The Butcher’s Block, Malmaison Hotel official site 18-21 Charterhouse Sq EC1M 6AH 020 70123700
Three courses £45 pp , wine flight three glasses £30 pp (ave)
I get all sorts of food emails these days. Most of the time it’s promotional stuff, sometimes it’s a fellow foodie (or two) though the best one was when Guinness sent me a six pack of the black stuff (free beer in the mail, man!). When I received this invitation, I was more than happy to trot along to the Malmaison Hotel in Farringdon and dine at their private dining room called the butcher’s block.
Now, I’m a West London kind of guy and trekking to Barbican/Farringdon is like a mini vacation altogether for me, that’s another way of saying I got lost at Smithfield market, marvelled at the four storey John Torode establishment before meandering into an alleyway that finally led to the hotel. This private dining room is located within the hotel restaurant ( called ‘The Brasserie’.. oh, so many names..) and is a rather cosy brick laden bunker with a kind of hanging steel chains and tinted glass of an entrance. Six can sit and the room is free to hire out.
Brasserie versus the block ….and oysters.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the room itself is the huge wooden block of a high table and high stools, which I found a little uncomfortable having to hop up and down (I’m not that tiny, but it was that high) and the B&W portraits on the walls of whom I can only assume are of the ol’ Butchers of Smithfield. Before I even had a chance to say ‘Sparkling’, we were received by the lovely Helen whom swiftly introduced herself and her rather enticing seafood platter of fresh oysters and superiorly sweet tiger prawns on a bed of ice.
Not quite the type to get stiff for oysters but these bad boys were so fresh, my eyes popped opened as the sweet gelatinous flesh hit my lips and the lemon juice tingled with an ever so slight acidic excitement. I was probably more impressed with the sweet and juicy prawns which needed no seasoning whatsoever as the natural flavours of the sea were thoroughly saturating my tastebuds. What a yummy what to start the afternoon … and I hadn’t even just sat down for five minutes yet.
Right again, brasserie versus … wine flight.
The question that kept me inquisitive was the difference in food between the Brasserie’s menu and the Butcher’s blocks. The block is the bit which specialises in meat – particularly roasted joints. I should probably mention the butcher’s has a special three course menu, in which the food (that you see in this review) is a part of that menu. The beef joint is pretty special, I urge you to stick around ( or just scroll down ) for that.
I felt rather embarrassed when the Sommelier came round with the wine list because I felt I’d be crossing all kinds of ethical and moral boundaries if I order one bottle too many, because I don’t really order full bottles when I eat out in any case. I’d still stick to my guns and recommend you go carafe if a restaurant offers it and at the block they go one better with wine flights. This was really fun; the Sommelier (I didn’t catch his name) is really passionate about his fine drips and was happy to tailor a couple of my favourite varietals for my flight. He reckoned I go with a clean & fresh Riesling for the seafood, a smoky & jammy vanilla American pinot (ohh I love pinots) for foie gras and a sweet, chocolatey fruit bomb of a malbec for the meat.
I should say that there are predetermined wine flights on the list at a going rate of about £25 -35pp which is not too shabby, but I’d press the sommelier to come up with something more suited to your own palette, really top marks because he has a good idea of what he sells, one particular glass of note was an Australian cab sav he recommended for miss pow wow (she’s a regular guesteater now) which carried a distinctly woody cedar on the nose which I had mistaken for chilli pepper. Very nice find.
Starter no2 and no3
Ok, the menu reads ‘select one of each (course) for the whole table to share’ but in my case, we received a couple of extra starters in the form of a creamy smooth chicken liver & foie gras parfait and a rather interesting confit duck terrine showered with black truffle shavings.
The toasted brioche was neutral rather than sweet and it greatly complimented the chicken liver, which was a flavoursome and airy pate of vanilla, poultry and was calmingly smooth. Though I was particularly impressed with the cold duck terrine, completely well seasoned, wrapped with parma ham and stuffed with bits of shallots. It didn’t require the truffle shavings at all if I’m being honest and the chunky duck breasts were amazingly soft.
Phew, Helen the butcher’s block extraordinaire did say she stuffed Helen the worldfoodieguide silly on her visit and she was going to do the same with me, and we haven’t even got past the starters yet, right … time for the big show.
The big show.
Ok, I kid you not, this is a portion for two.
I asked twice, heck no I asked thrice and I was assured that it’s a portion for two. Two rugby stars perhaps because the rib of beef was monumental. When she introduced it, she mentioned ‘all the trimmings’ but man, that’s the entire regent street Christmas lights on a wooden block. As the waiter explained that the beef was 100% Scottish Aberdeen angus – pre-hung for 28 days, I couldn’t help but notice the ease in which he sliced into the rib, the mature beef looked a robust roasted medium pink to me and I was salivating as he placed three slices on my plate. Utterly exciting!
