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Galvin Café a Vin

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35 Spital Square, entrance on Bishops Square, E1 6DY Full details & map

Restaurant: French

Time Out says   1 Users say 5/5 Rate it

Posted: Sep 24 2010

The Galvin brothers' empire now includes (in order of opening) Galvin Bistrot de Luxe (a benchmark for bistros, in Marylebone); Galvin at Windows (haute cuisine, with views from the 28th floor of the Park Lane Hilton); and Galvin La Chapelle (the beautiful refashioning of St Botolph's Hall).

Galvin Café a Vin sits next to the last of these, in a slightly confusing arrangement that includes terraces at front and back, a bar area and quite a small dining space. It can't match La Chapelle for decor or dish dazzle, but it's handsome enough, and prices are considerably kinder on the wallet.

Charcuterie maison with celeriac remoulade and cornichons was a generous, well-balanced platter (and only £7.50); crab salad with cucumber, avocado and bottarga was also good, if (bizarrely, given the ingredients) a tad bland. Calf's liver with red chicory, speck, figs and balsamic packed more of a punch; the liver was first rate and cooked just-so. Sea trout with samphire was also well flavoured, with a real blast of the sea. Chocolate and hazelnut pot de crème, plus a fine macchiato, rounded off the meal nicely.

As the name suggests (it opened as Café de Luxe, but has since been renamed Café a Vin) there's an emphasis on wine, with plenty by the glass and 'pot' as well as by the bottle. A useful, grown-up spot.

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Galvin Café a Vin details

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Address

Galvin Café a Vin

35 Spital Square, entrance on Bishops Square E1 6DY

Transport Liverpool Street tube/rail or Shoreditch High Street rail

Telephone

020 7299 0404

Galvin Café a Vin website

Breakfast served 8-11.30am, lunch served noon-3pm, dinner served 6-10.30pm daily

Main courses £15-£17.50. Set meal (lunch, 6-7pm) £14.95 2 courses

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Tables outdoors ( 15, pavement ), Babies and children welcome ( high chairs ), Booking advisable, Disabled ( toilet )

Galvin Café a Vin map

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Comments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 1 rating)