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Tucked away off Hoole's main shopping parade of Faulkner Street, it would be easy to miss the Village Bistro. That would be a real shame as, despite being off the beaten track, it's not only one of the few restaurants in Hoole but it's also good enough to rival any of the better equivalent eateries in the centre of Chester.
As befits its name, the Village Bistro is run in typical French style. Both the frontage and the interior are very small, with about half a dozen tables, although there is more seating upstairs. The bistro has forty covers. Despite the compactness, downstairs diners have a good view of the chefs in the kitchen. The menu changes monthly to reflect what's seasonal and choices are limited to six per course, meaning that what's on offer will be done well. I'm always terribly suspicious of lengthy menus that offer everything plus the kitchen sink. Both the starters and the mains include fish and vegetarian options as well as meat. The menu is fixed price - a very reasonable £15.95 for two courses or £19.95 for three.
My friend opted for seared pigeon breast with red wine jus and pancetta to start, which was pronounced tender and delicious. I chose the moules marinières - the mussels were perfectly cooked and the sauce was creamy with just a hint of white wine and garlic. The portions seemed small at first but in these days of supersizing, it's easy to forget that the Village Bistro's portions are, in fact, normal, not tiny. And just right, as it turned out.
I'd been tempted to go for the bouillabaisse for my main course, but having already had the mussels, meat was required and I ordered the poule au pot - a whole poussin casseroled with potatoes, carrots, celery and shallots. The bird could have done with slightly longer in the pot, as I had to work to get the flesh off the bones and it was very slightly chewy but it was very tasty and there was enough meat to leave me feeling full. My friend's pan-fried pork fillet with grilled black pudding and garlic mash smelled amazing and the flavours were all distinct and separate while combining perfectly.
We opted to share a cheese board for dessert - smoked Lancashire, Shropshire Blue and a slice of local Cheshire arrived with crispy oatcakes, celery, grapes, apple slices and a deceptively spicy homemade mango and chilli chutney. The cheeses were all at room temperature and the Lancashire was pronounced a hit.
We washed everything down with a bottle of Rosé d’Anjou, which turned out to be a good choice for all the dishes, and it was with embarrassment that we realised that we were the last diners still lingering at 10.30pm - the bistro's last service is at 9.00pm. We felt a bit guilty for stopping the staff from getting home but it was certainly a measure of how much we'd enjoyed ourselves and the food. Our bill, for two and a half courses each plus wine, was a very modest £52. We'll be back.
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