Brasserie de Malmaison

Diners head down a winding iron staircase in the Malmaison hotel to this stylish basement brasserie: an intimate space furnished in rich colours, with subdued lighting and comfortable seating. The menu majors in French-based classics, with boeuf bourguignon and roast poussin sitting alongside a slightly more adventurous 'Homegrown & Local' section, containing the likes of fried skate cheeks with chorizo and bean stew. A Malmaison salad was fresh and plentiful: full of haricots verts, asparagus and crumbled ricotta, with fennel adding a welcome edge. Seared scallops arrived with morsels of caramelised pineapple and crisp pancetta, plus a creamy cauliflower purée; the dish worked, the sweet and salty ingredients making an effective foil for the soft scallops. A main course of halibut with grilled asparagus and sauce vierge featured a chunky piece of fish, but was rather bland. Pork fillet with puy lentils and mashed potato was better; the pork was perfectly cooked, and the lentils were paired with a thick, slightly unctuous apple and mustard gravy that was full of flavour, while the pommes purée was a lovely creamy mash. A pudding of bakewell tart was OK, if not exceptional. In all, a bit hit and miss.