Monthly Archives: October 2015

TARRAGON, St. Pauls Bay

Tarragon Restaurant in St Pauls Bay is about as good as it gets in Malta.

Unfortunately for our weight, liver and pocket, this is the place we love to frequent over and over again and as often as possible. It is really very hard to have anything but a fantastic meal and overall experience in this virtually unique establishment.

We have always found this venue very special. The decor, service, food and overall feel reminds of London, Paris, New York and this isn’t an exaggeration, except anything similar in these cities would probably cost at least twice the price.

The new wine list is also very balanced and impressive. A really good new move.

Keep it up Marvin, Michael, Joshua, Donald and staff and see you very soon.

EUROPEAN MINI ROAD TRIP – Part 1

– Some random culinary thoughts for the hungry traveller

Background

It is with pleasure that I bring to you some random thoughts and somewhat garbled accounts and interpretations of our dining adventures during our recent trip abroad.

This narrative is not at all aimed at being a review exercise of specific restaurants, but more of a general overview of our dining experiences and reflections, as well as a collection of thoughts on related subjects. I have purposely omitted the names of the restaurants referred to for a number of reasons, including the relative irrelevance of doing so, as these are not based in Malta. This is therefore beyond the scope of this account. However I would be more than pleased to provide the names of any of these establishments to anyone upon request.

Due to the overall length of this account, I have chopped it up into smaller, bite-sized morsels which should be easier to digest for the reader. I will therefore be posting here an account of a different part of our journey every couple of days…

Introduction

We often wonder why we so easily get caught up in stereotypes when of course most things in life are so much more complex. Food and cuisine are no different, with so many preconceived perceptions of entire countries simply falling into either the ‘good eating’ or the ‘bad eating’ categories.

But frankly our mini European road trip during the last two weeks of January went a long way in proving exactly why such stereotypes exist. Our trip took us through Belgium, Luxembourg, the Moselle and Upper Rhine regions of Germany, as well as the Alsace region in Eastern France and finally to Paris and the Oise region just North of Paris.

Although this might at first sound quite eclectic, it is in reality more of a regional trip by European standards, rather than one of great scale and distance. However in spite of this, the differences between each of these neighbouring countries and regions in culinary and gastronomic terms was so evident, that stereotypes start to emerge as an obvious conclusion.

I hope you will find the following various posts interesting, useful and above all entertaining.

CHAPTER ONE – St Julians

This restaurant is in Paceville, St. Julians and therefore in the middle of it all if you’re in that part of town. In spite of popular belief there is many an aspiring restaurant in Paceville and this is certainly one of them.

This was our first time at Chapter One and having heard quite a lot about it, I must admit that we had fairly high expectations. I always find that this puts an establishment in quite a tough spot as one’s anticipation will automatically be much higher and pretty hard to satisfy, when compared to a blind choice when no particular expectation is expected to be met.

When I booked over the phone my reservation was handled with an extremely well mannered and professional response, which was again a telltale sign of a top eatery. Upon arrival we were immediately ushered
in and shown to our table. As we were subjected to very loud music, something I must admit I really cannot tolerate in spite of it being so common in many local restaurants, this was very quickly lowered without any hesitation, much to our relief.

Throughout the evening the service was totally efficient, extremely attentive and very keen – even enthusiastic, with loads of info being dealt out to us in reply to any of our questions. The restaurant itself is rather bare and austere and the tables on the smallish side, but we settled in to have a good meal and had many a banter with the knowledgeable and dedicated young maitre d’.

So we decided on a carpaccio of wild fish with marinated red prawns and fennel and a carpaccio of steamed beetroot with grilled goat cheese, walnut, mustard and honey. Both were very well presented and turned out
to be as pleasing to the eye as they were to the palate. The beetroot carpaccio particularly was a delicious combination of many both subtle and bold flavours which all married perfectly in this original dish.

For mains we had steamed Angus beef cheeks in its own jus and scallops in beetroot gelée. The scallops was one of the daily specials on offer as a starter, which they graciously agreed to transform into a larger main
sized portion for us, once again indicating their perfectly accommodating nature. We find that more and more restaurants refuse to do this and we are often told that they only serve starter portions with the only other option
being to order two!

The scallops were refreshing and delicate with an interesting mix of flavours. The beef cheeks were cooked to perfection and very easily eaten with fork alone and no knife necessary. I personally would have enjoyed a
slightly tastier sauce with this dish and found the one served slightly bland. The beef was served with roast potatoes which were unremarkable but adequate.

