Whenever you visit one of the Malmaison Hotels across thirteen major cities in the UK, from Aberdeen to Reading, you know you’re in for a high quality experience. This could be due to the locations, the spa facilities, the comfortable rooms, the inviting and relaxed bar areas, or the excellent service, but the Malmaison in Manchester proudly claims to be the most food-led operation of them all. This is mostly thanks to their fabulous bar and high quality brasserie and grill room, Smoak.
If you’ve not visited for a while, it’s probably about time you popped in again for lunch or dinner to discover Malmaison’s new a la carte menu.
Smoak’s contemporary dining room is a world away from the formulaic design of other popular hotel chains. Its modern zinc bar and tabletops give the restaurant a slightly industrial feel, well, we are in Manchester, but it’s all softened by light soft furnishings, red leather booth seating and wooden detailing on the walls and floor.
One of the most striking features is the glass fronted meat fridge, which displays all manner of ageing cuts of beef, inviting diners to witness just how serious Smoak are about their steaks. The beef is selected for size, texture and marbling before being aged in-house for up to 28 days on the bone to give a fantastic full flavour eating experience. They carefully source it from the Forest of Bowland, in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, from quality assured farms on some of the finest traditional farmland in England.
Naturally, the best quality English beef deserves the best possible cooking techniques and that’s where their magnificent Josper Grill comes in. This state of the art indoor barbeque ensures that all steaks, burgers and even fish are cooked perfectly; charred and caramelised on the outside and moist within. There’s even a row of stools by the kitchen counter; ideal for sitting and watching the grill chefs at work, cooking your dinner to perfection, while you enjoy a gorgeous pre-dinner cocktail.
The new menu maintains a perfect balance between classic and contemporary dishes. Enjoy the best example of a Prawn Cocktail or Corn-fed Chicken Terrine with Black Pudding, or celebrate the long summer evenings with the beautifully presented Tuna Tartare with Watermelon, Avocado and Mooli. When we visited, we couldn’t resist Fresh Handpicked Devon Crab with apple, cucumber and brown crab meat mayonnaise. For a mainly carnivorous grill restaurant, there’s a great range of options for vegetarians. We really enjoyed a very pretty plate of Roast Heritage Beetroots, with Endive, Feta and salted pecans.
For main course, although we were severely tempted by the Grilled Catch of the Day, we realised it would be futile to resist one of Manchester Mal’s famous steaks. True to form, the Black Angus Grain-Fed Ribeye was well marbled, giving it great flavour. It was so huge, we were surprised it managed to fit on one of their signature plates. It took great willpower for us to forgo a portion of Pomme Frites on the side (or even the truffle and Parmesan version) but a simple and refreshing Tomato and Red Onion Salad did nicely instead – we needed to save some room for desserts.
We can sometimes be traditionalists, so found some much needed comfort in the delicious Normandy Corn-Fed Half Chicken Roasted with Lemon and Thyme, served with Heritage New Potatoes, Seasonal Carrots and Spring Greens. Winner, winner indeed.
To be fair, we couldn’t decide whether to go for a dessert or one of the three dessert cocktails (a new, popular fashion we’re fully behind) so we had both. While we looked at the menu, we ordered Nutty 43, a very opulent and creamy mixture of Tia Maria, Hazelnut Frangelico and Licor 43. As with the rest of the menu, classic desserts such as Creme Brulee and Sticky Toffee provide old fashioned sweet satisfaction. Some, like Light Raspberry Cheesecake, have been given a Mal makeover spin and ours was served in a Martini glass which showed off the triple layers to perfection. The slightly more unusual Tonka Bean Panna Cotta with macerated strawberries, honeycomb and strawberry sorbet really did taste like an English summers day all in one.
Conveniently situated by the mainline Piccadilly Station, Smoak at Malmaison really is the perfect meeting place for a drink, a satisfying lunch or an incredibly enjoyable dinner, whist exploring their superb food-friendly wine list.
Malmaison Manchester
1-3 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 1LZ
Tel: 0161 278 1000 | Fax: 0161 278 1002
Click here to learn more about Malmaison
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