ONE of Brighton’s best-loved restaurants has launched a spring menu with a difference.

Hotel du Vin, in Ship Street, will be serving up the likes of soup and ice cream and chocolate pudding with bacon.

The fixed price spring menu, which is available now, starts at £17.95 for two courses and from £20.95 for three.

Most eye catching from the starters menu is the creamy butternut squash soup served with smooth nasturtium ice cream.

Also intriguing is the Caesar salad croquettes and seaweed cured salmon. 

Completing the starters is the potted ox tongue with pickle, toasted sourdough and home-made salad cream.

For mains, diners can choose from the succulent duck and prosciutto ragout rigatoni bake, or the aubergine and tomato gratin, with mint yoghurt and topped with tangy pomegranate.

Completing the mains are a short horn brisket and onion pudding or moules a la biere with roast potatoes.

For desserts there is a decadent rich chocolate pudding with a light peanut butter mousse and candied maple bacon.

Completing the dessert menu is banana bread pain perdu with salted caramel ice cream and tarte aux pruneaux with crème fraiche.

As well as the dining room you can eat al fresco under the vine-covered pergola in the central courtyard.

The bar features more than 100 whiskies and rums and there is a cocktail list. The restaurant also has an in-house sommelier who can recommend wines to dishes.

The restaurant is in one of Brighton’s oldest buildings, constructed by a wine merchant in 1695. Visit hotelduvin.com/locations/brighton.