A festive dinner at Malmaison...

I cannot believe how quickly the festive season has come around this year and I was pleased to have the chance to get in to the holiday spirit this week when I went along to try the seasonal fixed price menu at Malmaison* Liverpool. The hotel is in a great location next to the river and I have reviewed the Malmaison Brasserie before.The whole place looked so festive, with glittering Christmas trees festooned with decorations throughout and we took a seat in the stylish Mal Bar to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. There were several seasonal cocktails on offer and I decided to try the Praline Sidecar after it was recommended to me. This cocktail tasted as good as it looked and the blend of Courvoisier VS, Frangelico, walnut bitters, lemon juice and a frosting of hazelnut sugar was a wintry delight.

We were led through to the spacious brasserie and we settled in to a table next to another magical Christmas tree. The Mal Brasserie has a stylish appeal, with exposed brickwork, soft lighting and abstract art on the walls. We both decided on the curried red lentil, parsnip and apple soup as our starter which was rustic and hearty with a subtle spice.

A traditional Christmas dinner is one of my favourite meals of the year, so for my main course I could not resist ordering the ballotine of free range turkey with prosciutto, cranberry and orange stuffing, bread sauce and cranberry compote. This main course was very festive, combining the best elements of a Christmas dinner with a flair of sophistication in terms of flavour and presentation. The tender turkey was complemented by the tangy cranberry compote, zesty stuffing and crispy roast potatoes. while the garnish of pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon) was a tasty touch.

My dining companion equally enjoyed his main course of slow roast smoked short rib of beef with parsnip purée and crisps, roast potatoes and red wine jus. The beef was succulent and the earthy parsnip perfectly offset the slight smokiness of the meat. We also shared a selection of winter root vegetables roasted in maple syrup, which were the ideal dish to complete the meal with delicate,  sweet flavours.

We moved on to dessert and as usual the difficulty was deciding what to order from the enticing options. I love Christmas pudding, so I chose the classic Christmas pudding with Cointreau custard which was fruity and boozy, exactly as a good Christmas pudding should be.

My dining companion selected the Valrhona chocolate mousse with honeycomb and Chantilly cream, which had a smooth chocolate flavour with a slight bitterness which worked well with the crunchy honeycomb.

The Malmaison seasonal fixed price menu offers two courses at £19.95 or three courses at £24.95 and booking is advisable. We had a fun evening sampling the menu and this is a great dining option in the city, with a great variety of tasty dishes and elegant surroundings.

Malmaison 

7 William Jessop Way

Liverpool 

L3 1QZ

0151 363 3640

www.malmaison.com

What do you all think, do you like festive food and which of these dishes appeals to you? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post. 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*This meal was complimentary, all opinions stated herein are my own and honest.