I had a home made chocolate brownie for desert which was exceedingly decadent and divine and yet another powerful kick to my increasing diabetes smile emoticon

With our coffees we asked for calvados and were served with a simply exquisite Daron X.O. Without making an issue out of it, I feel however that the maitre d’ should have pointed this out to us when we ordered. We were charged € 16 for the calvados and although I believe that this was amply justified by its quality, we did not request, neither were we informed that a premium brand would be served. We were also graciously offered seconds on the house, which also alleviated further this omission, which I confidently feel was purely a genuine oversight on his side. In general however, I think that whenever requesting any form of generic wine or spirit, premium brands should not be automatically served and charged for without previous discussion with the customer.

The total price including a Cote du Rhone Boussargues priced at € 16.50, amounted to € 123.00. I would tend to say that this was perhaps slightly on the high side, but then again the calvados made a significant contribution towards this.

To sum it all up I would say don’t go there for the stunning scenery or ambiance, but if you are in town and fancy a delicately prepared dish, original and creative fare, complimented by extremely attentive service, then this would be a good choice to make.

THE BROTHERS Bulgarian Restuarant, Bugibba

This unassuming Bulgarian restaurant in Bugibba has quite unexpectedly become one of our favourite venues for an informal yet yummie meal.

Situated very close to the Empire Cinema, it has a warm, wooden, wintery feel with pleasing decor reminiscent of a mix between a mountain chalet and a stylish rural retreat, along with open fire.

By far its main selling points are its excellent and often outstanding meat dishes, the genuine, attentive and friendly service given by Rositsa, its continuous service from lunchtime until late evening without interruption and above all truly awesome value for money which is pretty hard to beat.

We have returned again and again to this off-the-beaten-track restaurant to enjoy lovely meal after lovely meat meal without as yet one disappointment. It is not the epitome of sophistication and is not poised to be so either. It is a lovely combination of unpretentious friendly service, great wholesome
tasty meat dishes and above all enormous portions at extremely modest prices. So if you are a normal to small eater as we are, you will have an extremely hard time spending your money in this joint.

If you love barbecued meat, especially tasty and chunky skewers, then this will fast become one of your top favourites. We have tried and enjoyed most of their dishes, but admittedly their ample kebab dishes are the best. Their “Swords” dish particularly is to die for. But most incredulously their dishes are so copious that you are distinctly advised by the staff themselves to share a main course between two. Now how is that for honesty and customer care!

So have a good look at their menu, and keep in mind that the ‘normal’ main courses may very easily be shared between two, their various mains for two may easily be shared between three and that this will also be clearly suggested to you by the staff themselves when ordering.

Over and above the quality and sheer size of their mains, many of these dishes are somehow priced at or around € 20! So your ample and tasty main will cost you roughly € 10 per person…. what more can I say? In fact a starter, main course, good Bulgarian red wine, water, coffee and a liqueur will rarely cost you more than € 20 to € 25 per person and most importantly of all for good quality food.

Rositsa who usually works lunches and early afternoons provides a super friendly, very welcoming and efficient service to all. She also somehow remembers everything you ordered and preferred from one visit to another, which goes far beyond anyone’s expectations. She also does her very best to outshine normally expected service.

Ask her to suggest a good Bulgarian red wine – let her whip up a nice selection of starters, simply trust her to look after you and she most definitely will. This is an ideal place for an informal and affordable meal.

SCIACCA GRILL, Valletta

Yesterday we had a great meal at Sciacca Grill in South Street Valletta. If you are a meat lover than this is the place to go.

You can first get a full description and a viewing at the display of all the different meats they have – this is both attractive and useful. This includes Kobe beef such as wagyu, all types of ribeyes, sausages, etc. very impressive. So you can actually see and choose your meat.

The wine list was ok although nothing special. Service was professional and good. And of course if you like whisky this is not only a lovely and trendy meat restaurant but also an incomparable whisky bar with a few hundreds of Scotch whiskies on offer – wow…

KANTINA CAFE, Valletta

Five of us met up in Valletta at 15:00 and were in search of a late lunch. But in spite of the capital being bustling and many establishments being open, it proved very hard to find one which would accommodate us at that time. Kitchens were all closing and we had much difficulty finding a place with continuous service, much as this sounds unlikely. Even some of those which actually remained open, informed us that their kitchen closes until later on in the evening.

I had recently remarked how practical it was to see that more and more establishments were remaining open throughout the afternoon, including proper restaurants, around Malta, so I was under the false impression that Valletta would be full of such venues.

So although we were initially after something rather smart, we settled for a much more casual eatery, just next to St John’s Cathedral.

