Hotel du Vin, Edinburgh

During the Second World War, when Churchill was trying to rally his generals, he told them to ‘Remember, gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!’

Raise a glass to the old bull dog with today’s Big Deal on a Champagne meal at the Hotel du Vin in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Tucked away off a beguiling courtyard in the atmospheric Old Town, Edinburgh’s Bistro du Vin is a warm, welcoming space with restored fireplaces and lots of wine merchant memorabilia.

Champagne lunch or dinner

This Big Deal has two options.

Option one is available for lunch or for an early dinner, 5.30pm-7pm, Monday to Saturday.

The offer is for two people to have a glass of Champagne and a starter, main course and dessert from the plats du jour menu at Bistro du Vin.

Plats du jour

The plats du jour menu changes every day depending on what is available but typical starters might be the lobster bisque or the goat’s cheese au croute.

Popular main courses from the plats du jour include the confit duck leg served with Puy lentils; the chicken Dijon with sautéed potatoes or the
Provencal style ratatouille and chickpea tart served with a crispy hen’s egg.

Leave space for desserts such as the crème brûlée or the rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream.

Sides such as the pommes frites, wilted spinach and honey-roasted carrots will be charged at £3.75.

Sunday brunch

Available on Sundays from noon to 4pm, option two is for two people to enjoy the incredible Hotel du Vin Sunday brunch.
Guest will be offered a glass of Buck’s Fizz on arrival followed by the four course Sunday lunch.

Diners can start with the soup of the day before grazing the French Market Table.

Choose from a selection of the finest charcuterie, pâtés, and rillettes served with pickled and grilled vegetables, mustards and accompaniments as well as seafood and crustacea served with dressings.

The Market Table also offers a variety of mixed salad leaves, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, sliced onion and an array of fresh breads.

The third course offers lots of Sunday lunch favourites such as a choice of roasts; steak frites, the pie of the day; the classic HdV burger; poached salmon and veggie choices like the spelt and chanterelle risotto.

If there is any room left then think about desserts like the banana and rum baked bread and butter pudding; the artisan cheeseboard, tarte Tatin or the classic crème brûlée.

A word of advice, it might be an idea to skip breakfast in order to really do it all justice.

Great reviews

This 5pm Big Deal writer is a fan of the HdV Bistro. I like the laidback ambience; the food is hugely satisfying and the wine list, as you might imagine, makes for tempting reading.

I’m not alone. At the time of writing, just over 200 5pm Restaurant customers have rated the Edinburgh bistro a healthy 4.1/5.

This is what a couple of recent visitors had to say on the bistro’s 5pm site:

‘A nice place to spend the afternoon. This was the second time I’d been here and it was lovely again. We had afternoon tea inside then cocktails out in the cigar bothy which is really cool.’

‘Visited for Sunday brunch to celebrate son’s 21st birthday. Lovely hotel, great food, good service would recommend.’

Lunch date

This offer would be a lovely treat for a friend or it could make for a luxurious break in a marathon shopping trip. You could even use it for a lunch date with a loved one.

Option one could also be used for a pre-theatre meal before catching a show at the Festival theatre.

Whether you go for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch, this Hotel du Vin deal is a wonderful way to add a little sparkle to the winter months.