We had visited this unique restaurant seven months ago and have been wanting to return even since. So we finally made it after much anticipation.

The ambiance is a pleasant mix of soft, chic and contemporary understated décor, with unimpeded views of the outside surroundings.

We received a very warm welcome by much of the staff, whom we know extremely well from their previous posts at Tarragon Restaurant, as well as the main culprit himself, Marvin Gauci.

This restaurant is unique in Malta because to my knowledge at least, it is the only one offering fusion dishes combining Asian and oriental cuisine along with European. The concept is entirely based on combining delicacies and cooking styles from the far East, with those from closer to home. The fascinatingly eclectic menu features oysters, foie gras, caviar, sushi, tandoori and so much more, all presented in a weird and wonderful melange of delicious top ingredients and seemingly unlikely combinations, with a couple of molecular spherifications thrown in for good measure.

This is therefore definitely not the place you go to for “the quick Chinese”. Nor for a traditional ‘safe’ meal, where you know exactly what to expect. Au contraire, you go to Buddhamann to sample the unique and the exciting, to discover where such an intriguing culinary journey can take you. So it is most certainly aimed not at the traditionalist but at the openminded foodie.

Most luckily it is run by one of the most convivial, enthusiastic, hands-on and talkative chef-restaurateurs on this side of the galaxy. I would really hate to land in this sort of place only to be faced by a blank-faced server, notepad in hand, waiting nervously for our order. So needless to say, Marvin not only gave us endless info and background on exactly what they are trying to do here, with many added intricacies and details to spare, but as we heard him do with most other tables, he also very aptly and conveniently took matters in hand and went ahead to prepare for us a well selected array of dishes – sheer bliss.

I always love it when this is done in a restaurant. Who better than the chef patron himself to guide you straight to the best delicacies, rather than you picking at menu names haphazardly.

So here goes!

Oysters in a Japanese ponzu sauce chilled with liquid nitrogen at our table for that added effect. Verdict – delicious.

Mai Tai Spherifications, as in mai tai the cocktain and spherification in molecular gastronomy. Verdict – absolutely divine.

Salmon Sashimi marinated in miso, on a salmon skin cracker and lime pear. Verdict – very interesting delicate blend of heavenly flavours.

Tuna Tartar and Guacamole in kimchi sauce and smoked wakame seaweed jelly. Verdict – this was about the only one dish which we did not wow about. In our own personal opinion, the kimchi denatures the tuna a bit too much and gives it a rather aggressive taste. But this is a purely subjective comment and many would certainly love this dish too.

Duck & Foie Gras Wontons. Verdict – Sublime, succulent and scrumptious all round.

Boneless Quail Tandoori with a pomegranate, ginger and red currant sauce. Verdict – gimme more!

Foie Gras Futomaki Sushi, yes standard sushi with foie gras. Verdict – if like us you love foie gras, then this dish is simply to die for! Probably my top favourite dish of the meal.

Dragon Fish, which is here just a fancy name for seabass, with an asian vinaigrette, pinenuts and basil. Verdict – Fusion at its best. I loved the way such a relatively common Mediterranean fish was both presented and prepared and it also tasted lovely.

Chicken Tandoori rubbed in turmeric and nutmeg and served with baby crunchy potatoes and a fresh herb sauce. Verdict – extremely tasty and enjoyable.

Tandoori Baked Chilli & Onion Naan Bread. Verdict – this looked somewhat like slices of pizza and were uncontrollably moreish.

Basmati Rice. Verdict – nice, can’t-go-wrong good quality rice.

Pilau Rice – even nicer and tastier, can’t-go-wrong good quality rice.

Desserts? You must be joking!! We nearly died and genuinely had problems even standing up after this banquet. And to make it crystal clear, the portions here while obviously not being enormous, are neither minuscule, and even to a certain extent on the generous side for this type of restaurant. So just in case you were wondering, I would honestly say that the above can easily feed four!

We just got carried away in our degustationing frenzy and simply didn’t want it to stop. Suffice to say however that in spite of their absolute goodness, we left half of the fish and most of the chicken in the end. Just how much can you continue forcefeeding yourself, no matter how much you are enjoying it.

As for wine we had a lovely Vouvray, which is an acidic, yet still relatively soft and floral white wine from the Touraine region of the Loire Valley.

After coffees and liqueurs, graciously offered by the house, we had one last chat with the man of the hour. Things had progressed fantastically since our last visit, and we found that a lot of finesse and perfection has been added, to offer a truly spectacular gastronomic experience.

To close, I must congratulate Marvin on his endless talent to offer spectacular and original cuisine in all of his three restaurants, which incidentally is always brimming with powerful tastes. Many other ambitious and aspiring establishments tend to offer seemingly similar creations, only to lack a bit of oomf, remaining too subtle and delicate in their dishes. I want the first bite of any dish to light up mini fireworks in my mouth, as they all did here.

But Marvin goes much further than producing top level cuisine. He also manages to combine this with plush décor, great and talented staff – which they certainly were here without exception, and an overall super classy memorable all-round outing, easily matching top restaurants in any European city.