Mmm… as expected the beef is tender, not quite melt in one’s mouth, but tender enough for me to be cooing with delight. Right, time for a Jamie Oliver moment.. abit of the gravy, a dollop of the béarnaise sauce, hand pick a couple of slices of the parsnips, sprinkle of fried courgette strips and some of that lovely potato roast in goose drips. I think the best part of this main is everything that comes with the beef – don’t get me wrong, that hunk of meat goodness is worth it’s weight in gold, but like a new camera with features, great features do make for an even better product.
The thick and viscous gravy hung off my fork and the stocky sauce was full of flavour and volume as it brought out all the best flavours of the meat. I was also impressed with the equally airy béarnaise sauce, which was again full of volume and the buttery mayo flavours were the right balance for it to be mild enough to blend in with the meat but strong enough to impart a warm yolk taste. The simply boiled spinach and large chunks of superbly sweet parsnips (though one might argue it’s Swede) were great side dishes in addition to the roast potatoes of a crispy outer shell and a heavenly mash with goose drip for seasoning. There were still battered courgette strips with parmesan shavings left to go and seriously, between me and the powster, we struggled to reach the finish line … if we ever made it there. That was a spectacular showing of natural flavours and classic pairings of fresh produce, just simply straightforward cooking and a damn good British roast. Oh yeah.
I still can’t believe this is a double portion for humans.
Looseing the belts for cheese
I was close to admitting defeat, but I was defiant and I rose to the challenge the moment Helen wheeled in the cheese trolley. The selection wasn’t too large (I think about 25 to 30 on the trolley) but it was suitably stinky (a good sign). I’m a fan of the melting soft ones and I spotted a couple of old pals, while Helen chose the rest.
Taster notes as follows:
Tunwurth. Starting with a mild soft cheese, east of Bristol, was a creamy dream with mild intensity (my favourite of the lot) Mimolette.I am assured is award winning and this chunky hard cheese was strong, intense and reminiscent of a parmesan with the texture of a red Leicester. Morbier. Which is one of my all times is two slabs of cheese with ash in the centre (that’s the best bit) , being a rather mild medium soft cheese with smoky sensations. Nicely subtly and to my approval. Livarot. Pungent, sharp, intense, infact very intense and it produced a smoky cigar like aftertaste that seemed to be amplified with sips of wine. Erm, this is abit too overpowering for me. Fourm D’ambert. Who knew that the French did beautiful blue cheese? The richly intense cheese was smooth but did not overpower, I could taste the cool mouldy bits blending just nicely with the creamy bits.
There is always room for pudding
I wasn’t entirely sure I did, until the copper pots of an apple crumble and the other a rice & prune pudding arrived. The bramley apples were distinctly sharp which I thought were nicely cooled off with the runny vanilla custard that it comes with, extra marks for an airy custard full of bubbles and top marks for the added comfort factor being that it was served with a nice warmth.
A similar assessment for the rice pudding stewing in a mild and creamy vanilla sauce and made more impactful with the prunes with a soft sweetness and a mild tangyness which in totality gave way to a sweet warmth that was probably equally comforting. I personally preferred the crumble but the wowpowmam threw her weight behind the rice pudding, either way, it was pretty good.
four hours and fifteen minutes later..
The Block is designed for a family style sort of meal, lots of chatter and laughter, wholesome comfort food and flowing wine (for the big boys), service on my visit was top notch and if they put on the same sort of service for paying customers, the hotel/restaurant managers have alot to be proud of. In fact, I was so bowled over with the service that I put down 20 quid.
Right in an effort to be totally objective, I’m looking for flaws in the food and honestly I can’t find much to complain about, I think that the essence of the Butcher’s block is a great concept with it utilising fresh produce and then letting the natural flavours speak for themselves and my compliments to a chef who obviously knows that great food ultimately boils down to great ingredients.
As for price – well it’s £45 per head and if they do the servings like they did mine, it’s pretty good value. My birthday’s in July and I might just do it here, with stretchy trousers.
The Gist of It
The Butcher’s Block, Malmaison Hotel official site 18-21 Charterhouse Sq EC1M 6AH 020 70123700
Three courses £45 pp , wine flight three glasses £30 pp (ave)
Verdict: For those of you looking for a private place to celebrate something special with close mates. Expect a full on hearty and meaty meal and a whole lotta TLC from the staff.
Did you enjoy reading this post? Why not subscribe to my feed updates for free. Alternatively, You can subscribe via email.
