A restaurant in St Andrews not dedicated to gouging visiting wealthy American golfers! Even better, the menu looks promising. It is devoid of ‘small plates’ and ‘sharing plates’ nor are we forced on to rip-off tasting menus.
And, deep joy, we are spared the clever-dickery which has brought us the dubious delights of bacon and egg ice cream, foam of flying fish eggs, carrot sorbet and cauliflower cappuccino.
Instead, we are offered what looks like honest French-inspired bistro fare. And, to boot, there is a prix fixe menu of £25 for two courses and £30 for three with a choice of three dishes per course – just the job before we pop round to Toppings excellent bookshop for a talk that would prove to be monumentally boring and presented by the sort of mumbling, self-indulgent author that gets academics a bad name.
But can this restaurant deliver? I have my reservations, but at least the views are good. Seated in a window seat of the Hotel Du Vin overlooking the golden sands of St Andrews beach immortalised in Chariots of Fire, I choose a starter of mushooms and a main course of cod to be followed by a cheese board.
I’m pleased to see a decent Beaujolais – a Brouilly by Louis Tete – is available by the glass. Light on tannins, fruity and floral – it is the sort of easy drinking wine currently favoured by Parisian brasseries. We order a carafe.
Fittingly for a ‘Hotel du Vin’, the wine list is comprehensive and interesting without being dominated by trendy new world varieties. Most bases are well and truly covered, catering for traditional and more modern tastes.
My starter of sautéed mushrooms in a Madeira sauce served on sourdough toast duly arrives with a surprise. Sitting atop the mushrooms there appears to be a giant, deep-fried slice of sea sponge.
I tentatively take a bite of this weird concoction - delicious. Encased in the light and crispy tempura batter are the fronds of a large wild mushoom.
A selection of dishes from an 'affa fine' restaurant
In some establishments this, with a garnish of salad leaves, would be a starter in itself. It is the pièce de résistance of a substantial offering of wild mushrooms in a rich, nutty sauce. A triumph, and a rare example of a restaurant under-selling a dish on the menu.
My bookish companion, who will later be bitterly disappointed at our literary evening, is more than content with his chicken liver parfait, raisin chutney and toasted brioche and struggles to finish it.
Throughout, the youthful staff have been friendly, efficient and enthusiastic – the young sommelier eager to tell how the company has taken him to visit the vineyards whose wines they promote.
We’re off to a flying start and the main course is every bit as good. My thick, pan-seared tranche of golden-topped cod is perfectly cooked, flaky and moist.
It’s curried cauliflower purée, vinaigrette of pomegranate, golden raisins, red onion and lime works well with a great combination of tastes, sweet, acidic and savoury. I’ve ordered a side dish of creamy Camembert mashed potatoes, perfect, for an autumn evening.
It is a substantial dish and the wisdom of a cheeseboard is now called in to question. We quickly cancel the third course.
I’m a new convert to red wine with white fish, but a good Beaujolais goes well with cod, especially with this buttery sauce.
It also complements my pal’s main course of chicken breast on a bed of wild mushrooms in a rich sauce with finely cut chips. An accountant from Aberdeenshire, he pronounces our repas to be ‘affa fine’.
I agree, and it’s good value too. So, it’s ‘bon appetit’ to the Hotel du Vin – we’ll be back.
Verdict: 8/10
Hotel du Vin, 40 The Scores, St Andrews KY16 9AS