Hotel du Vin, Glasgow - Restaurants in Glasgow | s1play.com

Simply irresistible

Review published on 06/11/2006 © Sunday Herald

Walking up the steps of One Devonshire Gardens, I experienced a powerful sense of déja vu.

It may be Glasgow’s top hotel address, but in recent years an invisible “Under New Management” sign seemed to hang above its stately portals. Under the Ancien Régime of Andrew Fairlie, One Devonshire enjoyed a golden age. Since then it’s been one bloody revolution after another. Two Gordon Ramsay chefs came and went. Then two Newcastle entrepreneurs opened Room, an initial disaster, later turned around.

Next thing you know, the now-successful Room has been bought out and the whole premises brought under the wing of the Hotel du Vin group, best known for its hotels in conservative, well-heeled towns such as Henley-on-Thames.

Stifling a yawn as I perused the menu, I wondered idly what Hotel du Vin was doing in a blue collar metropolis like Glasgow. But one course into the meal, my been-here-done-that torpor had been replaced by a rising sense of excitement. By the end of the meal I was in raptures.

For some years I have followed with interest the career of chef Paul Tamburrini, last seen cooking in the stultifyingly dull confines of Cameron House on Loch Lomond. Liberated by Hotel du Vin, and presiding over a menu which offers both elaborate cheffy dishes and more relaxed brasserie classics, Mr Tamburrini now seems to be in his element. The results are mind-blowing.

After a taster of Jerusalem artichoke soup with luscious nuggets of duck liver in it, along came the tian of crab and avocado. It looked like a mini Empire State Building, with the thinnest flakes of pastry supporting alternate floors of sweet white meat and velvety avocado purée, scented with coriander perhaps, and a twist of lemon. There was an observation platform of Avruga (herring roe) and a basement of fondant curried courgette “caviar” surrounded by a pool of sharp carmine-red tomato vinaigrette.

The other starter of partridge boudin (sausage), beautifully bronzed by a hot skillet, went wonderfully well with caramelised cauliflower purée, another purée of prunes, and a formidable Armagnac juice. One of the attractions of Hotel du Vin is its grill menu, featuring thoughtfully sourced meats – properly hung traditional beef, racks of hill lamb and so on – along with time-honoured accompaniments such as Béarnaise and mint sauce.

I chose the spectacularly pleasing line-caught turbot, lush and moist from being cooked on the bone. It, too, was deftly browned on the outside and along with a fresh sauce Vièrge, a vital little salad composed of allotment-style herbs, and matchstick-thin chips that rustled like taffeta, it came close to perfection in my book. My companion waxed lyrical about his canon of border lamb which did indeed taste exceptional, but I was too dazzled by my turbot to take it in.

I was sitting up to attention for the desserts, however, which were exceptional. Mr Tamburrini knows how to line up flavours that share a theme, yet are still distinct from one another. A crème brulée perfumed with lemon geranium evoked a warm greenhouse. It was topped with an exhilarating lemonade ice cream and flanked by warm, lemony pistachio cake and a tiny glass of a fresh, fragrant juice that tasted like squeezed Muscat grapes.

Across the table, a shiny cylinder of emulsified dark Valrhona chocolate, with the consistency of a thick mayonnaise, kept captivating company with a salty caramel sauce and the subtle, nutty notes of a barley ice cream.

Mr Tamburrini’s lunchtime menu intrigues me. He has introduced a daily roast (saddleback pork on Wednesdays, venison loin on Fridays) and brought back the dessert trolley. Bring it on.

As for the place itself, Hotel du Vin seems to have done a good job of retaining the sense of luxury yet managing to lose the stuffiness. Its sommelier, Bruce Wallner, is a great ambassador for this wine-driven chain, advising on alternative choices and opening whole bottles but allowing you to drink half. Hotel du Vin has built a new wine cellar in the basement which suggests it means to stay a while. Here’s hoping.