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Sunday Brunch Chez Mal

Many of you already know I’m a basketball WAG so I don’t get to hang out much with Sparky on a weekend as he’s usually travelling the country for games, however last weekend marked the end of the basketball season and a rare break in the training schedule, meaning that this weekend we’d have all day Sunday to ourselves & we thought we’d spend it doing something we love; eating.

I’ve been hanging out and taking my meetings at the newly refurbished Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle for a few weeks now and was recommended their Sunday Brunch, it’s a Mal signature and I’d been told that it has to be seen to be believed. So off we set, with high hopes and empty tummies.

*For those of you interested in the fashion, I wore silk joggers by The Row, a striped breton tee by Mon Belle Rebelle, Kurt Geiger shoe boots and my trusty Chanel 2.55 thrown over my shoulder, hair trussed up in a halo braid to prevent me from getting chocolate stuck in it (see, always thinking ahead.)

We arrived at the Malmaison hotel to a warm welcome in the bar area, service was still turning over the breakfast sitting in the brasserie and there was a wedding event setting up so things were a little atypical but not in a bad way. The bar has a friendly informal feel to it, bartenders were practicing “Malchemy” when we arrived and immediately called us over to sample an Old Fashioned (smokey and bitter if you’re interested, just like it should be). We hung out in the bar area sampling various shots, wines and cheeses before being taken to our table in the brasserie for the main event.

The first thing i should tell you is that the Sunday Brunch menu is huge! It includes classic brunch dishes such as Eggs Benedict and Corned Beef Hash, alongside traditional Sunday lunch dishes such as prime rib of Black Angus beef with thyme Yorkshire pudding and vegetables. Brunch starts with guests visiting the Chef’s table to select from unlimited hors d’oeuvres, yes that’s right folks, unlimited, you can make your way up there and help yourself to as much as you like, as often as you like, and that’s all before you’ve even had your main meal. They had Sparky on the hook immediately, he was up at the chef’s table before I had my jacket off piling his plate with smoked salmon, shrimp, minted rice, Serrano ham cut from the bone, salad, seasoned tomatoes and much, much more. The Chef’s table is truly a sight to behold, tucked away in a private dining room it’s like an Aladdin’s cave for the senses.

Staff serving were friendly and happy to give recommendations, and yes, we did end up visiting the table twice. Well, it would be rude not to, right?!

After a brief respite, our trusty waiter, Don, brought us our main course dishes, Prime rib of beef for me and a Mal Burger for Sparky. Now for a little back story, Sparky is a burger lover. But only if it’s good. Remember that episode of How I Met Your Mother where the gang try to track down a burger joint where Marshall claimed to have once eaten the perfect burger? Well Sparky IS Marshall.

The food arrived quickly, you place your order before you visit the Chef’s table so it’s ready when you are (genius) and man it looked good, the beef arrived pink, with a Yorkshire pudding the size of a door stop and a large side of seasoned vegetables, the burger came with its own copper pot of relish and side of “skin on” fries. So far so good…

The food Chez Mal is good. No it’s better than that, it’s great. The beef was fantastic and the vegetables were smooth and creamy, Sparky said afterwards that the burger was definitely top five but it’s more than just the food. The Sunday Brunch is an experience, the staff are friendly and attentive, not overbearing and not unapproachable, the other diners, a mix of hotel residents and walk-ins are vibrant and happy. Everyone marvels at the chef’s table on their first visit, chatting animatedly about how amazing it all looks before diving in to taste what’s on offer, people examine what near diners have ordered and base their order on the presentation, it’s a very social experience and that’s before we’ve even talked about the amazing view of the Newcastle Quayside looking out over Gateshead.

