THE MALMAISON
by Si Hall & Nicky Rigby Smith
Standing on Liverpool’s historic
waterfront, The Malmaison enjoys an
outstanding location. It’s their first
purpose-built hotel and is an impressive
eleven storey building alongside
Liverpool's Princes Dock in the stylish
docklands.
Malmaison describe the hotel as being all about elegance and impact
and it doesn’t disappoint. There’s a stunning view of the Mersey
combined with sweeping views of the city, including the famous Liver
Building right next door.
We were seated in the Brasserie which has a contemporary and airy
feel with high ceilings and original brick walls… and yet it manages to
remain cosy and private.
Being such a lovely and bright sunny day, we opted for the set lunch
menu starting with Summer Pea and Pancetta Croquettes. Delicious
and light, they were crisp polenta crumb croquettes filled with
pancetta, summer peas and served with a béchamel truffle mayonnaise.
Our other choice of starter was the Mediterranean Salad with slices
of serrano ham combined with fresh strawberries, watermelon, baked
feta cheese and tarragon vinaigrette. The fruit combinations worked
beautifully together, each element complementing one another.
For our main course, we moved onto the Layered Chicken Flatbread
and the Pan fried Sea Trout with a Citrus Salad. The grilled chicken
was beautifully tender having been marinated in thyme, rosemary and
garlic. It was served on a flatbread brushed with melted herb butter and
layers of ripe beef tomato, avocado, red onion and baby gem lettuce.
Tasty and definitely filling!
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The melt in the mouth Fillet of Sea Trout was served with a fresh crisp
salad of sliced cucumber, fennel, pink grapefruit, caraway seeds and
dill yoghurt dressing. Simply gorgeous! Well-presented and cooked to
perfection with a beautifully clean flavour.
We accompanied our mains with one of our most favourite wines
yet, a Riesling called Kung Fu Girl. The name itself is fabulous! It was
smooth and aromatic with flavours of apricot, key lime and nectarine.
Medium-bodied and medium sweet, the Kung Fu Girl has a crisp long
finish… and it’s great to see a Riesling making such a comeback!
If we could squeeze any more in (yes we could!) for dessert we went
with a classic baked vanilla cheesecake topped with Stewarts of Tayside
Scottish strawberry compote and strawberry sorbet. This was a real
pleasure seeker, gliding through those sumptuous strawberries into the
soft vanilla cheesecake. And if that wasn’t enough, we also sampled the
Tastes of the Season – a summer trio of strawberry Pavlova, peach and
Amaretto Cream and frozen summer berry smoothie. It was gorgeous
with a favourite being the peach and amaretto cream…you could really
taste the amaretto coming through.
To accompany dessert we went with a glass of the Esquinas. This
superb Malbec offers vibrant aromas of red cherry, ripe plum,
blackberry and truffle. The Malmaison’s extensive cocktail menu is also
definitely worth a try especially for a special night out!
Overall, a beautiful meal with lots of tasty flavours, in a world
renowned location. Great value too at just £19.95 for two courses
or £24.95 for three. Malmaison, Liverpool is ideal whether it’s for a
relaxing lunch before an afternoon shopping (although don’t expect to
get much shopping done after the cocktails!) or for an evening meal a
deux.
To book call: 0151 363 3640