By Andrew Wright. Our only when entering the Malmaison recently for our YB News team business meeting was that the cosy, opulent surroundings would make it difficult for us to get down to some serious hard graft…

And when, having arrived slightly earlier than my colleagues, I settled down in front of the foyer’s grand, welcoming fire pit with a cappuccino, the temptation to skive off work and instead spend the day watching the world go by and taking in the stunning dockside view became all too real.

However, as the rest of the team arrived, the focus was shifted and instead yielded a productive day of work. Any fears of getting distracted during our meeting were allied by the friendly, helpful staff, who escorted us to our private room, which was comfortable still, but formal enough and certainly conducive to a fruitful working lunch.

The luxury boutique hotel boasts a number of private rooms, perfect for a business meetings or an intimate lunch – in our case entailed a tasty three course lunch – and provide a practical, quiet base from which to work.

We were shown to ‘The Kitchen’, a room off the main dining area with a wall of frosted glass separating us from the skilled chefs who were busy preparing our lunch. Having ensured we were suitably watered and supplied with menus, the staff were attentive throughout the day, yet respectful to our privacy as we got down to business.

Having worked up an appetite, our host was on hand to take our orders.

We ate from the Autumn Lunch Menu, and as our visit fell around Halloween time, pumpkin was a key fixture on the cosy menu. But, far from being a case of using up leftover remnants of the holiday, the team had come up with a umber of imaginative ways to make pumpkin the star of the show.

I opted for the winter salad, which combined pumkin with rainbow beetroot and barley and was a light, fresh opener to start the meal.

Another favourite among our group was the succulent ham hock terrine, flaky, flavoursome ham wrapped in buttery pastry and served with seasonal salad.

But the star of the day had to be the venison burger, which was served with sweet potato fries. The juicy burger was complemented by a fresh salad garnish and served inside a fresh ciabatta bun. The meat was succulent and perfectly cooked and the fries crisp and well seasoned – this was no ordinary burger and chips you may grab for lunch on a Friday afternoon.

This somewhat luxurious respite from our business meeting was rounded off with the autumn mess dessert – a take on the popular Eaton Mess, which combined sweet, sticky meringue with whipped cream and a generous selection of fresh figs and blackberries.

Lunch was a welcome interlude to our working day, and after our plates were cleared, drinks refilled and laptops reopened,  the room seamlessly transformed once more into our office for the afternoon. And for us, that is what was key; Malmaison seem to have got the formula right in providing an effective, relaxing work hub combined with quality cuisine to create an attractive antidote to the often boring, overly formal away day venues.

Of course, the festive season is well and truly upon us and businesses across the city looking are getting set for the annual office soiree and we couldn’t recommend Malmaison highly enough.

With the cold nights drawing in, the riverside hotel provides cosy – almost sultry  surroundings for your work Christmas do. Malmaison’s 2016 Christmas menu si something to be admired too.

The Seasonal Fixed Price menu offers two courses for £19.95 and three courses for £24.95.

Starters include stilton, fig and endive salad and chicken liver parfait. The traditional Christmas staple is available for main course, with ballotine of free-range turkey on offer alongside vegetarian options, including dolcelatte and walnut tortellini. And those with a sweet tooth can opt for classic Christmas pudding or cherry and vanilla creme brulee to finish. If our recent visit is anything to go by, Malmaison is the perfect way to start off the festive celebrations.

For more information email Helen Duffy HDuffy@malmaison.com