A feast for the eyes and stomach proves the perfect treat for JESSICA MANN’S other half.

My husband’s birthday falls in the middle of Oxford Fashion Week.

Many men’s ideal birthday is watching the footie with their mates, followed by a kebab and beer.

But then Mr Mann (as my father jokingly calls him), to my pleasure, is not like most men. Instead he chose to grab a glass of bubbly and join Oxford's elite in the front row at a lingerie catwalk show. Did I not mention that small detail? The night in question was the lingerie show at Malmaison, in the Castle Complex, Oxford.

For a special treat, I had arranged dinner at the Brasserie afterwards and had pre-ordered. But fashion waits for no man, or more importantly no stomach, and dinner was postponed over and over again as the show was delayed for the umpteenth time.

Indeed, I began to wonder if I had made a mistake in not eating beforehand and if Mr Mann (pictured, inset, with the writer) might just end up with that kebab for his birthday supper after all.

But thanks to the amiable staff at Malmaison, and some practiced sprinting up and downstairs in my own Jimmy Choos, we were able to change the reservation to 10.15pm, the absolute latest they will seat people.

Meanwhile women and men had begun sashaying down the runway sporting a mind-boggling variety of colours, lace, and laces. The men’s garments varied in colour and tightness depending on the size of these young specimens’ abs.

The final spectacle climaxed in all models returning to the catwalk, displaying their skimpies for the applauding observers.

We might have loitered if time hadn’t been ticking, and a hunk the size of a small house hadn’t blocked Mr Mann’s hungry view of a particularly fine corset. So it was off to dinner downstairs where the hostess took our breathless entrance and hungry look as a desire to eat.

I ordered a Dinastia Vivanco Rioja Crianza (£27.50) wine to smooth the edges before our meal, and the cherry and vanilla flavours integrated with the warm spiciness of the grape.

The pre-ordered food arrived quickly. We started by sharing the moules marinieres (£6.95). The mussels were tasty in a simple white wine and garlic sauce. It’s a nice-sized starter to share, as long as you aren’t famished or an athlete in training.

The mains arrived barely five minutes after we had washed our fingertips with lemon and water. Mr Mann had gone with the classic steak frites (£17.95) and I had the loin of venison wrapped in puffed pastry (£19.95).

The steak was a large (250g) thin slab of beef. It was juicy and tender, which surprised me for such a skinny piece of meat. The chips were hand-cut, seasoned and cooked crispy on the outside; melt in your mouth inside. However, for the price, it’s a tad plain.

My loin was a bit more flash. It was amazingly succulent and rare warm red all the way through, which is hard to do inside a dough casing. The outside of the pastry complemented the meat. However, I left the parts immediately touching the flesh, as they weren’t cooked all the way through. No matter, the venison and flavoursome beetroot jus more than made up for the mushy inner pastry.

Our charming waiter, the handsome Josh, and Brasserie supervisor, Frank Lobo, attended to our needs and added to the elegance of the night. We left happy and the envy of other lingerie show observers who hadn’t had the forethought to book dinner and turn one glamorous show into an extraordinary night.

And, if you want the glamour, but don’t want to pay the price, visit malmaison.com/promotions/. You can get two courses for a tenner, or even have two courses, wine and a room for £99 (subject to conditions). Pre-booking is a must.

Beef cake anyone?

Malmaison Brasserie, Castle Complex, 3 New Road, Oxford, 01865 268400.