The staff were bubbly and friendly and nice, definitely not reserved in any way. Service was at times a bit sketchy, but still very much on the acceptable side. Of course one has to make some concessions based upon the type of venue, and should expect a very casual style of service in this type of place.

Also as may be expected in this type of establishment, the menu was quite vast, but at least their wine list too was rather varied and even a bit beyond expectation. We went for Australian all round this time, and had Jacob’s Creek Semillon Chardonnay white and Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet red. I was very familiar with both and nobody was disappointed, as both make very pleasant and easy drinking.

We had a variety of dishes including a more than acceptable duck breast salad and various pasta dishes, including wild mushroom ravioli and asparagus fagottini, which were both lovely. Their penne al salmone was also very pleasing. Also a spinach and tuna pie which was fine.

So all in all, we very satisfied with the quality of the food, keeping in mind that this is a very casual diner. However I must admit that some of the dishes, and certainly the pastas, could have matched even what is served in good restaurants.

Naturally the location is just excellent, being situated right in the heart of Valletta, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of our stylish capital. The place was virtually exclusively frequented by tourists, but that is to be expected in such circumstances and has its own advantages, which can be very pleasing to the eye and also easy on the ear. I have absolutely nothing against young, skimpily dressed foreigners who keep their mouth shut while eating.

Unfortunately I really seem to have misplaced the bill. However I very much recall that the total amount came to only to a fraction of what we would have paid in a smart restaurant. So that too is an important element one has to keep in mind, when substituting a finer diner with a very informal one.

So although this casual diner might not become a destination restaurant in its own right for us, it would certainly be one we would gladly return to for a light meal.

The end of our lunch marked the beginning of a long evening and night of drinking and delicious debauchery, until the early hours in the morning and in no less than 5 different bars and clubs. Valletta has become without a doubt the best location for a fun pub crawl and truly has something for everyone. If moreover, like us, you are able to enjoy everything and anything, and to soak in the diversity of an eclectic evening out, then Valletta will excel.

Now where did I put those morning after pills tongue emoticon

AN EARLYSUMMER DAY’S NIGHTMARE

On that tiny spec in the middle of the Med the skies have cleared and the temperatures have started to soar.

The populace have started their annual transformation from washing pavements and low lying Escorts in villages afar, to rinsing boathouse verandas and dingies in bays and beaches around.

Entire swathes of the coastline have been overrun by these makeshift dwellings, leaving little space for any additional illegal activities such as camping and barbecuing in the wild.

Beaches are overrun by buxom mamas yelling obscenities at their young. By their tattooed husbands proudly following their beer bellies around. By virtually naked young girls acting like women of the night in the middle of day. And by hoards of screaming kids, praying that a massive cleansing tsunami would suddenly come and wash them all mercilessly away.

They only return to their quaint little village for that momentous monotonous moronic morbid murtali affair. When in their mad fervour first they block roads to fix wooden poles and posts, then up come the flags and the blue lights on their roofs. Followed by endless mind numbing simulations of war. This culminates in following an out of tune band, tons of tiny papers littering the streets for days, and usually ends up in a good old punch-up between so called friends.

But then the day after all is forgotten on the white sands of Armier. And then off to the Trade Fair for a geyser some Jablo and a new air condition! And make sure that they don’t find cheaper lest they do a complain!

As for the ones they have left back in their native concrete bush, in a crazed act of mad desperation they bring out their entire living room onto the pavement, TV and all. And they sit there glaring at the close passing traffic, swallowing fumes, while munching on pastizzi and hobz biz sunflower zejt.

For these are the kings and the lifes and the mans and the gisems who run this country in style and in class, right down to the ground.

Footnote.
Disclaimer – any resemblance to real persons living or (preferably) dead is purely coincidental

HEAVEN AND HELL

The land line hardly ever rings these days. So when it does there are always a few moments of hesitation as to whom the caller might be. When it rang at 9pm I did experience some apprehension. My concerns were more than justified when one of my closest cousins, sobbing heavily, announced that his elder sister had just passed away at the age of 59. What terrifying news and what do you say in such horrific circumstances.

Just the next day I learned on the morning news that one of my oldest friends who had achieved national fame had also met his demise, after having fought against a terrible illness for many years.

Three of my class mates were no longer with us and our neighbours had recently lost their twelve year old son.

It all makes you think… You soon start to wonder and to ask those disturbing yet inevitable questions. Who’s next? When is it my turn?

And although you don’t really want an answer, you cannot help but contemplate these dark and disturbing thoughts. Do you worry, do you despair? You know for a fact that like everyone else without fail your time will come, no matter what you can possibly do.

The rich and the poor, the bright and the dim, the big and the small, all follow each other into the one and only certain eventuality of life – its end.

