Malmaison Brasserie (Leith)

• I spotted a fantastic deal on Itison for Malmaison Edinburgh it was purchased and set aside for a rainy day
• A table for 2 was booked and off we went
• Their Big Sunday Lunch is something not to be missed
• The dark wood and cosy lighting makes it no better place to be when the rain is bouncing of the ground
• Looking a little disheveled thanks to the wind and rain and were quickly shown to our table by a friendly face
• Drinks ordered and it was time to make our choice
• The main was chosen for us but the hard bit was starters or dessert
• The first time I went there for a drink was in the late 90s when a friend of mine was touring Scotland taking pictures for a French travel magazine
• She was staying there and was most impressed with the rooms
• The restaurant is large but the room manages to be cosy and intimate
• Took for me is a testament not just to the superiority of his camera over mine
• It was a Friday night and the restaurant was busy with couples and groups having a good time
• The saltiness of the cod was offset by the sweet over cooked peppers that accompanied the brandade
• It was served with puffy goats cheese balls that were absolutely amazing
• S unfair on all the good food we had that night that the cheese balls is what stuck
• My favourite mushroom were a beautiful orangey yellow and twinkled in the rich truffle dressing
• The mushrooms and leeks were savoury and rich
• With it I had buttered potatoes that were delightfully sweet against the lamb&rsquo
• M going to digress just a little here with a note on cheese production
• S a surprisingly little known fact that cheese is made with rennet
• The latter is made from cows stomach so cheese made with traditional rennet is not considered vegetarian
• T want the Parmesan crust and spoke to the kitchen about the risotto since it was likely that there would also be Parmesan in it
• The cheeseboard was just the right size
• Had several interesting cheeses and came with home made biscuits
• I got all of the cheesy ones (there was a risk for Parmesan) and they were lovely
• What really made our evening was the warm welcome we received
• Everyone we spoke to were friendly and made us feel very much at home
• There is nothing wrong with doing something a bit different every now and then
• This should be a nice relaxed affair with friends and family gathered round a big table
• You enjoy your starter and main course and overindulge with dessert and then fall asleep on the sofa in front of the telly
• The children's ice cream was served with hot dark chocolate sauce which had to be poured over the top of two scoops of ice cream which provided much amusement for our little one
• The sticky toffee pudding was soft and moist
• It is served in a large cappuccino mug filled with vanilla ice cream topped with soft handmade marshmallows and served with a jug of delicious hot melted chocolate
• The Main Courses were also excellent
• It was a beautiful pink in colour and the beef had been carved with a generous hand
• The saucepan of gravy was rich very meaty and perfect for having beef
• The side dish of vegetables was a very good size for one person
• Cauliflower and parsnips and carrots which ended up being shared and was actually enough for two
• The pan fried calf's liver is easily missed on the menu
• In fact I couldn't really work out what it was meant to be
• Either way it did a great job keeping everything moist and was great with the mash all mixed together
• The key for a Sunday Lunch is just do the basics well
• A traditional brunch buffet table overflowing with good quality food at a reasonable price
• As you go up to the table you are greeted by the chef stood behind it
• Baskets of pastries and croissants and a basketful of bread which was freshly baked in that morning
• Then there was the selection of salads
• That said all of this would count for nothing if they were charging you £
• In fact the biggest Sunday lunch in town (or city) is only £
• Now I didn't quite get why we were offered a separate Cheeky Monkeys Children's menu with three courses for £
• I think perhaps it best be kept filed away on a Sunday lunch as there is more than enough choice on the buffet to keep any child happy
• Provided they are used to eating good quality fresh food
• Then is it the service that is the Achilles heel of the Malmaison
• I am sure there are plenty of other expressions I can use for where a really good meal can go horribly horribly wrong due to terrible service
• In the restaurant all of the staff were very polite
