Review: Malmaison, Oxford Castle

It’s probably one of the quirkiest places you’ll eat in Oxfordshire and certainly in the city centre which has its fair share of stunning venues.

Malmaison Oxford is situated in the old Oxford Gaol, not far from the Westgate centre and back down the hill towards the station. The new autumn & grill menu passes muster. A very decent meal was enjoyed, all in the noble cause of reviewing what’s new in Oxford food at the moment.

Amin, the cheery Persian sous chef, stepped up to the plate and did an excellent job on the night we visited. Amin uses top notch ingredients and he ably transformed them into tasty, classic and unfussy dishes – not tricked up at all. The meal was extremely well cheffed and tasty. It was served with love by Bradley, the young and enthusiastic front of house.

The autumnal feast started with an excellent artichoke soup and the mushrooms on toast just zinged with flavour. True classics done well.

The New York strip steak done ‘medium rare’ was one of the juiciest cuts of sirloin I’ve tasted for a while. The maple-glazed salmon on a bed of sweet potato mash offered a healthy and filling main course for the fish lovers, although I found it a bit bland for my taste.

Puddings were über naughty too – a chocolate delice and a crème brûlée did the job to round off a very pleasant evening dining in the old jail!

Old Oxford gaol was originally converted into a luxury boutique hotel with 95 rooms. The Malmaison opened to the public in 2006. It’s still a great spot for a more unusual dinner date or a family meal out. Unchain and unlock your taste buds now!