Malmaison Hotel & Brasserie, Farringdon - & one of the best burgers in London

Donald Russell 35 day aged entrecote

During a week when snowfall in London brought flights to a painful standstill, our city weekend break at the Malmaison Hotel in Farringdon was a little piece of utterly relaxing bliss. The fact that it houses the largely undiscovered gem that is the Malmaison Brasserie was just another bonus along the way.

I love staying in hotels. I love the fact you can mess the bed up and someone makes it for you while you're off having breakfast. I love the big fluffy towels that I don't have to wash. I love any shower that isn't our crappy shower at home. Our night at Malmaison was just a brief change, but it felt like a rejuvenating holiday - without having to spend the night sleeping at Heathrow under space blankets wondering when we'd get on the next flight out of there.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

The view from our room at Malmaison, overlooking Charterhouse Square

Best of all, the Malmaison Brasserie is just downstairs. The only thing I recalled about the brasserie before going there was that its burger made Young & Foodish's list of top 10 burgers in London (at number 4). Of course we had to have it.

The brasserie's location right by the Smithfield meat market is a clue to head chef, John Woodward's, passion for quality, local sourcing. All beef is sourced from Donald Russell who selects only grass fed, naturally reared beef, which is matured for a minimum of 28 days in Aberdeenshire. Cheeses are sourced from La Cave a Fromage and oysters are from Maldon Oysters. The list goes on.

Salmon & fried baby squid

Boudin noir with crispy poached egg

My seared, marinated salmon is perfectly cooked and moist, with ringlets of tender, fried baby squid and roasted hazelnuts (£7.25). TPG has the rich boudin noir with silky champ and crispy poached egg (£6.95). Both dishes are immensely enjoyable and the quality is clearly there.

The 250 gram entrecote is dry aged on the bone - tender, pink and sweet, it even came with some rich bone marrow on the side, and a smashing bearnaise (£20.95).

The excellent Mal burger

Which brings me to the excellent Mal burger - a 250 gram patty of ground beef with Gruyere, bacon, pickle, tomato and onion on a toasted sesame bun. It comes with homemade fries for £13.95. Lovely, pink and juicy on the inside, crunchy and well caramalised on the outside; it is indeed one of London's best burgers. Terrific stuff.

Creme brulee with a madeleine

Baked white chocolate cheesecake

To finish, a creamy vanilla creme brulee with a spiced madeleine combined 2 of my favourite sweets - both elements were quite lovely on their own, although putting them together doesn't really work as a combination. A very decent baked white chocolate cheese cake was sweet, smooth and dense. (Both desserts are £5.95).

The decor lacks some character. Despite that they've gone for dark tones and subdued lighting to create a slinky, stylish look, the brasserie has not quite shrugged off that feeling of being in the basement of a boutique hotel. But it's ok. And service is of a friendliness and quality to match the food. The private butcher's block room, with its exposed brickwork and long wooden table, would (I imagine) be a great nook for a large dinner party.

The brasserie also offers a set price menu - any 2 courses from the a la carte menu for £21 or any 3 such dishes for £25 (only very few dishes carrying a supplement).

  

From there, it was just a short toddle upstairs to our spacious room complete with fluffy carpet, chaise longue for reclining with a good book, dressing table (I totally want one), flat screen TV, wifi and a lovely, deep bath. The powerful shower with its big shower head is also great, and the toiletries at Malmaison deserve a special mention - they smell divine. Even better that the packaging requests that you take them home, so we happily obliged. There's also a decent little gym downstairs, which I tried for about 5 minutes and TPG for longer.

Any criticisms? There are no fluffy dressing gowns. This is a not a small thing for me - I love a big, fluffy dressing gown. If I had one, I'd be wearing it right now. And the mini bar is not amazing, but I never use it anyway. These quibbles are all I can think of - I loved the hotel, and the brasserie, and the location is terrific, with the Smithfield meat market, St Johns, Vinoteca and North Road Restaurant all within a few minutes walk. The short break has inspired me to do the whole city break thing more often - a change can be as good as a holiday, without all the travel hassles.

If you feel like some of the same, I recommend the Malmaison hotel, but I also recommend trying the brasserie for the steak and burger in particular, regardless of whether you're stumbling back to a bed upstairs.

Malmaison, 18-21 Charterhouse Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6AH (Tel: 020 7012 3700)

Greedy Diva was a guest of Malmaison, however room rates generally range from £205-£250 per night, with suites from £295-£475.

Vinoteca, Farringdon - revisited

Vinoteca is one of my favourite restaurants - it made my top 10 list for 2010 and I have given it a brief review previously. So when the snow fell like a heavy blanket across London recently, Vinoteca was the place we looked to for a long lunch over some heart warming food and wines.

