Restaurant Review: Le Di Vin, Edinburgh

Image: Le Di- Vin

Le Di-Vin on Randolph Place in the West End of Edinburgh, is found nestling in a former church building beside its sister restaurant La P’tite Folie. Its high ceilings, dark candle lit interior, cosy mezzanine and leather sofas gives off the perfect French vibe; not forgetting the numerous bottles of wine stacked up high behind the bar.

They form part of an extensive menu that lists 164 of the finest tipples from around the world, whereas the food menu is simple yet sophisticated, boasting a handful of sharing dishes and platters including traditional French favourites like Salmon Pate Olives and Aperetif Mis-en-Bouche. However, there is a more varied food menu between 12pm and 5pm, where you can enjoy croque-monsieur, warm chicken salad or a beef sandwich and, for the more adventurous, grilled snails served till 10pm.

After being shown our table we had a while to browse the menus whilst soaking up the Saturday night atmosphere, which for January was surprisingly busy. With a little help from the friendly waitress we decided to go for the home-made Tapenade, a Planchette de Charcuterie (meat platter) and smoked fish platter and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. The food arrived on rustic wooden boards, perfectly laid out for sharing and plenty of homemade bread to accompany.

Both boards had a generous selection of quality fish and meats including Chorizo, Saucisson, Salami, Parma Ham, Terrine, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Trout, Smoked Halibut and Smoked Mackerel and we've got to give a special mention to the homemade olive, capers, artichoke and anchovy Tapenade; absolutely delicious.

Whilst we tucked into our food, casually picking at bits from each platter, we could start to see exactly what this wine bar was trying to achieve. The focus isn't on the food (that job goes to its sister restaurant next door), it rests upon atmosphere, style and of course the wine, and that didn't disappoint.

After we finished the platters we decided to try out the desserts, a tough choice between a cheese board, sticky toffee pudding and crème brulee, but the sweet tooth won and we went with the two sugary options and the cliché ‘save the best for last’ definitely rang true in this case.

To round it up, Le Di-Vin provides a relaxed, intimate and enjoyable night out. Its great choice of wine, uncomplicated food menu and chilled atmosphere makes it a perfect bar to visit, either to unwind after a long day at work or to break up a shopping trip, to impress on a first date or enjoy a few bottles of wine with friends without the hassle of pushing your way through the crowd to get to the bar. A welcome addition for Edinburgh’s wine lovers.

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