Our family and friends, our wealth and possessions, our work and our leisures, all are left behind. As is our memory, our legacy of sorts, no matter how big or small.

We can leave joy and compassion, love and affection, or we can leave hatred, jealousy and scorn.

We can choose to forgive and to love, then we too will take with us for the rest of eternity such feelings of goodness and joy. Or we can bear grudges, maintain differences and rivalry, which will leave poison behind us, as well as in our dying hearts.

We can choose to be benevolent and generous of spirit with all others around us, or to spread hatred and evil afar.

And as always in life we will reap what we sow. This will be the only thing left which others will remember us by, and the only thing remaining in our passing soul.

For it is entirely us who choose between heaven and hell, through our thoughts and actions, before we die. It is a totally self imposed fate which we have the luxury of choosing while we are still alive.

Choose wisely my friends before it’s too late. Forgive and forget all that is negative, empty your soul of the foul, do not harbour hate and oppression for the rest of eternity.

Go kiss those around you, send out messages of love. Take away your bitterness and replace it with happiness, for it is you who will benefit most from its joy.

HERE’S MY TWO SCENTS

I stretched and I yawned as I grudgingly crept out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. As I entered I was hit with a wave of strong and heavenly aromas of freshly brewed coffee and slightly burned toast. The coffee machine gurgled and burped as its delicious dark liquid slowly filled the container below. Then the toaster snapped up sending the toast virtually flying. Those favourite smells in the morning which augur you well for the rest of the day.

My wife was slightly in a hurry, as she had errands to do and was already dressed to go out. As I approached her lovely made-up face for a good morning kiss, I caught a whiff of her favourite perfume, which had also long become mine. I breathed it in with intent. There’s nothing that can instinctively bind you more to your loved ones than the frangrance of the perfume they wear.

I went back to my bedroom to get dressed and as I opened the wardrobe I was immediately greeted by smells of soap and fabric softener and mild lavender and fresh linen. I stroked some new sheets, feeling their pleasing texture and enjoyed that smell of freshness they emitted.

Quite a difference, I reminisced, from my grandma’s old wooden wardrobe, which when creaked open used to slap you in the face with the pungent smell of moth balls, hidden in between those old, thick furry coats.

Into the bathroom I went, which had just been washed with that very distinctive smell of Dettol. There on the tiled floor still lied the bucket of murky water, with floorcloth inside, reeking of that most common of disinfectants.

On my way out I said bye to the children. Our daughter was preparing for school. As she was closing her satchel I got closer and I could instantly recognise those typical smells of new copybooks and eraser rubber, which reminded me too of my own school days from way back.

Last was the baby, who was barely awake. He smiled with those lovely innocent eyes as I reached out and slowly lifted him towards me. As I brought his little body next to mine I caught a whiff of that gorgeous baby smell, of milk and of talc and of creams and pure babiness, compelling me to stick my nose onto his sparsely haired head and very delicately kiss the soft spot of his open fontanelle, while filling my lungs with his sweet baby smell.

I finally left home and jumped into my brand new car, purposely sniffing at that inimitable odour that only the interior of a new vehicle can give. I even kept the windows shut for a while to get my fill of what somehow signifies luxury and opulence to me.

I stopped at the service station and once I got the pump going I was hit by that strong penetrating smell of petrol as it gurgled down into the tank. The fumes were so potent that after a while I had to slightly move my head away to get some fresh air.

As I drove along the Coast Road – before our moronic authorities built that horrible wall all along it which now ruins all sight and smell – I noticed that there was a rather big swell. Waves came crashing down onto the rocks below me, depositing sand and seaweed and foam. This generated huge whitish clouds of invigorating spray, laden with saltiness, iodine and seaweed scents.

That evening I decided to go for a short country walk in the fields, many of which had just been covered in manure. Intense musky odours of fresh dung emanated from all around me, which in spite of being somewhat overbearing, I cannot say I didn’t enjoy.

As I walked further I passed several fig trees giving off that distinctive Summer flavour which only fig trees can do. I approached and touched their coarse furry leaves and sniffed at my fingers for good measure.

Then I passed a large farmhouse with high walls all around. They were all covered with large creepers which were all in full bloom. There was honeysuckle and jasmine and stephanotis, all letting off lovely floral and sweet fragrances which graced anyone who walked past. You just couldn’t help taking in long deep breaths to regal yourself to the full.

On my way home I managed to dodge a small field which had just burnt in the Summer heat. Much of it was still smouldering with little plumes of smoke carrying whiffs of scorched burnt grass, burning my nose and hitting my lungs yet so pleasing in a rather odd way.