Ok, let’s get on to the important part and the reason for this intricate up do; the dessert. Now i happen to have history with the dessert menu Chez Mal, lets just say we’re familiar. I went for (my personal favourite) a Mal Hot Chocolate, it’s a dessert served in a coffee cup, built up of ice cream, fresh cream and home-made marshmallows and served with a just of hot chocolate sauce, yes, it’s every bit as awesome as it sounds. Sparky chose a traditional sticky toffee pudding with hot toffee sauce and whole pecans, he courteously and smugly reminded me of my nut allergy just incase i was under the impression he might share his dessert with me. Hmph.

The verdict? Chez Mal boasts that it hosts “The Biggest Sunday Lunch in Town” and who am I to argue with that, the selection is huge but it’s also really, really good food. The Chef’s table is packed with hors d’oeuvres but none of them are heavy so unlike other “all you can eat” style lunches, you can select “light bites” without worrying that you’ll need to call for help to roll you home. It’s a well thought out social dining experience, and if you get a table in one of the huge arched window you can watch the world go by, the view is just gorgeous (I’m from Newcastle, what did you expect?!). Since the refurbishment the brasserie still has that very polished finish but it’s less dark, it’s open and the natural light from those huge windows seems to enhance everything.

There’s a great choice throughout the menu, it’s not just limited to Sunday lunch, there’s something here to suit every palate and the dessert menu is to die for, there are Chef’s Specials too so depending on when you go, you might just find yourself able to sample something new. It’s a place for lovers of good food and good chat, the staff have time to stop and talk and share anecdotes and although busy, diners aren’t rushed. Sparky’s closing remark was that he hasn’t eaten that well since Christmas (make of that what you will).

So, as far as Sunday brunch goes, I’d say Chez Mal are on to a winner but don’t tell anyone, it’ll be our little secret…..

Pixie x

The Chez Mal Sunday Brunch skinny:

Chez Mal is situated on the first floor of the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle, tables can be booked online at https://www.malmaison.com/locations/newcastle/brasserie/ or over the phone 0844 6930658

Address: 104 Quayside, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3DX

The full Chez Mal Sunday Brunch menu (including THAT amazing Mal Hot Chocolate) can be found here: 2015-january-sunday-lunch-menu-web

Sunday brunch is £19.95 per person and £7.95 for children.

Categories: The Archives

Rising Star: Kelly Shaw London

Last Sunday saw the close of Capsule in Paris; Capsule is the premiere gathering of the finest apparel and accessories brands from around the world. More than a tradeshow, the brands who participate in Capsule make up a community that is shaping the future fashion landscape.

The FW15 Capsule collective set up shop in Tapis Rouge for three days to coincide with Paris Fashion Week and provided a platform for fresh and emerging talent to showcase their FW15 womenswear collections. Amongst the designers presenting at Capsule was Brit Kelly Shaw who set up her womenswear label Kelly Shaw London in 2011. Part of the Young British Designers collective, Shaw is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and exciting designers to emerge from London and her FW15 collection entitled The Liminal Journey, is testament to that. Clearly influenced by Victoria Beckham, Shaw’s collection is made up of clean, simple lines and bold proportions.

Linda Smock with Open Back £349

British Mohair Tartan Coat with Patch Pocket Detail £1200

Julia Wool Shift Dress £399

Roberta Swing Cotton Dress £299

White Dolly Shirt with Concealed Placket £190 & Wool Skirt with Multi Twist Panel Detailing £420

Kelly Shaw has a close working relationship with artist Jem Doulton who creates bold oil paintings borne out of Shaw’s thoughts and ideas and these, in turn, are scanned and turned into digital prints on fabric. For this particular collection Shaw was inspired by the process of self-transformation, complex human emotions and the paradox of good and bad, of light and dark.

A clever and original way of working this collaboration ensures that the designers personality and flair is translated into each individual piece. Shaw is confident, her mantra is this; discover your soul, be bold, be yourself, create, rebel, revolutionise and above all, enjoy. Each piece in her current collection depicts a quiet protest, from the slogan tees and dresses to the bold prints on delicate silk. Shaw uses British materials and produces her collections in the UK, this is truly a girl who is proud to be British and supporting the British fashion industry.

