One step into the Brasserie at Mal Maison and I genuinely thanked my sister for having a birthday.
The sheer sophistication and excellence of this restaurant is felt right from the moment you walk through the door, where you're instantly hit by the smell of a log fire and BBQ grilled meat. Combine this with slate floors, dark walls, purple tartan chairs and Scottish artwork and we've got one plush, cosy, thoroughly Scottish restaurant. Staff are impeccably behaved ("did you enjoy your ravioli ma'am?" Well YES I DID.): they don't annoy you by constantly checking to see if you're alive, but they're on-hand to answer any questions, fetch the wine list and bring the bill. Our table was part-booth, part-chairs, hidden round the corner from the rest of the restaurant. We barely heard a thing. We thought the restaurant was deserted but it was, in fact, packed. Mal Maison also boasts a very glam private room: 'The Boudoir' comes with a private balcony and can seat twelve. If you have a soft spot for sweaty, hot tempered chefs and enjoy the clammer and clatter of a restaurant kitchen, enjoy the Chef's Table and eat "dinner with a difference": you're eating in the viewing gallery of the kitchen. For those of you who choose to slum it, (you can't slum it at Mal Maison, but work with me here), there are enough seats for one hundred people in the main area. 
Before you know it, you'll be making up reasons to eat here. The Mal Maison steaks are definitely worth the pennies: they come from well fed, well reared cattle (but not from the cattle which are pictured on the walls), and look like they could feed a small country. But instead, be greedy, and let it just feed you. The Sole Goujons act as middle class fish&chips; the Mal Burger is delicious and is complete with home-made tomato relish. (As a side note, the burger bread, relish and fries make an EXCELLENT chip sandwich). The scallops with pumpkin purée is technically a starter, but if you're a sucker for scallops like I am, it can be stretched to a main course. They are, by way of mentioning, absolutely to die for and are so soft, they slide right off your fork and into your mouth. Gone. Yum. For deserts, Mal Maison has a selection of sexy sundaes (salted caramel & pecan, or bitter chocolate and hazelnut), and home comforts like bread and butter pudding, restaurant-staple chocolate brownie pudding and cherry frangipane tart. Oh and did I mention the vast selection of after-dinner drinks? Again, enough to water a small country.
A trip to the Brasserie at Mal Maison may have you parting with some hard-earned cash, but I can tell you, it's worth it. Ideal for family or friend get-togethers, celebratory meals or business-trip dinners. It's too intense and intimate for a first, second or third date, but IDEAL for your first anniversary.
My advice? It's a special place, keep it for a special occasion.
Mal Maison Brasserie,
49 - 53 Queens Road,
Aberdeen,
AB15 4YP
(01224 327370)
Excellent review Steph! Was there last week for afternoon tea and I can recommend you try that too! :)
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