(ad – pr) Since it opened I’ve made a number of trips to the Malmaison in the centre of York which is housed in a former insurance office that for so many years was a beacon of mundanity and grey. I can attest to that being the case on the basis of having worked there but it’s utterly transformed now into a bright, stylish and modern building fully deserving of its enhanced standing. Sora up on the roof offers incredible views and a unique experience while the bar and Chez Mal York on the ground floor make up a more conventional food and drink offering. I called by back in April to check it out but the team recently got in touch to suggest a repeat visit and to take a look at their new menu.
At the risk of repeating myself, Chez Mal York occupies that ground floor of the building with views across Rougier Street. Not perhaps the most salubrious view in York but a unique one which will be enhanced when Hooting Owl open their distillery experience on the other side of the road in due course. There’s a good buzz to the place and the servers are attentive without overstepping so it was a quick interaction to get our order in and settle in for the ride. The menu now has a large grill section centred around burgers and steaks as well as a selection of mains, desserts and sides. I’d been eyeing up roasted beets to start while my companion went for saute tiger prawns to be followed by braised ox cheek and a roasted celeriac dish with pearl barley, though I was also curious to see how they would execute the listed root vegetable chowder.
My roasted heritage beetroots benefited from a good tickle of dill to leaven their earthy nature as well as a generous hit of pickled shallot that amplified the sharpness of the whipped feta on which it was served, while a few sprigs of lettuce visually broke up the dish. I nabbed a tiger prawn from the other side of the table, strictly for quality control of course, and found a pleasing char to butt up against the sweet prawn and freshness of the chermoula.
Mains followed at a decent interval with braised ox cheek first to touch down and featuring a generous serving of rich, creamy mash on which was perched a good whack of tender meat that in turn was topped with carrots. Crispy onion and an unctuous jus finished things off to make this feel the indulgence it should. Beef cheek is a much underrated cut and surprisingly easy to prepare if you’re happy to put a bit of time and thought into it, which was happily the case here. The celeriac dish which had piqued my curiosity turned out to be a wise investment that placed chunks of roasted celeriac under a heap of pearl barley with sautéed mushrooms for breadth, while parmesan and crispy shallots added depth. As with ox cheek, celeriac seems to intimidate people when it really needn’t and it can be the heart of a really satisfying veggie dish as it was here.
As usual I would have been happy to sidestep dessert, but my companion fancied a few bites so we shared a well executed creme brûlée that put a sugary accent on the evening and perked me up as we headed off. I thoroughly enjoyed this repeat visit to Chez Mal York and would be more than happy to find this as the dining option at any hotel that would have me. I’ll be back at Sora in a few weeks too for a look at their winter specials, and I’ll look forward to being back in the building the now it’s devoid of corporate tedium!