• They were very quick to arrange drinks food was served without delay
• Checks were made with every course to see if we were happy
• Now it could well be because there was nobody else in the restaurant that we were so attentively waited on
• Our introduction to Malmaison was when we were sat in the bar and we ordered some drinks before going through for lunch
• Whilst the two hot drinks were being ordered at the bar
• So much to her delight when the drinks were delivered to the table there was an extra espresso cup just for her to have her own little cup of tea
• Best of all it is done at a reasonable price with great service
• I think we were the only ones who bothered
• My colleague was served a hugh and perfectly cooked steak
• Desert we both went for the chocolate souffle which was complete food porn on all levels
• Listed the contents of the buffet along with the mains and desserts
• For the lunch options there were a couple of roasts and some other mains such as burgers
• We had to wait a little while for someone to take our order but we assumed this was to make sure the buffet table was never too busy
• This seemed to work well as we were the only two selecting our buffet items at that time
• There were also a number of dips and sauces but were not labelled so it was a bit of a guess as to what they might be
• The buffet table is also relatively small
• Means nothing is sat out too long and is replenished regularly
• The only real complaint was that the bread was a little hard
• My chicken came with a pork and lemon stuffing
• The first mouthful of the chicken I had was from a piece that had been sat directly under the stuffing and a piece of what looked like pickled lemon
• The stuffing itself was actually quite nice and when I moved to eating other parts of the chicken that had not been touched by the lemon
• The carrots and parsnips had been honey roasted and were absolutely wonderful
• The green beans were nice but were quite crunchy and could have probably done with a minute or two more cooking
• The potatoes were disappointing
• They were really too large and the outsides were chewy rather than crispy
• The eggs benedict was proving to be a nice dish
• The only complaint was the fat on the bacon wasn&rsquo
• Once our order was finally taken
• The hot chocolate arrived in a cup and a gravy boat arrived with the hot chocolate sauce inside it
• Within the cup there was ice cream and a swirl of vanilla cream topped with a couple of marshmallows
• I thoroughly enjoyed this and I was particularly surprised at how good the cream was as often cream doesn&rsquo
• The chocolate sauce was a touch too bitter for my taste but not so much as to spoil the dish
• The berry slice was enjoyed but it was a little difficult to tell what was in each layer
• At Malmaison the colour of Spring is shocking pink and they are serving up 2 courses for £
• Quite tart with a lovely sweetness at the end but with a savoury note through it from the basil
• There are other Spring cocktails to try to such as the Classic Gimlet and Malchemy which is a grapefruit and lychee collins with elderflower tonic
• This was slow braised Dorset lamb shoulder served on a brioche slice with mint Bearnaise
• Other starter dishes on the menu include the Grilled Masala Spiced Mackerel with sweet potato lime pickle and cumin raita
• Cauliflower veloute with pickled cauliflower and spiced onion frita
• There is also a fresh Burrata which is creamy style Mozzarella
• Moving onto the mains I opted for the Gloucester Old Spot Pork Belly with braised gem lettuce
• The Pan fried river trout with pea and broad bean puree
• The vivid green against the brown earthiness of this plate was visually outstanding
• There is also a fresh spring vegetable and wild garlic risotto with pea shoots and extra virgin olive oil to choose from too
• Anya potatoes with chive vinaigrette
• I wanted to continue with savoury so chose the Seasonal Fromage Slate with Fruit Chutney
• Above is the Warm Valrhona Caramel Chocolate Brownie with brown butter pecan ice cream
• The ice cream flavour is wonderful and if you are a chocoholic then this is for you
• The brownie slice is thick and dens and packs a chocolate punch
• Above is the Rhubard Trifle with Yorkshire Rhubard
• T last long and was wolfed down
• Lastly we have the Iced Coffee and Praline Parfait with Chocolate Sauce
• Quite unsuspecting this dessert which was light and creamy
• The new Spring menu at Malmaison is great value for money and certainly encapsulates the best of UK seasonal produce

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