Let’s start this one with a small game of tag. It was Andrei Bonello Permin, our son’s 28th or 14th birthday – depending on what you’re counting. So my wife Maria Bonello Permina and I decided to treat him for lunch, as in I pay and she graces us with his presence. Naturally upon the very mention of a free lunch, our daughter Yana Bonello‘s ears sprung to attention and being the very kind hearted person that I am, I could only concede to her rather ravenous request. But there’s still much more to our story.

As we had already agreed to have lunch with Nicki Stivala at Wejla in Smart City some time ago, here on this very page, I very loyally asked him to join us too. But much to our disappointment that restaurant is closed on a Tuesday. Where are all these restaurants when you need them most? So after much discussion and consideration between us all, I unilaterally decided to book at La Vela. And to continue our little story the day before we went, we got an unexpected phone call from our very dear friendsJeremy Cope and Michael Owen, who had just returned to Malta after having spent the Winter in one of their countless residences abroad. So our table kept growing and growing as did our expectations of this notable forthcoming lunch amongst family and friends.

In the end however we ended up Nicki-less, if you see what I mean… which is extremely surprising as he has never ever been known to miss an appointment… So much so that when Jeremy and Michael were added on to our table I actually only added one person to our table reservation – easy maths for everyone I imagine.

So six of us made it to La Vela. And for those who might not be familiar with this restaurant, it is the one in the small gardens in Pieta, on the other side of the creek from Mamma Mia, housed within what looks like a large kiosk. There is a pleasantly sober feel to the inside, while it also has a small al fresco section at the back literally on the water’s edge, offering lovely views of the marina. This is an Italian restaurant run by the very smart and outgoing Michelle Muscat and her Sicilian chef, offering a nice selection of typical and less typical Italian specialities.

For starters we had carrot and marrow soup drizzled with truffle oil, which was tasty, wholesome and full of natural flavours. Rather chunky grouper ravioli with whole unshelled prawns in a thick creamy and nutty sauce, which offered a nice pronounced fishy flavour. There were also zucchini filled with melted blue cheese and speck, an interesting combination presenting very distinct contrasting tastes. And finally lovely neonati fritters, which were perfectly prepared with a nice crispy exterior and a luscious, silky texture on the inside, proving to be my favourite starter of them all.

For mains we had a pleasant veal roulade with a creamy spinach and truffle sauce, which had sufficient truffle paste to amply provide for that delicious and distinctive taste. There was a tasty Angus rib eye steak, which although normally served plain, was provided to us along with the desired pepper sauce, with not as much as a sigh. The meat was of undisputed good quality and cooked perfectly to order. Besides an identical ravioli to the one taken as a started, the remaining three went for a lovely looking cipollazza, which was duly displayed to us before taken to the kitchen.

The only problem here turned out that the other mains were served a good ten minutes before the fish was ready, which resulted in one at our table having eaten his main course virtually in its entirety by the time the others were served, while the other two who decided to wait, against our repeated recommendations, ate theirs cold. We were duly informed by Michelle when the other mains were served, that the fish was found not to be fully cooked yet, and that it will require some more time. So at least we were warned about this, which did make the wait rather more acceptable. I grasped this opportunity to inform her that we would much rather have it slightly undercooked rather than over.

When the fish was finally served it did turn out to be a true delight, cooked exactly to our liking, still very moist and delicate, with the flesh very easily breakable with fork alone. It was steamed in foil with garlic, cherry tomatoes and herbs, giving it additional complimentary marked flovours, without overpowering the delicate fish. In fact I found the fish to be the best of the main courses selected. I would also like to mention the very well prepared side dishes, which in many restaurants often turn out to be rather unexciting. Here however both the thinly cut, very crunchy roast potatoes, as well as the mixed vegetables steamed in foil, really excelled both in flavour and in texture.

Only Yana our insatiable daughter had a dessert in the form of a pleasant pannacotta topped with forest fruits and peach segments.

The service – except for the unfortunate fish incident, was smart, brisk and friendly. As for wine we went for a very pleasant, fresh and floral Chilean Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc. The meal ended in a small new mini discovery, in the form of a truly distinctive Calabrian digestivo called Vecchio Amaro Del Capo, which admittedly I did not know of prior to this lunch. I would describe it as a relatively light, semi-sweet and very herbal amaro. A bit like a slightly stronger and more herbal Amaro Montenegro. I loved it to the extent of asking Michele if I could purchase a whole bottle to take home with us, which she very graciously agreed to and obliged.

To sum it all up it was an enjoyable luncheon in fine surroundings and good Italian food. The incident with the main courses is unfortunately something which can happen anywhere and provided that you don’t make a big deal about something like this, to yourself and in your own mind, it no longer remains something of significant importance. And the last mention must go to the fine company who DID make it to lunch with us. Namely Michael and Jeremy, the latter of whom amply amused us throughout the meal with many a story of their recent travels and more so with about as much gossip as anyone can possibly handle in one day. But then again this is why we love him.