The Butcher’s Block, Malmaison Hotel official site
18-21 Charterhouse Sq EC1M 6AH 020 70123700
Three courses £45 pp , wine flight three glasses £30 pp (ave)
I get all sorts of food emails these days. Most of the time it’s promotional stuff, sometimes it’s a fellow foodie (or two) though the best one was when Guinness sent me a six pack of the black stuff (free beer in the mail, man!). When I received this invitation, I was more than happy to trot along to the Malmaison Hotel in Farringdon and dine at their private dining room called the butcher’s block.
Now, I’m a West London kind of guy and trekking to Barbican/Farringdon is like a mini vacation altogether for me, that’s another way of saying I got lost at Smithfield market, marvelled at the four storey John Torode establishment before meandering into an alleyway that finally led to the hotel. This private dining room is located within the hotel restaurant ( called ‘The Brasserie’.. oh, so many names..) and is a rather cosy brick laden bunker with a kind of hanging steel chains and tinted glass of an entrance. Six can sit and the room is free to hire out.
Brasserie versus the block ….and oysters.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the room itself is the huge wooden block of a high table and high stools, which I found a little uncomfortable having to hop up and down (I’m not that tiny, but it was that high) and the B&W portraits on the walls of whom I can only assume are of the ol’ Butchers of Smithfield. Before I even had a chance to say ‘Sparkling’, we were received by the lovely Helen whom swiftly introduced herself and her rather enticing seafood platter of fresh oysters and superiorly sweet tiger prawns on a bed of ice.
Not quite the type to get stiff for oysters but these bad boys were so fresh, my eyes popped opened as the sweet gelatinous flesh hit my lips and the lemon juice tingled with an ever so slight acidic excitement. I was probably more impressed with the sweet and juicy prawns which needed no seasoning whatsoever as the natural flavours of the sea were thoroughly saturating my tastebuds. What a yummy what to start the afternoon … and I hadn’t even just sat down for five minutes yet.
Right again, brasserie versus … wine flight.
The question that kept me inquisitive was the difference in food between the Brasserie’s menu and the Butcher’s blocks. The block is the bit which specialises in meat – particularly roasted joints. I should probably mention the butcher’s has a special three course menu, in which the food (that you see in this review) is a part of that menu. The beef joint is pretty special, I urge you to stick around ( or just scroll down ) for that.
I felt rather embarrassed when the Sommelier came round with the wine list because I felt I’d be crossing all kinds of ethical and moral boundaries if I order one bottle too many, because I don’t really order full bottles when I eat out in any case. I’d still stick to my guns and recommend you go carafe if a restaurant offers it and at the block they go one better with wine flights. This was really fun; the Sommelier (I didn’t catch his name) is really passionate about his fine drips and was happy to tailor a couple of my favourite varietals for my flight. He reckoned I go with a clean & fresh Riesling for the seafood, a smoky & jammy vanilla American pinot (ohh I love pinots) for foie gras and a sweet, chocolatey fruit bomb of a malbec for the meat.
I should say that there are predetermined wine flights on the list at a going rate of about £25 -35pp which is not too shabby, but I’d press the sommelier to come up with something more suited to your own palette, really top marks because he has a good idea of what he sells, one particular glass of note was an Australian cab sav he recommended for miss pow wow (she’s a regular guesteater now) which carried a distinctly woody cedar on the nose which I had mistaken for chilli pepper. Very nice find.
Starter no2 and no3
Ok, the menu reads ‘select one of each (course) for the whole table to share’ but in my case, we received a couple of extra starters in the form of a creamy smooth chicken liver & foie gras parfait and a rather interesting confit duck terrine showered with black truffle shavings.
The toasted brioche was neutral rather than sweet and it greatly complimented the chicken liver, which was a flavoursome and airy pate of vanilla, poultry and was calmingly smooth. Though I was particularly impressed with the cold duck terrine, completely well seasoned, wrapped with parma ham and stuffed with bits of shallots. It didn’t require the truffle shavings at all if I’m being honest and the chunky duck breasts were amazingly soft.
Phew, Helen the butcher’s block extraordinaire did say she stuffed Helen the worldfoodieguide silly on her visit and she was going to do the same with me, and we haven’t even got past the starters yet, right … time for the big show.
The big show.
Ok, I kid you not, this is a portion for two.
I asked twice, heck no I asked thrice and I was assured that it’s a portion for two. Two rugby stars perhaps because the rib of beef was monumental. When she introduced it, she mentioned ‘all the trimmings’ but man, that’s the entire regent street Christmas lights on a wooden block. As the waiter explained that the beef was 100% Scottish Aberdeen angus – pre-hung for 28 days, I couldn’t help but notice the ease in which he sliced into the rib, the mature beef looked a robust roasted medium pink to me and I was salivating as he placed three slices on my plate. Utterly exciting!
