Bistro at Hotel du Vin - Henley

Alas, Brakspears Brewery at Henley-on-Thames is no more. The good news is that behind its impressive Georgian façade a brand spanking new Hotel du Vin has emerged, cleverly incorporating some parts of the old Brewery, now absorbed in to the Wychwood Brewery, in Witney.

As one might expect from this relatively new hotel chain the restaurant, or in this case, the bistro and its attendant kitchens has been a major part of the reconstruction. This rather begs the question when is a bistro a restaurant but, not expecting a convincing answer, let's look at the food.

This is essentially a matter of simple classics without too much fuss. French onion soup, coq au vin with buttered mash, and a whole rainbow trout done with butter and almonds spring to mind. For starters expect the likes of spicy crab tian with a sweet chilli dressing, roasted veal sweetbreads, or seared squid with pancetta. Main courses are more brasserie than bistro and include roast rump of lamb, a fillet of sea bass with piperade and braised fennel, or the traditional braised shank of venison with truffle mash and braised red cabbage.

Puddings field a classic apple tarte tatin, and honey roasted figs with goat's cheese ice cream. I grumble when hotels do not take their dining facilities seriously, so it is good to be able to congratulate them when they do, and there is no doubt the quality of what the Bistro produces has added something praiseworthy to the eating out scene in that part of the world.