Chez Mal Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

We started off in the Chez Bar downstairs, which is just beautiful. Very on trend soft furnishings of sapphire blue velvet couches, foliage walls and plenty of nooks and crannies to snap those picture perfect cocktails for socials.

The restaurant is stunning. The attention to detail is second to none with the theme of the luxurious velvet seating carried on from downstairs. The decor is very contemporary with bold statement pieces displayed around the large dining area. You’ll not miss the painted mannequin body lamps, large pieces of bright artwork that adorn the walls and the overall lavishness of this restaurant.

Malmaison's designers took inspiration from nearby Rose and Thistle Streets to create a garden of texture, light and style - you’ll notice this in lighting and the fresh flowers on the tables.

Inspired with flavours both classic and French, the Chefs have created some magnificent menus and you'll find an energetic but relaxing atmosphere with knowledgeable service.

First up was the Artisan Sourdough breadbasket with extra virgin olive oil and English butter (£4.50) and a little treat of hummus and flatbreads.

The starters for me were all superb! This is Summer on a plate or several plates. Fresh, zingy and bright bursting with flavour and just begging to be eaten again.

Thai sticky beef & noodle salad (£9.50) - with rice noodles, crunchy vegetables, spring onions, red chilli, sesame and toasted peanuts. The sticky beef can be substituted with tofu.

Chicken karaage (£8.50) - buttermilk fried chicken thigh, roasted sesame and sriracha mayonnaise.

Buffalo mozzarella & tomato salad (£9.00) - Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes, pickled red chilli, pesto and basil. For vegetarians, the mozzarella can be replaced with feta cheese.

A nice array of dishes, but for me some lacked seasoning and could easily have handled a heavy flavour injection.

Chez Mal katsu curry (£15) - crispy marinated chicken breast, curry sauce, sticky rice & pickled vegetable salad. Swop out the chicken for a Cauliflower steak for vegetarians.

Pan-fried hake picata (£15) - capers, Kalamata olives, parsley, cavolo nero & brioche

Summer green vegetable linguini (£14) - peas, broad beans, broccoli, mint & Pecorino Sardo. You can add in Tiger prawns for an additional £4 supplement.

A nice not overly fussy wine menu is available with knowledgeable staff on hand to guide you through what’s best suited with your meal or to pair your flavour profiles with a specific wine.

I chose the Riesling, Rag & Bone, Smalltown Vineyards, Eden Valley, Australia which was clean, fresh, floral, zesty and spritzy.

Desserts most definitely pack a wow factor. Press that big golden buzzer for the the Pineapple Carpaccio (£6.50) with lime, chilli, mint syrup and coconut ice-cream. Sublime!

Fill your boots and every other wee space remaining after dinner with this big bold sundae. Strawberry Eton mess sundae (£6.50) - fresh strawberries, Chantilly cream, sorbet and meringue.

And if you are after a lighter, not overly sweet dessert try this - the Steamed lemon pudding (£6.50) - with blueberry compote and crème fraîche.

Overall, a wonderful menu served with super friendly staff in a gorgeous restaurant. My ideal order would be the Chicken Karaage, the Thai Sticky Beef Noodle Salad ordered as a main course with the Pineapple Carpaccio to finish.

Chez Mal has outdoor dining and is a glorious sun trap late afternoon, early evening. Great views out across St Andrews Square.

I dined here a few months ago so the menu may very well...

The Malmasion is a gorgeous boutique hotel in Edinburgh, located on the banks of the Forth in Leith. I visited the brasserie for brunch recently and it was amazing. It started with the soup of the day, self service from the chefs table, a lovely creamy spicy parsnip soup. Then we were invited to select something from the chefs table. There were loads of options such as omelettes, waffles, cold meats, salads, bread, pancakes, pates and terrines. From past experience I suggest booking your table earlier in the day, as the second time I visited for Brunch the options were limited due to it being busy early on. Also, pace yourself! There is so much lovely food on offer, don't over do it on the first two courses, because you won't have room for the rest!

Next was the mains, a selection of six options from the menu, I can recommend the roasts and salmon. Finally if you have any room, you can order a dessert, don't worry there are lighter options such as sorbet and fresh fruit salad. All that for a tasty £19.95, marvellous and you won't need to eat for the rest of the day. The Sunday brunch is very popular and it can be very busy. Sometimes it feels a little too busy and the neighbouring tables are a little too close for comfort. When personal boundaries come into it, I feel that they have tried to pack the customers in far too much. Alas, the brasserie does serve great-tasting cuisine, prepared with incredible local ingredients, so enjoy!

If the weather suits, you can even enjoy some alfresco dining or drinking on the terrace. Also if you are lucky enough to be staying and the boutique hotel there is a hotel gym, Gymtonic to work off that...

Everyone has raved and raved about the Malmaison Brunch, and I was a wee bit disappointed even though it WAS indeed the biggest brunch in town. Perhaps everyone had talked it up so much that my expectations were too high.

The chef's table is indeed stunning with unlimited amounts of waffles, pancakes, omelets, charcuterie, various salads, and soup. My only suggestion for the chef's table would be some pastries - I really wanted a wee tasty croissant! Otherwise the chef's table is indeed amazing, and I really loved the waffles with fresh berries and maple syrup. If there were a brunch option just to pick selections from the Chef's Table, I'd be happy with just that.

For my main I had the Sunday roast but the beef was a bit underwhelming and not very flavorful, and the Yorkie just wasn't there. It wasn't as fresh, crispy, light or flavourful as it should have been. The Toby's Carvery roasts and Yorkshire puddings are better.

The dessert choices were good and I went for the creme brûlée. It was a bit eggy and heavier than I like them, but as I hadn't had one in a while it was still a nice treat.

The ambiance and feel of Malmaison is generally great - it's a lovely place with many windows looking out towards the canal. Since we came near the end of our voucher time period, all tables were booked about a month in advance and the place was packed. It was frustrating to have long queues at the chef's table. For what we paid (£30 for two) it was an excellent brunch that was a nice treat (four star, but five star if they improved their Sunday roast main). If paying full price, I would have expected a bit more (hence the...