Located in a former 19th century church building on West George street, the Malmaison Brasserie has often been referred to as ‘the crypt’. Located in the basement of this boutique hotel, the restaurant consists of a black and deep purple colour scheme with gothic furniture and atmospheric lighting. Certainly a very cool setting for a romantic meal and late night cocktails; however, our visit was all about the burger.
The Mal Burger consists of a 250g beef patty topped with gruyere cheese, bacon and salad on a toasted brioche bun. The burger is served with a pot of relish and skinny fries.
Presentation-wise, the burger was okay, if a little underwhelming. I loved the knife scores on the top half of the bun, which gave it a lovely charred look. The fries were presented in a dish that read ‘for your fries only’, which I loved and everything was served on a nice wooden serving board. Other than that, I felt that the burger itself looked a little flat and seemed a somewhat lop-sided.
Taste-wise, it was a mixed bag. The bacon was beautifully charred and blackened around the edges and held a strong, smokey, deep flavour. The gruyere didn’t have quite the kick that I’m used to from the cheese and the patty itself was nicely seasoned, but very dry. Luckily, the bun held the contents together well, so I decided to spread the entire tub of relish on to the burger to add some extra flavour. With the relish, which was absolutely delicious, the burger was far more enjoyable, even if most of the other flavours present were completely overshadowed by it’s presence. There were parts of the burger that I enjoyed, such as the salad, the relish and the bun, but overall it’s not something that I’d be in any rush to go back for.
The fries that were served with the burger were absolutely delicious and well-seasoned. I could have happily eaten another portion and asked for another to take home with me.
The burger was served as part of a three-course meal offer; however, if you are looking to have it on it’s own, it’ll set you back £14.95. At that price, we’d say that it’s somewhat overpriced, considering that there are other burgers that you can get nearby that are almost half the price and much better quality.
Malmaison looks cool and provides a nice, chilled atmosphere that would be perfect for date-night cocktails; however, when compared to the high standard of burgers that are being produced elsewhere in the city, the Mal Burger just doesn’t hit the mark. The relish, bun and salad were fantastic, but when the patty itself is the weakest part of your burger, it’s very difficult to make the overall dish enjoyable, no matter how many toppings you add.
Go for cocktails, order up a couple of plates of fries and grab a burger elsewhere after you leave.
Price: £14.95
SUMMARY
+ Good bun.
+ Delicious relish.
+ Tasty fries.
– Dry patty.
– Overpriced for what you’re getting
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Malmaison
278 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 4LL
Phone: 0141 572 1000
Website: http://www.malmaison.com/locations/glasgow/
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