Malmaison

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

With its low cavernous ceiling, warm dark brown and red hues and atmospheric lighting, the Mal is surprisingly unpretentious. The menu is a collection of classic British dishes, which swim across the channel for inspiration, class and a little Gallic swagger. To start, a teasingly translucent poached egg wobbles away on top of a dish until the slightest tap sends it oozing down through gigantic, meaty mushrooms and a slightly sweet bed of toast. For mains, guinea fowl is well-cooked: with a hint of pink and a touch of gaminess, complimented by a light, creamy sauce of mushrooms and leeks. Purists will point out that in addition to the haddock rarebit’s topping of cheese, it should probably come with toast. This aside, it comes across as an elegant plate of food, accompanied with a delightful quail and black pudding Scotch egg. For desert, Sauternes-soaked raisins on the crème caramel are a thoroughly grown-up combination of juicy fruit and sophisticated booziness, topped off by an espresso with its own little gingerbread man.

• High point: Auld Alliance fusion of classic French and British dishes
• Low point: No toast with the rarebit