B A R B I C A N L I F E
more lunch? The Malmaison Brasserie caters well for all tastes. Chef’s Table offers savoury fare: frittata, cold cuts, cheeses, breads, crackers and salads. For those with a sweet tooth there are pancakes, waffles, fresh fruits and M&M’s. There was a good variety, making it easy to enjoy a delicious main, side or starter. Mains include Sunday roast, Eggs Benedict, pasta, fish cakes, chicken, tuna and risotto. “The Mal on Sunday” menu, with cover story and games of battleships and Sudoku – styled on the similarly named tabloid newspaper – was appreciated by all our younger diners. We started with leek and potato soup
The London Malmaison’s impressive exterior
I
Sunday brunch at the Malmaison
ncreasingly there are restaurants around the Barbican which are featuring special Saturday and
Sunday menus – designed to cater to the whole family as well as to individuals, couples or groups. This review features the brunch at the Malmaison hotel’s brasserie in Charterhouse Square where Stephanie Ross took her family plus one (comprising herself, Nellie (a sixth former on work experience), Olivia (aged 13) and Alex (aged 9) for a Sunday brunch in late July: Prefer your brunch more breakfast or
of the day, then helped ourselves at the Chef’s Table. Soup was a bit salty. We enjoyed crunchy lettuce topped with parmesan, light potato salad, brie and stinking bishop with fresh bread, seeded crackers, rocket and frittata. Mains: Nellie had roast prime rib of beef with all the trimmings. Meat was very tender, cooked to perfection. Yorkshire puddings and potatoes were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of taste. Lightly cooked green beans and sweet baby carrots were fresh and crunchy. The parsnips were soft; she would have preferred them roasted. Olivia had chorizo and mozzarella pasta (served in a pan which pleased her). Alex had a tender sirloin with frites – a better selection than Stephanie’s choice of fishcakes (light on fish, heavier on potato and wholegrain mustard sauce). Crêpes Suzette for dessert came with
fresh orange segments. The syrupy sauce made the crêpes a little soggy. In retrospect, as crêpes were available from the Chef’s Table, we could have plated our own using the fresh fruits and M&M’s and we would have chosen a smaller portion size. Alex loved his mint chocolate ice cream and insisted I mention orange slices without pith on the Chef’s Table. The hotel is a grade II listed building
with an imposing Victorian brick façade. In a past life it accommodated staff from St Bartholomew’s Hospital. You can lose track of time in the modern basement brasserie. Tables are laid with white linen and seating is comfortable. The larger tables are well spaced. Natural light comes in from high south facing windows. Staff are friendly and efficient. We all felt this was a good place to spend an afternoon with friends and family relaxing, eating and drinking. We would definitely return for another Mal on Sunday brunch, though if soup of the day was a heavier recipe, we would skip it and just go for the Chef’s Table. Come to the Malmaison on an empty stomach – you’ll be well fed. The other diners were all adults when
RESTAURANT and BAR Listings
we visited. However, there is a simple children’s menu and smaller portions of some other mains may also be ordered. Alternatively, Chef’s Table offers a suitable balanced variety. At £19.95 for adults and £7.95 for children under 12 years, the pricing is very reasonable given the quantity and choice of food. For drinks, Bloody Marys are £8.95 and the Mal Pick Me Ups range from £5.00 to
VENEZIA BACARO – 27/09 Opening Party
Bàcaro is derived from the Latin word 'Bacchus' which is the God of wine and intoxication and is the Venetian word to describe a humble unpretentious tavern or trattoria serving simple food and good, young local wines.
They are typically a great meeting place for locals and friends and represent a wonderfully relaxed, convivial and
simple environment where walking through the threshold leads you to live a completely authentic Italian experience.
The menu is inspired by original Venetian and regional Italian recipes. There is no compromise in the dishes, and the unusual ingredients on the menu are not often seen outside their traditional region in Italy.
Cichèto is derived from the Latin word 'ciccus’ meaning 'littlest quantity', a delicious, mouth-watering titbit appetizers. A simple menu of cichèti is offered along with the traditional ‘ombra’, a small tumbler of wine drunk at the shadow of San Marco’s Campanile (tower bell) from the most exclusive wine list.
Wednesday to Friday afternoon from 5pm the ‘aperitivo’ takes place following the Venetian tradition to drink an ‘ombra’ or a white wine Spritz with Campari or Aperol accompanied bycichèti.
Venezia, 3-5 Goswell Road,EC1M 7AH, Tel: 0207 490 1715 email:
eating@veneziabacaro.com Opening times:Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm 6pm-11pm Sat 6pm-10.30pm
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