Hotel du Vin Brighton

Just off the seafront, housed in a mock-Tudor building, is the Hotel du Vin's bistro, with its classically Gallic décor and humming atmosphere, where people pop in for a snack, a meal, a celebration or just a glass of wine and the newspaper. What you get is a typical bistro of familiar French staples, from tartiflette and onion soup to coq au vin, saucisson en brioche with Dijon mayonnaise, and rib-eye steak with béarnaise. The range is extended by the likes of chicken and garlic terrine with pineapple pickle, salt cod with chorizo and a white bean stew, and fillet of sea bass with herby risotto and pesto, while plats du jour bring out steak and ale pie on Monday and battered cod with chips and pea purée on Friday.