The Mal on Sunday, Big Brunch

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If the Malmaison brunch doesn’t bring the punters to the city at the weekend, nothing will. This favourite London hotel has developed a brunch that is difficult to resist: for £19.95 guests feast on four courses of British treats: Soup of the day, the Chef’s cook station, a main dish and dessert to finish. It is enough to feed a family and satisfy you for the whole day.

We arrived at 2pm ready to indulge, our eyes wide and stomachs rumbling ready for action. Lounge music sets the scene and the dining room smelt distinctly and deliciously of fresh waffles. The smart white clothed tables are neatly arranged and newspaper disguised menus are placed cleverly at each place.

To start, the thick soup was delightfully creamy and perfectly seasoned. Next up the colourful Chef’s Table featured a huge array of breakfast and lunchtime snacks: cold meats and cheeses, fresh vegetables and Mediterranean pasta salads, and made-while-you-wait pancakes and waffles with maple syrup, cream and berries (or any other accompaniment you desire). The food was fresh and flavoursome, nicely presented and full of variety.

Main dishes range from American classics to traditional Sunday roasts, and everything in between.The homemade Mal burger was juicy and succulent accompanied by crispy thin-cut American fries. Seasonal fish (we were offered seabass or salmon fish cake) was a healthy light choice. Traditional roast beef with all the trimmings is available for those with a hearty appetite.

If you can manage dessert the best option has to be the chef’s speciality, freshly prepared Crepe Suzette, served with a cheeky hint of Grand Marnier and tangy orange jus. Super sticky toffee pudding was delicious in a rich sauce, whole pecans were a lovely nutty addition. Mal hot chocolate sauce with ice cream and marshmallows was simple and sweet, and the huge Mal Sundae with mint ice cream and mini mint chocolate brownies, all covered in chocolate sauce will be very popular with younger diners.

For staying guests, it is worth remembering that the Sunday brunch is included free with a £40 charged late check out. A lie-in and a gigantic brunch, what more could you want at the weekend?

More information and book here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 157

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Instantgram is a personalised printing service that turns your Instagram images into pretty little magnets. Pictures are uploaded online and the cute magnets are delivered straight to the door. Each Instantgram Magnet is 5cm x 5cm / 1.97in X 1.97in and magnets come in sets of 9 for just $17 (£11 approx).Log on to http://instantgram.me/en/magnets to access your Instagram library of photos.

I initially had some problems with the Instantgram website which had trouble reloading my Instagram account images, but eventually my large album of brightly coloured pictures arrived on the computer to choose from. By far the most difficult part of the process is trying to restrict yourself to just 9. I spent hours scrolling through screen-after-screen of images and managed to get down to shortlist of my top 12, finally whittling it down to my final 9. Click through an easy checkout system, fill out your address, and you are done.

With so many of our memories on a screen or hard-drive, Instantgram is a lovely way to make your memories materialise. Instagram is by far the most popular of all the social media image platforms, so I’m sure kids and adults alike will jump at this chance to make their beloved Instagram edits more permanent.

The magnets arrived promptly within a week, despite travelling all the way from Turkey. They are a bit flimsy and homemade looking but for just $17 for 9 these Instantgram magnets are the perfect momento to keep on your fridge.

Buy here: http://instantgram.me/en/magnets

Four Seasons Park Lane Spa and Restaurant Amaranto

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I have ticked off many Four Seasons establishments abroad from my to-visit list and yet the hotel closest to home remained a mystery to me. Park Lane is lined with swanky hotels attracting businessmen and tourists… hidden just behind these obvious choices on Hamilton Place is the Four Seasons. Less ostentatious with a restrained luxury, this hotel is for guests desiring splendour without wishing to show off about it… definitely my favourite kind of central city accommodation.

As much as I was tempted to look round the rooms and admire the stylish classic design, I resisted in favour of the spa. Up in the lift to the tenth floor, the spa at this Four Seasons is certainly one of a kind, offering a light and lavish rooftop sanctuary that includes the spa, lounge and fitness centre. The fabulous London skyline surrounds the building and a different view is available in every room. Up here it is miraculously calm and peaceful, you can’t hear the cars below nor the chatter from the lobby. It made me ponder why so many hotels shove their spas in the basement, light and elevation brings a natural serenity that instantly refreshes you, especially if you are a busy Londoner wishing for some time out.

There are nine treatment rooms, vitality pools, steam rooms and saunas for hotel and spa guests to enjoy. After my tour I would have been very happy just to hang out up here and read a magazine, but I was lucky enough to be booked in for a personalised facial. Guests are given a cup of tea and cleansing flannel before treatments and asked to change into soft fluffy white robes. The changing rooms are like a beauty parlour with every toiletry you could need.

It was perhaps the best facial I’ve ever had, and it doesn’t surprise me to hear it is one of the most popular on offer here. The therapist really homed in on what was needed for my skin rather than demanding I try something particular. The curtains closed, the lights dimmed and I lay on a soft warm bed ready to be pampered. After a deep cleanse, exfoliation and extraction, relaxing massage and specialised mask, I felt fresh, radiant and youthful. ESPA products were used, and my therapist allowed me to pick out my favourite scents for the facial. To complete the treatment, my scalp was massaged with an enriching Moroccan oil treatment, to correct scalp skin imbalances and relieve tension and stress. It was relaxing and my hair was left with a lustrous shine and silky softness.

I got back in the lift to travel back down to the ground floor for an Italian dinner in Amaranto. It was a feast… spotting most of my favourite Italian dishes on the menu I had to opt for four courses, which in retrospect was perhaps a little greedy! After some crumbly 24 month aged Parmesan to nibble on with our Prosecco we chose starters, as advised by our waiter: flavoursome Culatello DOP with a traditional Gnocco Fritto and Burrata with smoked Tuscan tomatoes. It was the Burrata’s addictively creamy taste and texture that led me to almost lick the plate clean.

Homemade pastas are available in two sizes: both the ravioli with ricotta and spinach and the rigatoni carbonara with crispy cured pork jowl were delicious, light and simple with fresh ingredients and vibrant flavour. The meat course came next and I would say, if you are toying with the idea of pasta vs meat, go for pasta in the summer months. Crispy pork belly arrived with glazed carrots, peas and fresh marjoram. Balsamic glazed beef fillet with smoked aubergine and wilted spinach was the ideal man’s meal, rich and heavy, and it went down well with my guest.

If you can manage dessert, I’d stick with something simple, though the six miniatures did tempt me the tiramisu won me over eventually. It was huge, really far too big, which was a shame because it looked beautiful and tasted good but I just felt overwhelmed by the whole thing.

We left the Four Seasons fully satisfied. My experiences here prove this hotel is much more than just luxury accommodation and spa, it also has a restaurant really worth visiting.

More information and book here.