Metallic Cosmos Shift Dress £425

Liminal Digital Print Skirt £320 & Slogan Tee £65

Liminal Dress with Digital Front Panel £440

“Metalic Cosmos” Organic Jersey Sweatshirt £280

Stripe Scarf 100% Wool £210

Liminal Scarf 100% Wool £210

Despite her roots being firmly in the UK, Kelly Shaw took her FW15 collection to present in Paris, why you might ask? Well the answer to that is an interesting one and requires some background….

Producing a collection costs money. Lots of it. The biggest issue for a young designer fresh to the fold is having the cashflow to meet the level of supply and demand for their current collection, but to also fund the next collection and be able to present it to the masses. This is something Shaw knows only too well and after taking to the streets during London Fashion Week SS15 in September 2014 with the Occupy movement to protest against the fashion industry’s lack of support for British designers showing at London Fashion Week, Shaw set up a crowd funding project in order to present her FW15 main line collection offering up personal notes, collection pieces, drawings and whatever she could to those who contributed in order to draw attention and backing for the project, and it worked. Shaw raised the full capital amount required to show her collection during arguably the most prolific event of Fashion Month; Paris Fashion Week.

Fast forward to March 2015 and Kelly Shaw has packed up her collection and her team and travelled to Paris to show her collection at Tapis Rouge, an amazing venue in the centre of Paris steeped in history and a fantastic place to present a fashion collection. Shaw’s star is rising and Paris may just send her stellar, Kanye West was spotted browsing and as we know, anything Kanye gives the seal of approval has a tendency to skyrocket.

If you’re a fan of British design and British fashion this is one designer you should back; Kelly Shaw has real talent, with a knack for knockout simplicity and a “fuck you” attitude to conforming, Shaw is not afraid to push the boundaries or to challenge proportions. Edgar Allen Poe once said “There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion” and Shaw’s designs are the very definition of this, with each collection she comes more into her own and with The Liminal Journey I think she’s found her niche.

Prices for the Kelly Shaw London FW15 collection start at a very reasonable £65 for a slogan tee up to £550 for an evening dress and that divine British mohair coat that so many of you have asked about is £1200.

Fashion Voyeur and Kelly Shaw London have teamed up to offer readers a fantastic 20% discount on pieces from the FW15 collection if ordered before March 30th 2015. This is an exclusive offer not available anywhere else and the collection is not currently available to purchase so you’ll be amongst the first to get your hands on it when it drops in August 2015 for the FW15 season.

To order at the discounted price simply:

Browse the full collection in the gallery at the bottom of the post
Choose your favourite piece(s)
Email kelly@kellyshaw.co.uk to place your order quoting Fashion Voyeur for your exclusive 20% discount
Sit back and gloat knowing you’re amongst the first to pre-order the Kelly Shaw London FW15 collection and that you got it at a knockout price

Top of my shopping list from this collection:

Grey Wool Dress £385

“Living The Dream” Unisex Screen Printed Sweatshirt £120

Liminal Digital Print Skirt £320 & Printed Silk Top £240

British Mohair Tartan Coat with Patch Pocket Detail £1200

I absolutely have to have the grey Cloud type dress, (I feel that it will improve my life exponentially & it absolutely will as I’ve already ordered it) and the oversized slogan sweat speaks for itself. The trend for co-ord dressing shows no signs of abating and this two piece with the mix of print and proportion is absolute perfection. Lastly the British mohair coat, just look at it, it’s a thing of beauty and in the midst of a British Winter we all need something beautiful!

To find out more visit www.kellyshaw.co.uk, the FW15 collection will be available from August 2015 via the Young British Designers website at: http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com/designers/arising/kelly-shaw/ or you can currently shop the SS15 collection via the same website.

Here’s the full Liminal Journey collection, pick out your favourite pieces, take advantage of the fantastic discount offer, and circle August in your diaries.

