We have previously dined at Malmaison a few times; the first being a date in our early days as a couple. It therefore stood to reason that this stylish, modern restaurant in Birmingham’s trendy Mailbox could provide a great opportunity for a celebratory meal.
Our ‘celebration’ was in fact our wedding meal. We’d heard many stories about not mentioning a wedding when booking dining events, however perhaps we should have done, I’ll explain a bit more on that later.
Chez Mal at Malmaison Birmingham offer several different dining packages; we opted for a £45 per head three course meal which included a glass of fizz, half a bottle of wine per person and the room hire. This represents excellent value when you consider that the room hire alone for the private dining is £200.
The food was from a seasonal set menu and needed to pre-ordered before the event.
From the outset of the enquiry, the events co-ordinator at the hotel, Preeti, was fantastic at answering all our queries and ensuring the event was to go smoothly.
We made the booking in Winter, so quite a way ahead of the event. This in turn meant that we had booked our wedding meal without knowing what the menu would actually be, as it changes with the seasons.
Our previous experience of the quality, variety and presentation of food at Malmaison meant we were not worried in the slightest and knew there would be something for everyone.
So… As we got to Spring we received the menu and thought there was something for everyone. We were also delighted that my three year old niece would have her meal for free – what a nice touch of the restaurant. I’d have expected to pay something but this is really a kind gesture.
My parents were initially a little worried about the choices, as were my husband’s parents. The pre-order form was duly completed and returned to Preeti, our choices confirmed with no issues.
On the day of the wedding we popped in with some flowers, table place names, decoration etc and the staff twigged it was a wedding! They then couldn’t do enough for us and almost went in to over-drive!
So… The most important thing about a meal? Clearly the food!
The most popular menu choices were Asparagus in Ham, Pork Belly or Chicken Milanese and Cheesecake or Fondue…
I opted for Goat’s cheese, which I don’t have a picture of, pork belly and fondue. Everything was beautifully presented, in generous portions and absolutely delicious.
The soup of the day was a spiced lentil, which almost had me worrying knowing that some of our party don’t enjoy spicy food – turns out it was just nicely spiced, not too hot and certainly not offensive to the palate.
Asparagus in ham? Looked divine, with crispy Parma Ham surrounding fresh English Asparagus.
Pork belly? Well it was cooked incredibly well, it literally fell apart, with a good amount of jus. Accompaniments shared along the table included salads, potatoes and vegetables. The chicken Milanese (breaded chicken with a sauce) was served with the most brightly shining egg, and the Trout Fillet was perfectly cooked according to my dad, with no bones to be found. You can tell this must have been incredibly freshly cooked as it was the last dish to be served.
We could not believe our eyes with the desserts – the cheesecakes were individually prepared, the fondue served with a variety of items to dip, the ice cream for my niece was a very large portion indeed – certainly no scrimping and saving from the kitchens!
Following dessert we enjoyed tea, coffee and chat in the contemporary and stylish surroundings of the private dining room.
As an added extra, whilst we were enjoying coffee the team brought us a complimentary plate of petit fours… prior to our arrival our glasses of prosecco were waiting in our places, with a strawberry garnish (larger than normal glasses, waiting on the table).
The team at Malmaison really pulled out the stops for us – they really ensured our special day went perfectly. Thank you so much to Preeti, the chef and all the team at Chez Mal, Birmingham.
Tim Thorpe Travels 