Hotel du Vin

My telephone call (you can also book online, I have since found out) went through to the hotel reception. I tried to book a table for two, for 8pm on Tuesday. The receptionist said she would transfer me to the Bistro.

Annoyingly, whoever answered the telephone in the Bistro decided it was the job of reception to make the booking and transferred me right back. Except that they didn't, the line went dead.

I was not best pleased. If I hadn't had to write this review I would have phoned somewhere else. When I did call again, however, the receptionist was reasonably efficient. It wasn't possible to get an 8pm reservation, the computer said no, but I was able to secure a 7.45pm slot.

The redhead and I arrived promptly the following Tuesday, only to find the car park full. This is understandable because the car park is quite small, but fortunately I have local knowledge and was able to find free parking on a street nearby. It may be easier to get a taxi if you don't live too far away, however.

So things hadn't got off to a great start and I was hoping this was not the shape of things to come. It wasn't. I really didn't expect to be writing this, but from the minute we stepped into the Bistro, things were almost faultless.

It was surprisingly busy for a cold, wet Tuesday in January. I estimate the dining area was half-full. The Bistro has a wine theme: wine paintings, wine labels, wine posters and, most importantly, wine bottles, which are stored in cabinets at the correct temperature.

The temperature was just right in the dining area, too. The redhead, who would rather live in California, doesn't like the cold and was pleased to report she was warm enough. She also hates background music and was pleased there was none.

It wasn't long before a friendly member of staff came to our table and handed us the menu and what I initially thought might be the big red book from This is Your Life.

I discovered it was the wine list, which I could have salivated over for hours. Sadly, it was both extensive and expensive and my budget didn't stretch to the wines I would have liked. I chose a Malbec (£16.50), from Argentina, which was OK. There were two wine waiters to hand, for those who needed help choosing.

We were spoilt for choice when it came to starters. I couldn't decide between pan-fried quail breast or potted rabbit, so I opted for smoked haddock chowder en croute' (£4.95), which was delicately flavoured, creamy textured and served just at the right temperature, like baby bear's porridge.

The redhead settled on courgette and parmesan risotto (£5.95) from the vegetarian section of the menu. She described it as perfect, well cooked and tasty. Both starters fulfilled their brief well, being wholesome but not too filling.

The menu was pitched perfectly to our tastes, French style, and presented in an uncomplicated manner. Choosing the main course entailed even more deliberation and took even more time, not that we felt any pressure from the professional waiting staff.

The redhead switched from vegetarian to carnivore, and ordered pork cutlet with fondant potato, swede and carrot puree, and calvados sauce (£13.50). She needn't have bothered sharpening her teeth because the meat was tender and succulent, and cooked to order for just a little longer, as is her taste. The accompaniments were, she said, "ideally suited".

I would normally have made directly for the roasted red leg partridge on the menu, but by a quirk of fate a friend had cooked me one the night before. (You wait all year for a partridge supper and then two come at once!) Instead, I kept to a fish theme and char-grilled swordfish with sticky brown rice, tomato fondue and herb oil (£14.95). Again, this was perfectly cooked, the rice complemented the fish nicely in texture and flavour. The fish had a great smoky flavour from the char grilling, too.

The dessert menu was similarly tempting, but I had not much room left. I toyed with having a glass of pudding wine, but had a cup of espresso ice cream (£2.50) instead. This was rich but refreshing at the same time.

The redhead went for comfort food, pear crumble and cream (£6.75), which was light, crispy and just right.

In fact, the whole experience had been just right. It wasn't cheap, however. The bill came to just over £75. I'd scrimped on the wine and my pudding, and neither of us had ordered coffee. But there again, we both thought it value for money.

Any niggles? Just a couple and quite minor. The space between the tables, where we were sitting, was cramped, which resulted in chairs bumping together every time someone stood up. And the plastic, mahogany-effect dining tables looked like something from a Little Chef restaurant.

When I'm spending that much money, I want real wood to spill my food and wine on to.