The offer of Donald Russell steak, Glen Garioch Whisky and a visit to Le Petit Spa at Malmaison Aberdeen made for a very popular trip, and even the chilly weather couldn't dampen spirits as landed on our BMI flight in Scotland, and headed to Malmaison. The hotel stands on Queens Road, a large granite building that was originally a private residence, before being transformed into the Marcliffe Hotel. One of the wings of the hotel was once a retirement home for the staff of the Queen's home 'Balmoral' before being turned into the Queens Hotel - and then in 2008 the buildings were transformed into the beautiful Malmaison.
After quick bar lunch we jumped in a taxi for the 30 minute drive out to Glen Garioch distillery in the old market town of Oldmeldrum, across the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside, as the winter sun cast soft light over the hills. Glen Garioch Distillery was founded in 1797 by John and Alexander Manson, and produced some of the most delicious whisky I've tasted ( I'm no expert but this felt like velvet, with a silky smokiness in some of the older bottles we tasted!)
We had a great tour and learnt all about how the grain is dried by a peat fired stove ( they say their old one is haunted and Bernadette's photos did reveal a ghostly mist that certaintly wasn't there in real life....), and then the 'grist' is mixed with hot water to make a mash, which is turned in a 'mash tun' and the liquids taken out. The grain that remained is given to the farmers nearby for their cattle. Fermentation follows and then onto the stunning copper stills for distillation, and from then into the oak barrels where it will still and wait for years until its really to be bottled. I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about....
On our return to Malmaison I took advantage of my fabulous room - I especially loved the Nespresso machine...and the huge swimming pool of a bath. It really is decadent to be able to soak in the bath whilst watching TV, and the room was so large and spacious- returning to my North London flat was a little depressing on Sunday night!
The brasserie at Mal Aberdeen is reknowned for its Josper Grill and butchers window - you can literally see them picking your steak for you. We dined at the Chef's table, where you can watch the chefs hard at work in the kitchen on the flat screen TV and huge window - I found it fascinating to watch them cooking, and it made me realise what hard work it must be in a kitchen!
I opted for some cheese croquettes which were creamy and smooth, really far too moreish - but left room for the most delicious steak I've ever had, a fillet from Donald Russell. Donald Russell provides all the steak for Malmaison, Hotel du Vin and Bistro du Vin, and I can see why! The steak was literally melt in your mouth delicous, cooked to perfection on the Josper grill and complimented with a bakes potato slathered in Creme Fraiche... You can order meat directly from Donald Russell's website - I love the look of their Christmas Food...!
Qin opted for the frogs legs, I'm not quite brave enough to try them but they looked pretty good! Mal has some fabulous retro puddings on their menu - including Baked Alaska - which was a firm favourite. The Cheese and Wine flight was tempting, and they also do a cocktails and dessert flight, if only I'd had room after my steak.. It was Qin's birthday so the perfect excuse for a biggest chocolate cake I've seen - happy birthday Qin!
The next morning we felt the need to leave the food and whisky behind and get some fresh air - so headed off to meet Fiona Jane of Hidden Aberdeen Tours, to discover the medieval sites in the old town, learn all about how the univserity came to be and lots of spooky ghostly tales of murders and pranks gone wrong.
We were very fortunate that our tour coincided with Remembrance Sunday, so we were treated to the bagpipes and trumpeters, and a fabulous procession which really did give me goosebumps as the pipers marched past us.
Back at Mal we tucked into a seafood extravaganza, with smoked salmon, oysters, mussels, huge prawns and crab, followed by the tasry sea trout - its so easy to forget that Aberdeen is right on the seafront, with a stunning long beach to wonder up. We meant to get out to Captain Jacks to try out some Iron Bru ice cream but the lure of a deep sofa and roaring fire with the Sunday was too much...
By Diana M
We flew with bmi, British Midland International. The airline flies between London Heathrow and Aberdeen up to 6 times a day. With fares from £78 return including taxes and charges there has never been a better time to fly to Aberdeen with bmi. For more information and to book visit www.flybmi.com
. Glen Garioch is open to the public daily, and tours are £5 per person - VIP tours can be arranged also. Hidden Aberdeen Tour are available all year round - email info@hiddenaberdeen.co.uk or call 07572 745753 for more info.
Rooms at Malmaison Aberdeeen are from £95 on weekends - check out their website for offers and promotions