This contrasted sharply with the last villa I crossed where the luscious lawn was just being mowed. Hmm that green, chlorophyll smell of freshly cut grass in the air, accompanied by the loud buzzing sound of the relevant machinery hard at work.

I finally got home and settled down with a lovely glass of red wine. Its enchanting and complex bouquet of grapes and spice and berries filled my nose and my spirit with delight.

So I grabbed an old book which I couldn’t help sniff, to catch that musky, dusty and somewhat sweet smell of the brown old worn out pages. I then picked up a brand new colour magazine with its young aggressive adhesive odour jumping out of its glossy and shiny pages.

It suddenly started to rain after so many weeks of dry weather. So I couldn’t resist going outside in the garden to get great earthy whiffs of wet soil. It always reminds me of September and when school started again at the beginning of Autumn.

But it was getting late, so I blew out the candles and just lingered on to catch that special scent which they slowly let off into the room around, reminding me of churches and crypts and religious ceremonies, along with the incense that comes with that clicking chain sound.

A STORY SO SEEDY YOU’LL GO NUTS

Unfortunately I was diagnosed at a rather young age with a hiatus hernia. Although this is something rather bothersome, it is an ailment which you can learn to live with, provided that you observe a certain diet.

Basically you must avoid all foods which either are acidic, or which cause the stomach to produce too much acid. You also have to steer clear of foods which may cause reflux and particularly those which can irritate the oesophogus.

So it was no hot drinks, no fizzy drinks, no juices and no alcohol. No fruit or tomatoes, no onions or garlic, no aubergines or peppers. Nothing spicy, no sauces, no gravy and no pepper.

Quite a tall order you might think, especially if like me, you love such foods and drinks.

Like so many other Maltese families mine has a strong history of diabetes. My mum and most of her side of the family in fact passed away from direct complications of this terrible disease.

So after several years of diabetes limbo of sorts, when I was considered a pre-diabetic, a few years ago following a couple of rather alarming blood sugar level readings, I received the final verdict and was transferred from limbo straight down into hell!

So I was now strongly recommended to avoid all foods with a high sugar content such as all sweets and desserts, jam, honey, breakfast cereals etc. Carbohydrates too are to be avoided as these are transformed into sugar by the body. So there goes bread, cakes, biscuits, pastries, pastas, battered or breaded items and the like. Foods with excessive starch can also be harmful so preferably no potatoes and no rice.

Now one of the most common complications of diabetes is heart disease, from which my poor mother passed away and towards which I also have a tendency. So I was immediately told to avoid anything high in cholesterol such as eggs, all dairy, seafood and anything fatty such as lamb, pork, sausages, hams and preserves. Also no fried items either and certainly nothing deep fried. No oily foods either as these are all high in cholesterol.

This overall condition comes in a lovely big package which also includes hypertension. So no salt and nothing at all salty such as pickles, all canned foods, all packet foods, cured meats, smoked meats and fish. No olives, nothing in brine and no salted items whatsoever.

It was an ominous day when I finally decided to sit down and to attempt the impossible. To combine all lists and make one super list of all taboo items to truly see, based on my proud collection of ailments, which foods and beverages I can safely consume.

Once the list was compiled it was a perfect replica of a comprehensive guide to all existing food and drinks on earth. There seemed to be literally everything on it and what I had effectively done was simply to compile a list of everything. From a drinks point of view I was very literally left with water and nothing else.

I tried everything to cross check my list of forbidden foods with anything existing, until finally I managed to find something infinitely small and insignificant. Yet there was at least something tiny which was permitted and these were seeds and nuts.

Provided that they are not salted then they are of no effect to my hiatus hernia, they contain no sugar, no salt and no fat. I realized that from all of the possible foods on earth that these were the only ones left and which somehow figured in none of my lists.

So I stocked up nicely on these humble items and also imposed my little reserved kitchen cupboard space, specifically for these blessed permitted foods. And slowly but surely I started developing quite a taste for them and ate them more and more. In our recent visit to Dubai I even went as far as investing €75 in two packets of luxury nuts, so much had their perceived value in my miserable life increased.

Since a couple of months ago I started feeling a gradually increasing pain in my lower abdomen. It wasn’t appendicitis and it wasn’t a hernia either, so the docs suspected stones. However many tests later I was finally diagnosed not with stones but with diverticulitis, which is a painful condition of the intestines, to which their is no particular cure.

And now if you don’t believe me go and look this one up… When I asked the doctor what I could do to relieve it as no medication exists, he replied just drink plenty of water and please make sure to avoid seeds and nuts.