If you fancy a decent glass of wine and something nice to nibble on while catching up with friends or before a night out on the town then a visit to Le Di-Vin in Randolph Place just off Queensferry Street is the perfect spot. Walking into the converted Oratory of St Anne with its dazzling floor to ceiling wine displays, chic mezzanine level and rich zinc bar it’s evident that they had the “decent glass of wine” part sorted.
After being shown to a table, our attentive waiter for the evening brought glasses of water (don’t you just love it when they do that automatically) and some delicious homemade bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to nibble on while we perused the extensive wine list. We chose a perfectly chilled Chablis, Domaine Fèvre from Burgundy. The tasting notes declared a classic Chablis with a clear light gold colour, dry and steely with notes of hazelnuts adding charm and complexity while we thought yum, just the job for a summer’s evening. As you would expect, Le Di-Vin offers lots of wines by the glass – small, medium and large and the knowledgable staff are more than happy to recommend a wine based on your preferences.
Having chosen our wine, we decided to try one of Le Di-Vin’s Planchettes. These sharing platters are available all day, and you can choose from Smoked Fish (£14.50), Fromage, Charcuterie or the one that we chose, a mixture of the cheese and meats (£7.95 small, £16.00 medium or £29 large). As you can see from the picture below, portions are hearty – we picked the medium size, and it was plenty for two or three people to share. We thought that we had been upgraded to the large board until our waiter brought over the actual LARGE one to show us the difference – great value for money. If you don’t fancy a planchette, they serve antipasti all day plus tartines and other French classics until 3pm.
A mix of saucisson, salami, hams and rabbit terrine make up the meat feast, and a selection of six cheese completed the board along with a selection of bread, oatcakes, and crackers. The fromage are predominantly French and change regularly; our favourites were the Chaource, St Nectaire and Comté extra. The planchettes are all made fresh to order and have a lovely mixture of continental flavours. Next time we will try the smoked fish platter which comes with a selection of salmon, trout, and smoked mackerel.
The owner Virginie and her team have created a haven in the West End for folks to enjoy simple French food and great wine in a relaxed environment. In addition to her day job, Virginie regularly travels to Ethiopia to visit the feeding project that she sponsors for orphans and refugees. La p’tite folie (the sister restaurant next door) and Le Di-Vin also support Mary’s Meals, so it’s obvious that there’s a lot of love and passion in this business and a desire to give something back to the world.
Le Di-Vin is a great meeting place where you can enjoy an impromptu bite in a relaxed atmosphere in the company of some delicious food and wine – it’s also perfect for a Festival pit stop.
Le Di-Vin
Wine Bar
9 Randolph Place
Edinburgh
EH3 7TE
Many thanks to Le -Di-Vin for inviting us along to sample their platters.