We had been at the Vincent Rooms earlier in the year, but as I wrote in our review then, we usually try to have a Christmas meal first. Their Escoffier Rooms were busy again, so we "settled" for the Brasserie.

The Vincent Rooms is a restaurant of the Capital City College — where they train chefs. The meals and service are all done by the students (with suitable supervision). This has little effect on the dishes, but it does sometimes make for a more haphazard service. That is okay though, as we are now used to this, and students learn by doing these things.

As it is now Christmas time, the evening's menu was suitably themed. It was a set-menu, catering for Christmas parties, of which several were going on when we arrived. We decided to join in with a glass of prosecco, because why not.

Each course (starter, main, dessert) had three options. My wife chose the pumpkin velouté as her starter, which was slightly spicy, and full of pumpkin goodness. Some puffed rice on top added a bit of texture. I had the Lincolnshire game terrine, which was wrapped in Parma ham, and served with a cranberry compote and some pistachios for texture.

With our mains we shared a bottle of a crisp Australian Chardonnay. This was a great choice for my wife's main, as she selected the Norwegian Saithe. This was served as a fillet, with a crispy skin. It came served with a rosti, and a lovely mussel and vegetable mixture. I decided on going full Turkey with the Christmas roast. The turkey was served as both breast and leg slices. The red cabbage and sprouts were just the right kind of soft. The roast potatoes were okay (I'm really picky about them, and mine are the best). The turkey was topped with a pig in blanket, and served with a gravy that lifted it nicely up. It's probably the best roast meal I have had in a long time.

For dessert, neither of us chose the traditional pudding. I enjoyed the spiced milk chocolate mousse, which was surrounded by a collar of caramel with hazelnut flakes, and served with a caramel dip. My wife opted for the mulled wine bavarois, which was nice and soft, and served with flavourful poached red fruits and a ginger biscuit.

The meal, as always, was excellent. The service also seemed much more like in a normal restaurant on this occasion too. We'll surely be back for next year's Christmas.