Manchester’s second Mal Maison has opened and its making all the right noises. The four-star hotel sits nicely on Princess Street overlooking the iconic Manchester Town Hall. With 70 bedrooms, suites, a grill restaurant, and a stunning rooftop Japanese cocktail bar – SORA, the new Mal is living up to the hype.
The décor is modern, stylish with the city’s industrial heritage at the for front of design, plenty of orange, red and browns set off the modern colour scheme. The rooms are spacious and well equipped, a luxurious comfortable bed – check, a rainfall like shower – check, and plenty of windows offering natural light – check!
We were invited to try cocktails in SORA before dinner which didn’t disappoint. There is a great selection of Japanese spirits to hand with detail going into taste and appearance which is a must these days. We were intrigued by the menu and decided to have a light bite before dinner and tried the KFC – Korean Fried Cauliflower, dressed in Gochujang. The cauliflower was crispy and well-seasoned, and the sauce was punchy with heat alongside a hint of sweetness garnished with plenty of fresh chilli, coriander, and radish. Perfect start!
We then ventured down to the Grill for dinner, where we were guided to a beautiful booth with a view of the entire restaurant. I must say at this point it was nice to see a busy restaurant with happy customers all enjoying themselves.
As myself and Mrs J lead extremely busy lives it was nice to get off life’s rat race for one night and indulge ourselves.
The staff were attentive but not intrusive, nothing was too much, and they knew when to leave the dinners alone. Mrs J is Coeliac which can sometimes be quite challenging when dining as not enough restaurants are trained correctly on this, not the case here. The manager came and owned the situation and we felt confident from the get-go that we were in safe hands.
We ordered our starters, I went for the Grilled Sea Scallops, Squash, Samphire and Salsa Verdé, Mrs J went for the Roasted Heritage Beets & Whipped Barrel Aged Feta. The scallops were served in the shell, perfectly cooked, and garnished with diced squash, puree, and a beautiful punch of acidity from the Salsa Verdé. The beets & feta, packed full of flavour with the earthiness from the beets which complimented the aged feta well.
On to mains, now I always base a restaurant on its steak offering. If you order steak, chips, and béarnaise sauce it has many obstacles- over or undercooked meat, soggy chips, split sauce, but if you nail all 3 elements then this dish can be your death row meal! We both opted for the steak, me Ribeye because I love the chunk of fat in the middle, and Mrs J went for the fillet. These options didn’t disappoint, the steaks were perfectly cooked, well rested, crispy hot chips are well-seasoned and the sauce, velvety and just enough acidity to taste. We are creatures of habit when it comes to wine, and with an impressive list we went for a bottle of Primitivo which is extremely well priced.
Desserts were plentiful on the menu, and we opted for the crème brûlée for Mrs J, and I tried the pineapple carpaccio with coconut sorbet. The brûlée was beautifully set with a burnt caramel topping which cracked perfectly with a gentle tap of the spoon. The pineapple had been dressed with finely diced red chilli which complemented well, and the coconut sorbet had plenty of flavour which finished the dish.
After dinner I love to have an espresso martini, and the Mal has opted to use Salted caramel as a curve ball which my god finished it to a tee!
Breakfast was plentiful with something for everyone. Lots of yoghurts, fruits, juices, pastries to choose from. A cooked options including full English, Kippers, Boiled egg and soldiers and the classic eggs Benedict. I fancied a Bloody Mary to start which came with a nice hint of spice which hit the spot, followed by the eggs Benedict, crisp bacon, toasted muffin, eggs poached to perfection and the velvet covering of hollandaise- delightful. Mrs J opted for grilled bacon and roasted tomatoes seasoned with fresh thyme and black pepper.
From its prime location on Princess Street with views of the iconic Manchester Town Hall, to its modern, industrially-inspired decor, the hotel sets a un-matched new standard for four-star accommodation in the city. The new Malmaison offers a blend of luxury, style, and unique culinary experiences that resonate well with both critics and guests alike.