Malmaison Bar & Brasserie

I had dinner here on a Tuesday night so could understand the restaurant being somewhat lacking in atmosphere on a week day although nearby alternatives looked much busier which did initially ring alarm bells.

On a positive note the service was great and wine list extensive and reasonably priced but that’s where the positives end. I had snails in garlic butter to start which tasted as if they had been in a very hot oven all evening so disintegrated before one could get them out of the shells with most of the garlic butter evaporated. My friend’s soup he described as flavourless. My £24 steak from the specials whilst well cooked was fatty and tasteless and the bernaise sauce was not much better, my friend had scallops which he thought were pretty good. Given the quality of the previous two courses we decided to pass on the desserts.

Sadly we both left thinking the highlight of the meal was the bread and wine and whilst the snails were removed without hesitation and I couldn’t fault the service when your paying almost £70 for 2 courses + drinks and service the quality of the food needs to be significantly improved if they hope to attract any repeat customers. For that amount of money you could have an infinitely better meal at any number of local restaurants including my personal favourite Cafe du Marche right next door.
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D Griffin
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

We were thinking of taking my partner’s family here for Christmas dinner as we live nearby, and thought we should try it first. We didn’t book but we were warmly greeted and shown to our table by a very charming maître d'. We ordered aperitifs, which were bought to us by the sommelier who was friendly, knowledgeable and happy to discuss the wine list in an unhurried and unpatronising way. So far so good. Then the food turned up. I had ordered the sweet corn and basil velouté (a sort of frothy soup), my partner the soup de jour. Bizarrely the both tasted the same, which is to say over-salted and buttery. Anyway on to the mains, I had ordered cougette and gorgonzola risotto, my partner the rib-eye steak which was a special of the day, handsomely priced at £24. The risotto was one of the worst I’ve ever eaten, indeed it was barely a risotto at all lacking any semblance of creaminess which one might have expected. The gorgonzola element amounted to a few blobs on top but the rice itself was tasteless and unappetizing. My partner's steak was superb (as it should be for that money) but came with a gluey in unappealingly fatty bernaise sauce. We had no appetite for dessert so ordered coffee and the bill, which came in at £125. There are so many places nearby where we could have eaten better for less, needless to say we haven’t booked a Christmas diner there.
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Roger Browning
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, December 04, 2006

I went there last thursday evening with my boyfriend. We fisrt had a cocktail in the bar, the bar staff was really friendly and had great knowledge on the cocktails.

Then we went to have dinner at the brasserie. The food was excellent and the sommelier gave us great advice on the wine.

The atmosphere was really trendy and pleasant and the staff very friendly. The bill was surprizingly reasonable for the quality of the food and service.

I will definitely go back there for a romantic dinner or a business lunch

I highly recommend this place.
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Emilie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

We took my mother here for her birthday dinner last Sunday, and she hasn't stopped thanking me since. We were welcomed by an impeccable young gent named Eduardo, escorted down to a table in the bar area, and were not rushed to take up our table despite our arriving late. Our waitress was charming, attentive and extremely professional, and the food was spot on, especially the fish dishes. Malmaison has somehow managed to get the balance right; the feel of exclusivity and the absence of snootiness co-exist happily here without breaking the bank, and I think the fantastic staff and well-thought out decor have much to do with this. I'm so grateful to Eduardo and our waiting staff for making my mother's birthday so special, and will be back to check out the cocktails in the near future. Definitely worth the visit.
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Maxine
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, April 14, 2006

We had a most enjoyable family lunch at Malmaison last Saturday. Four of us ate from the lunch menu for £12.50 for two courses and £14.50 for three including a large glass of house wine. Although the choice on the lunch menu was limited to about three items per course we were all pleased with our food and found it generous, nicely presented and delicious. The fifth member of our party chose steak frites and was most impressed to be offered a choice of about 15 types of mustard to go with his steak. The cheese board was also very good and well worth sampling. The two things which surprised us about the meal were that the bill for the food, including very competent and friendly service, came to just a little over £100 for five people (a real bargain) and that we were the only people eating in the restaurant. It's well worth a try.
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Elizabeth
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, February 01, 2006