It's as much a wine bar as a restaurant, I suppose - although that suggestion may not do the fantastic food justice. The walls are decorated with vintage posters and shelves laden with wine bottles, the crowd is a mix of young and old, and it's about as far from a pretentious scene as you can get while quaffing in style. With its lively, casual atmosphere, it remains one of my favourite places for a great meal at reasonable prices that allow you to indulge all the more. If you haven't been, go.

Here's some more reasons why, from our most recent session there in December:

Seared scallops with broad bean puree and black pudding

Chunky ham hock terrine with fabulous home made piccalilli & crispy toast

Amazing, fleshy Dover sole with Moroccan cous cous
- from memory, a bargain at around £17

Crepe with wild, earthy mushrooms and oozey goats cheese

Shared sticky toffee pudding with warm caramel sauce - one to fight over

This meal just made me want to go back again. I'm looking forward to giving their new gaff, Vinoteca in Seymour Place, Marylebone a try.

Vinoteca, 7 St John Street, Smithfield/Farringdon, London EC1M 4AA (Tel: 020 7253 8786)

Tempo, Mayfair

Pappardelle with wild boar, chestnuts & parmesan

A skilled Japanese chef in an Italian neighbourhood restaurant in Mayfair? My interest was sufficiently piqued.

Yoshi Yamada has trained in L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Japan and Michelin starred restaurants in various parts of Italy. He now brings his deft hand to this appetizing Italian fare at Tempo on Curzon Street.

The decor, like the clientele, is smart and stylish - turquoise velvet chairs are neatly positioned, adding a splash of vibrant colour to light floorboards, taupe walls and long, rectangular windows looking onto the well-heeled streets. Upstairs is a stunning bar area which is well worth a visit in its own right - along with other diners, my companion - The London Foodie - and I sojourned for a cocktail there after dinner. The Rococo wall, high ceilings, luxurious velvet sofas and opulent fit out make this a fabulous spot for a secluded late night drink.

The menu features an alluring selection of cicchetti (Venetian small plates, ranging from £2.25 - £3.75), carpaccio (£8.75-£9.75),  antipasti (£6.50 - £12.75), pasta and risotto (£9.00 - £11.00, or £20.50 for the tagliatelle with Tuscan white truffles), pesce and carni (£15 - £19.75) and dolci (£5.50 - £7.00). Much appeals and it's hard to choose...


 

Selection of cichetti: arancini di funghi selvatici, bruschetta di peperoni; crostino di gamberetti; crostini di lenticchie and brushetta di peperoni

We start with a selection of the cichetti, and we go for everything they've got. The golden arancini di funghi selvatici (fried risotto balls with wild mushrooms and mozzarella) are lovely and crispy on the outside, but I find the flavour sadly bland. Everything else is good - bruschetta di peperoni, with shiny red slivers of sweet roasted peppers atop a creamy burrata pugliese; crunchy crostino with plump shrimp, glistening cavolo nero and just the right hit of garlic; crostini with Umbrian lentils and salty, creamy pancetta; and bruschetta with layers of fatty, spicy Calabrian pork sausage. While I think the rest of the menu is fairly priced, particularly for this neighbourhood, the cichetti seem steep in comparison, notwithstanding the quality of the ingredients - £3.50 for one arancini, and up to £3.50 for a single crostini. 

A highlight is the insalata di polpo (reasonably priced at £3.75), a thick, crisp tentacle of seared octopus with thin slices of tart Granny Smith apple, flat leaf parsley and bright jewels of pomegranate.

Insalata di polpo

Fritto di calamari and bianchetti - squid & whitebait

Deep fried squid and whitebait (£8) are well seasoned, crisp and hot, with just a light, non-greasy smattering of batter.

Manzo - Scottish beef, hazelnuts and parmesan

The swordfish or salmon carpaccios might have been good choices given the Japanese chef at the helm, but instead our Scottish beef carpaccio (£8.75) did not disappoint. Pink slithers of flavoursome beef were littered with smashed hazelnuts, peppery rocket and the bite of shaved parmesan cheese.

Tagliolini with fresh Cornish crab, dill and lime

My generous twirl of taglioni with fresh, sweet Cornish crab, dill and lime has an elegant balance of delicate flavours and is certainly enjoyable - even if I would have preferred more of a toothsome bite to the pasta (£10.75).

But for a robust, wintery dish, it's hard to go past The London Foodie's meaty mound of pappardelle with chunky wild boar ragu, chestnuts and parmesan (£8.25). A gorgeous dish.

