Jen L.
Yelp
The Yelp Brunch Club was offered a quite fantastic two for one offer on Brunch at the Mal, entirely too good to pass up. All in all there were eighteen of us, and as we all arrived in drips and drabs we were offered seating in the lounge and were able to order drinks while we waited for our tables. The atmosphere was very welcoming and relaxing, which is just what you're looking for on a Sunday morning! The light and airy lounge contrasts very much with the brasserie itself which is quite dimly lit with dark-stained wooden fixtures. I quite liked it; the soft lighting in the morning was soothing, and to me it felt reminiscent of the church it once was, but it was not to everyone's taste.
Once we gained our seats, we were handed the most enormous menus you have ever seen. Despite the enormous, clumsy piece of card it was printed on, the menu itself was quite impressive and gave you far more than I might have expected. The Malmaison has a reputation for great food, but also for being a little expensive. For the £20 price tag you receive a generous four-course meal, including a soup course and unlimited trips to the chef's station. As many of us soon discovered, this was could have been plenty as a meal on its own and although we tried to pace ourselves, most of us wanted to try a bit of everything and ended up with plates piled high with various foodstuffs! Luckily, a lot of us sensibly said no to the soup!
For my main, I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken with waffles and maple syrup. It was so peculiar to see on a British brunch menu that I just couldn't help myself! I found the chicken to be crisp and tender, even though they were just drumsticks (I had expected thighs at least, or for one to be included). My waffles were a little bit overcooked, and didn't quite resemble the fluffy ones that the chef had made fresh for patrons at the chef's station, which I'd abstained from because I knew I was getting waffles anyway. Still, the flavour combination was a tasty delight, even if it confused my taste buds into thinking that my orange juice was bitter! It was definitely a hit with me. Unfortunately, those at our table who ordered the roast were unhappy with their meal, especially with the roast potatoes. One person sent it back in favour of the steak, which looked delicious and also enormous! And one person was also left disappointed as there was some sort of 'burger mishap' which meant she had to wait over 25 minutes for her meal, at which time we were all finishing ours.
I, being the naughty lactose-intolerant that I am, ordered the ice cream sundae for dessert, a decision for which I paid dearly later. We waited a total of 20 minutes for dessert to appear, and our other table had already finished theirs before ours were delivered. The coffee actually came out before the dessert, which is peculiar in the restaurant industry. When dessert did finally arrive, it was very tasty indeed! I think my ice cream Sunday only had a couple of scoops ice cream, and some sort of cookie, and a lot of cream / creamy custardy component in it, so it was a lot more dairy than I'd bargained for, but none-the-less very flavoursome.
Based on my own personal experience, I'd give it a generous four stars, but given the experience of the whole group, I must knock it down to three. For half the price the meal was more than worth it, but given the service hiccup I don't know if full price would have been justifiable given the high standards to which the Mal holds itself. I think that I'd have to give it another go to see how a smaller group gets on - the food was tasty, and I'd go back just for the chef station. Beware the expensive cocktails, though!