Why it’s good for business
This grand white-fronted Victorian boutique hotel is nestled in a quiet corner
of Charterhouse Square, a meatball's throw away from the delights of
London's glorious Smithfield Market, busy with butchers every weekday
morning, and near to the Barbican complex. Its location, away from busy
roads, should guarantee a good night's sleep, and you are just a hop, skip
and a jump from the delights of the City, Farringdon, or Clerkenwell.
The room
Rooms are well laid out and comfortable. There's a good-sized desk with plenty
of sockets above the table, so no tunnelling is required to plug in your
laptop. Large beds are firm and roomy. The red and black décor in the
bathroom adds a dash of drama, and the over-sized bath, stocked with a big
bottle of bubbles, is great for a long laze. Toiletries even include massage
oil, and a big bottle of shower gel. The light in the bathroom was strong
enough to see what you need to, and a big mirror was an asset – the downside
was the sink. The plug refused to stop the water leaking out – an annoyance
common to hotel rooms.
Nice to have tea and coffee in your room and an iron and ironing board, so you
can give your suit a quick spruce up. Settling down for a room service night
in I would be annoyed to find a limited range of television stations – not
sure why the full range of free digital stations can't be available – not
everyone wants to watch stock prices or sports. I always want a room
directory to dip into as soon as I arrive, part of my relaxing process, but
couldn't find one hiding anywhere.
A place to meet
The Mal's meeting rooms stand out – because of their dramatic, contemporary
décor. Mal One is a useful mid sized room with natural light on the ground
floor and seats 20 boardroom style, and if you are looking for the location
for a private dinner – the dramatic room off the restaurant dresses to
impress and seats 14. A group of six can populate the butcher's block wooden
table. For a casual one-to-one chat over coffee, the ground floor lobby has
elegant high-backed chairs arranged in twos.
Technology credentials
Well done for putting the plug sockets in accessible places – why this should
be a challenge for most other hotels is not clear to me. Wi-fi and wired
internet in rooms. The first 30 minutes of wifi is free, which is a nice
touch, after that it's £7.50 for up to eight hours' access. CD players are
in all rooms and discs can be picked up from reception.
Fed and watered
Low lighting and heart warming food makes the brasserie in the basement a good
place to hang out on a cold winter's eve. The barman had a good way with a
Bloody Mary and a celery stick – made to specifications. But one downside of
the low lighting was that the solo diner on my right was struggling to read
his magazine. However, the menu of updated brasserie fare had plenty of
palate stimulating options to choose from. There's a set menu of two courses
for £20 for two people or the a la carte.
Treacle cured salmon with a quail's egg started things off with a swing, along
with tasty homemade bread. A deep, dark sauce gave the slow cooked beef
bourguignon a rich flavour and the meat just fell away from the fork.
Service was just right, friendly and there when you needed it. And an
introduction to the enormous cheese board shouldn't be missed. I like my
affogatto with hot espresso rather than cool, but the vanilla ice cream had
plenty of beany flavour. Overall the menu had plenty of delights to choose
from, with main courses hitting the £14 to £18 mark.
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