Fish stew

 

Pork belly with olive oil mash

My fish stew is a delectable, soupy bowl of white fish, prawns and clams in a light tomato sauce (£17.50). The London Foodie enjoys his attractive looking, fatty pork belly with smooth olive oil mash (£18.00).

Dark chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream

Lemon tart

Which brings us to dolci. My chocolate fondant is a glorious, gooey, chocolately delight. The lemon tart which comes recommended by our waitress, oozes a fresh, lemony zing with a crunchy, creme brulee-like caramalised top, and an excellent pastry base.

Cocktails in the beautiful upstairs bar

Tempo has some hot competition among the ranks of Italian restaurants which have taken London by storm in the last year or so. However, I believe it can stand its ground firmly among them. It's a restaurant of both style and substance, and well worth adding to your culinary to do list.

Tempo, 54 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 8PG (Tel: 020 7629 2742)

Greedy Diva was a guest of Tempo.

The Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire

Duo of game - partridge & venison

For my birthday last week, TPG and I took a turn at The Waterside Inn, in the quaint 16th century village of Bray.

Bray is quite the hub for Michelin stars it seems. The Waterside Inn is only one of 4 restaurants in the UK to hold 3 of them (it's held them firmly for 25 years) - another, The Fat Duck, is just down the road. While Heston Blumenthal's gaff is all about pushing the boundaries of modern cuisine, Alain Roux's elegant French restaurant focusses on perfecting the classics. Boring? Quite the opposite. I think it's the all round best meal I had in 2010.

Set on the banks of the Thames, a long lunch was a first class way to enjoy the sunlit, genteel setting, riverside views and the simply wonderful food and service. It's nose bleedingly expensive but, based on the a la carte prices (a cup of coffee costs you £12 so you get the drift), the 6 course tasting menu is the better value way to go at £140 (including service and coffee) - it includes starters priced at upwards of £50 on the a la carte menu. There's also a 3 course menu gastronomique for £56.50, which I'll be going back for.

Parmesan cream

After a lovely selection of amuses bouche (I particularly liked a pretty dome of creamy foie gras), we start with a smooth parmesan cream, pink fir apple potato topped with truffle and served with an almond pastry straw. It's elegant and light, despite the luxurious creamy "truffleyness" of it all.

Foie gras

Warm escalopes of silky foie gras follow with cardamom, glazed root vegetables, verjuice and sultana sauce. I normally see the word "sultana" and burst into tears (eg. why ruin a good scone etc.). However, it appears that if you pop a bit of foie gras beneath them, I can handle a sultana with ease. Again, a dish so rich, but so well balanced.

Lobster

Pan fried lobster medallions with a white port sauce and ginger flavoured vegetable julienne were a marvel - the meat is sweet and prepared perfectly (there's no chewiness in sight) and then served back inside the shell to beautiful effect.

Challandais duck

For mains, a choice.  TPG's roasted Challandais duck was served with slices of poached quince, soft, creamy polenta, chestnuts (I'm addicted at the moment) and a cider flavoured sauce. When 2 people order this, it is carved at the side of the table where lavish slices of duck are splayed across the plates. Highly recommended if you're both up for it. Being picky, the only criticism that could be made of TPG's plate was that the meat was a fraction chewy, but it had a fabulous flavour - still the best bit of duck we've had for an age.

I opted for the duo of seasonal game (partridge and venison) with a pumpkin subric, parcel of wild mushrooms and spinach and poivrade sauce. It was the best piece of partridge I've ever had and the venison was succulent and pink. I worried over this one as I knew the duck would be good, but my game was at least its equal on the table.

Chocolate teardrop

Our first dessert was a teardrop of milk chocolate mousse flavoured with caramel, mango and passionfruit and accompanied by a mango sorbet. The chocolate mousse was divine. DIVINE. It's light but with the right amount of richness and chocolate. The mango worked so much better than I expected (I don't usually go fruit with chocolate) and it was all done so well that I still didn't want this meal to end.

Souffle

A warm date souffle is flavoured with cognac and comes with coffee ice cream. The flavours are extremely subtle, but the souffle is cooked perfectly and is as scrumptious as it sounds.

We finish with mint tea, coffee and lovely mignardises.

Service was excellent, and not overly fussy. Our sommelier was also terrific - we shared bottles of white and red, both of which we loved (although I've since lost track of the details).

If you have a special occassion coming up and are looking for one fine dining restaurant in which to have a splurge, this is certainly a place I'd heartily recommend. The Waterside Inn feels really special.

This was easily one of my best meals of the year.

The Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire, UK

Two of my other favourite meals of the 2010 include the seafood extravaganza we shared with our Italian friends at the far more casual Ristorante I Savoia in Modena and the meal I claimed in January would be my meal of the year (getting in early!) at Le Chateaubriand in Paris.