Chez Mal

Smart-casual dining adds pan-Asian flavours to Mediterranean classics.

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Tucked away at the quiet end of West George Street, the basement restaurant below the Glasgow branch of Malmaison inevitably depends on hotel guests for much of its business. In its current incarnation as Chez Mal, though, it merits a journey in its own right. A grand vaulted room is smartly and simply furnished, with a number of elegant semi-circular booths as well as open tables. Service retains the polish of earlier fine-dining days, though now the atmosphere is a little more casual and prices perhaps more accessible. Asian flavours rub shoulders with the Med here - calamari with a wasabi crème fraîche, for example - while the list of mains has both a lamb bhoona curry and a crab and scallop risotto. Sides - or ‘accessories’ as they’re billed here - are tempting, particularly the signature ‘loaded’ fries with confit duck and truffle. Desserts are generous, well-executed classics, such as a rich chocolate mousse with cinder toffee and cocoa-nib tuile. A whopping 23 different wines are available by the glass, and the prix-fixe is decent value at under £20 for two elegantly-presented courses.