the prices they charge. I know Paul Tamburrini wants a Michelin star and is charging accordingly but it was a similar issue that fell foul of Gordon Ramsey at Amaryllis. I think it would do a lot for their empty tables if he knocked a couple of pounds off each of the dishes. The when he actually gets a star he can hike up the prices. Even with a couple of pounds knocked off it still wouldn't be cheap.. Anyway rant over.

We had:


Our amuse bouche which certainly did amuse our bouche-an intense pea shooter with Parmesan crisp.



The freshly baked bread served in some silver ware that did have the weight of being real.



My starter of Langoustine tails with black pudding bon-bons which I thought was very good, the Langoustine being sweet and properly cooked.



Victoria's crayfish and tomato vine salad



A wonderful but minuscule steak tartare



Damian's rillette of Veal and Duck



400g of rib roast beef served ala Jason Atherton: a sight which made our mouths water!



A modernist tower of Pommes Pont neuf



Roasted native lobster with Cafe de Paris butter

I would have taken a photo of HI's Nith valley veal but it was so small and perfectly formed, not to mention tasty that it disappeared before I could say cheese!

It was handy we had been to La Valle Blanche the night before as it gave us a chance to compare the two. HI thought his veal at La Valle Blanche was better. My steak at HDV was better than LVB. I prefer the setting at HDV and interestingly, despite my earlier rant about how expensive it is, it actually worked out cheaper than La Valle Blanche. Must have been that bottle of wine of John's..

So, we have two worthy contenders for Glasgow's Curious Eater fine-dining award, stayed tuned to find out who will win!!

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