Mmm… as expected the beef is tender, not quite melt in one’s mouth, but tender enough for me to be cooing with delight. Right, time for a Jamie Oliver moment.. abit of the gravy, a dollop of the béarnaise sauce, hand pick a couple of slices of the parsnips, sprinkle of fried courgette strips and some of that lovely potato roast in goose drips. I think the best part of this main is everything that comes with the beef – don’t get me wrong, that hunk of meat goodness is worth it’s weight in gold, but like a new camera with features, great features do make for an even better product.
The thick and viscous gravy hung off my fork and the stocky sauce was full of flavour and volume as it brought out all the best flavours of the meat. I was also impressed with the equally airy béarnaise sauce, which was again full of volume and the buttery mayo flavours were the right balance for it to be mild enough to blend in with the meat but strong enough to impart a warm yolk taste. The simply boiled spinach and large chunks of superbly sweet parsnips (though one might argue it’s Swede) were great side dishes in addition to the roast potatoes of a crispy outer shell and a heavenly mash with goose drip for seasoning. There were still battered courgette strips with parmesan shavings left to go and seriously, between me and the powster, we struggled to reach the finish line … if we ever made it there. That was a spectacular showing of natural flavours and classic pairings of fresh produce, just simply straightforward cooking and a damn good British roast. Oh yeah.
I still can’t believe this is a double portion for humans.
Looseing the belts for cheese
I was close to admitting defeat, but I was defiant and I rose to the challenge the moment Helen wheeled in the cheese trolley. The selection wasn’t too large (I think about 25 to 30 on the trolley) but it was suitably stinky (a good sign). I’m a fan of the melting soft ones and I spotted a couple of old pals, while Helen chose the rest.
Taster notes as follows:
Tunwurth. Starting with a mild soft cheese, east of Bristol, was a creamy dream with mild intensity (my favourite of the lot)
Mimolette.I am assured is award winning and this chunky hard cheese was strong, intense and reminiscent of a parmesan with the texture of a red Leicester.
Morbier. Which is one of my all times is two slabs of cheese with ash in the centre (that’s the best bit) , being a rather mild medium soft cheese with smoky sensations. Nicely subtly and to my approval.
Livarot. Pungent, sharp, intense, infact very intense and it produced a smoky cigar like aftertaste that seemed to be amplified with sips of wine. Erm, this is abit too overpowering for me.
Fourm D’ambert. Who knew that the French did beautiful blue cheese? The richly intense cheese was smooth but did not overpower, I could taste the cool mouldy bits blending just nicely with the creamy bits.
There is always room for pudding
I wasn’t entirely sure I did, until the copper pots of an apple crumble and the other a rice & prune pudding arrived. The bramley apples were distinctly sharp which I thought were nicely cooled off with the runny vanilla custard that it comes with, extra marks for an airy custard full of bubbles and top marks for the added comfort factor being that it was served with a nice warmth.
A similar assessment for the rice pudding stewing in a mild and creamy vanilla sauce and made more impactful with the prunes with a soft sweetness and a mild tangyness which in totality gave way to a sweet warmth that was probably equally comforting. I personally preferred the crumble but the wowpowmam threw her weight behind the rice pudding, either way, it was pretty good.
four hours and fifteen minutes later..
The Block is designed for a family style sort of meal, lots of chatter and laughter, wholesome comfort food and flowing wine (for the big boys), service on my visit was top notch and if they put on the same sort of service for paying customers, the hotel/restaurant managers have alot to be proud of. In fact, I was so bowled over with the service that I put down 20 quid.
Right in an effort to be totally objective, I’m looking for flaws in the food and honestly I can’t find much to complain about, I think that the essence of the Butcher’s block is a great concept with it utilising fresh produce and then letting the natural flavours speak for themselves and my compliments to a chef who obviously knows that great food ultimately boils down to great ingredients.
As for price – well it’s £45 per head and if they do the servings like they did mine, it’s pretty good value. My birthday’s in July and I might just do it here, with stretchy trousers.
The Gist of It
The Butcher’s Block, Malmaison Hotel official site
18-21 Charterhouse Sq EC1M 6AH 020 70123700
Three courses £45 pp , wine flight three glasses £30 pp (ave)
Verdict: For those of you looking for a private place to celebrate something special with close mates. Expect a full on hearty and meaty meal and a whole lotta TLC from the staff.
Did you enjoy reading this post? Why not subscribe to my feed updates for free. Alternatively, You can subscribe via email.
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