Pixie x

Want to engage with Kelly Shaw London on social media?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyshawlondon

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyshawlondon

“Living The Dream” Unisex Screen Printed Sweatshirt £120

Slogan Tee £65 & Berry Red Wool Shorts £240

Liminal Digital Print Skirt £320 & Slogan Tee £65

Liminal Digital Print Skirt £320 & Printed Silk Top £240

Berry Red Wool Shorts £240

Linda Smock with Open Back £349

“Metalic Cosmos” Organic Jersey Sweatshirt £280

White Dolly Shirt with Concealed Placket £190 & Wool Skirt with Multi Twist Panel Detailing £420

Emma Trapeze Dress with Raw Edge Hem Detail £520

Marianne Layered Dress with Bias Cut Paneling and Raw Edge Hem Detail £550

Wool Dress with Multi Twist Panel Detailing £899

Kirsty Trapeze Dress with Square Hem Panel Detail £325

Liminal Dress with Digital Front Panel £440

British Mohair Tartan Coat with Patch Pocket Detail £1200

Julia Wool Shift Dress £399 & Liminal Scarf £210

Julia Wool Shift Dress £399

Grey Wool Dress £385

Roberta Swing Cotton Dress £299

Metallic Cosmos Shift Dress £425

Categories: The Archives

Holly Fulton SS15 London Fashion Week

This is my first post on the new domain and it’s about one of my favourite subjects: London Fashion Week! I was lucky enough to be invited to Fashion Week this year by fashion and beauty PR Agency Media Hubb and attended the SS15 show of one of my favourite British designers, Holly Fulton.

I was invited backstage before the show to really get an idea of the thought behind the show and was very interested to hear that Holly thinks of her show as a view into her world. This is far more than a twenty minute runway show, this is an experience, and it begins when the models are cast. Holly wanted the models skin to almost drip with luminescence and health and in order to achieve this models were gifted with beauty devices from leading home beauty device brand; Silk’n. These included the Glide hair removal, Silhouette contouring and Sonic Clean Plus devices, all of which contributed to that flawless glow the models had on the runway.

“Fashion and beauty have the same aspiration, to make women look and feel beautiful” says Holly, “My SS15 collection is set off by illuminating skin which is smooth and soft to the touch, thanks to Silk’n revolutionary products”

models hair was kept simple in low slung ponytails with added weaves for extra length, I spoke to Hair Stylists Loui Ferri and Mags about the look and they said that it was all about a sleek look so that the focus would be on the models “glow”

Holly hails from Edinburgh and is known for her striking graphic prints. Her SS15 runway show theme was alluded to with the printed show invite and the show itself did not disappoint. Nestled in the Courtyard showspace at London Fashion Week hub, Somerset House, a white reflective runway was concealed by yellow plastic as we took our seats.

The FROW was a hotbed for fashion editors, bloggers, celebrities and fashion lovers all eager for a first look at the collection dubbed “an ode to sun-worship, folk art and free expression”

The creations were decorated in folkloric magic but grounded in the precision of Modernism. True to form, Holly sent models cascading down the runway in her signature monochrome panelled with crystal and laser cut components and bonded patent strapping.

Models wore sunglasses from Holly’s own collection; Holly Fulton for Cutler and Gross and powered down the runway to the beats of Jonjo Jury.

I swear my heart skipped a beat when the graphic printed silk coat appeared on the runway and my eyes seemed to naturally filter out everything else for a moment, a thing of rare beauty and craftsmanship, and something that screams Holly Fulton to anyone within shouting distance.

After a gorgeous finale with colours so sharp they looked like they had been processed with a Chrome filter, Holly made a brief appearance on the runway stopping only to wave to the crowd before disappearing again. One thing is for sure though, the Great British High-street will be awash with tributes to this collection come February 2015 and we’ll all be back in graphic print with perspex detailing, strapping and accessories.

Pixie x

FROW

Holly Fulton SS15

Holly Fulton SS15 Details

Holly Fulton for Cutler & Gross

Holly Fulton SS15

THAT printed jacket