Hotel du Vin has been a Brighton success story since it opened in 2002, owing to its central location, good food and lively bar.

It's no surprise then, that in January the hotel extended into the the old Sussex Arts Club next door and opened Pub du Vin Brighton - it's second pub property (the other is in Birmingham).

It's not self-contained - guests check-in at the hotel next door and have breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, but it does have a different feel to the hotel - smaller, cosier and fresher - where the hotel is a little worn in places, the pub still feels like the wrappers have just been taken off.

The food

This is no "old man's pub" - there may be chips and pies on the menu and ales on tap, but this place has the du Vin feel.

Sculpted metal-topped bar, chunky furniture and original architectural features create a stylish but informal feel. The only shame is the paint-effect walls, which you quickly realise are a poor likeness for patches of exposed red bricks through crumbling plaster.

The Friday evening we visited every table was taken, so the intimate pub, which seats only 22, felt buzzing and atmospheric in the candlelight.

The food hints towards the gastro but is essentially good pub fare with plenty of use of local ingredients. We started with a superb asparagus soup (£4.50) and smoke haddock fishcake (£5.50), which was tasty but a little heavy on the potato. The main of chargrilled rumpsteak with chips (£15) was perfectly cooked and generous, and while the risotto primavera (£10.50) has plenty of fresh green vegetables, it was a little bland.

A final cider poached pear and vanilla ice cream pudding (£5) was light, delicious and a tasty end to the meal. There's also a good range of cheap bar snacks, from oysters (£1.50 each) and Scotch eggs (£3.50 each), to pickled onions (£1) and sausages rolls (£2.50 each).

The snug opposite is the perfect place for an after-dinner coffee because of its comfy leather armchairs, or during the day is a good place to bed down with a newspaper or a good book.

The wine list beats your usual pub selection owing to the du Vin influence - a vast range of grapes from £13.45 a bottle, with an impressive 16 wines by the glass - a change from the usual "red or white" pub offering.

Ginny McGrath

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