We had a great time and a truly lovely lunch yesterday at Rogantino’s.

This is such a unique venue with tons of charm and authenticity. The drive alone into what is probably Malta’s finest remaining countryside is enough to relax and unwind you. And for those who, like me, consider the ambiance and surroundings of a dining establishment to be a vital factor in the overall enjoyment of such an outing, then this is definitely the place for you.

Set in a perfectly bucolic country setting and literally surrounding by fields, valleys and hills, Rogantino’s enjoys an unrivaled location in Malta.

Complimenting the actual location is the building itself, which although slightly jaded on the exterior, boasts unending character inside. It was in fact a hunting lodge built by the Knights of St John which is today the chef patron’s – Tony Grech’s casa bottega.

The house’s style of cuisine is firmly and consistently centred on wholesome, uncomplicated, delicious home style dishes, whenever possible utilising fresh produce from the surrounding farms and fields.

I had a mouthwatering lasagne with spinach which was really divine. It had all the flavours and textures of a perfectly home cooked lasagne and one of the best I have had in many years. This was followed by one of Tony’s signature dishes – suckling pig. What a treat! If you fancy an excellent suckling pig then look no further… I just cannot think of a better place to have this. It was very moist and succulent, which sometimes tends to be a problem with suckling pig elsewhere – truly cooked to perfection. And also served with a massive mouthwatering piece of crackling.

As the style is firmly based on Maltese & Mediterranean traditional cooking, the suckling pig was simply and delicately served in its own jus, however Isabel Tapp fancied an accompanying apple sauce. This is not quite their usual style and one must keep in mind that this is anything but your run-of-the-mill commercial establishment and is Tony’s home and traditional kitchen who has his own style and rightly sticks to it.

However although apple sauce was not on the menu per se, it was immediately prepared ad hoc to our demand without as much as a sigh or a groan. An exemplary demonstration of genuinely caring service perfectly orchestrated by Tony’s most gracious daughter Christina, who heads the service with unending charm and effortless skill, proving to be yet another great notch in the impressive Rogantino belt.

Although I was initially more than happy having the suckling pig au naturel, Isabel’s apple sauce looked (and tasted) too delicious not to share it with her.

Maria Bonello Permina had a delicious grilled brie salad as a starter followed by a lamb shank in honey sauce. Both dishes were absolutely lovely. Our very close friend and spiritual brother Ted had lasagne, followed by what he claimed to be, and most definitely looked like, the most delectable and perfectly cooked pork rack. While Isabel’s better half George also started with a lasagne, followed by a lovely tasting ribeye steak, proving the diversity of both the menu as well as Tony’s ample skills.

All this hearty and generous food was perfectly complimented by several bottles of smooth and luscious Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Barville (Brotte) 2011, which amply exhibited its distinctive full, complex, yet balanced flavours. I have always been very partial to Chateauneuf and find that it marries perfectly to this type of home cuisine.

We had various interesting and perfectly adequate desserts including a mixed red berry sorbet, cassata siciliana and chocolate semi freddo, admittedly not quite fait maison, yet still very much home made and very obviously better than industrial fare, originating in a private kitchen in Rabat.

This epic meal was glamourously and rather decadently followed by coffees, Averna’s, calvados and old Hine cognac XO’s !!!

But to top all of this up, as if it still weren’t enough, after lunch we moved into the quaint bar area where Tony displays just a small fraction of his incredible collection of old wines, sherries, ports and spirits for an exclusive guided tour and tastings. It is evident that Tony has outstanding and intricate knowledge of beverages and the history of their production and what is even more marvelous is that he takes great pride and manifests so much pleasure and passion in showing you around and sharing his insights while pouring you a bit of this and the other. What an absolute delight!

Wow, there is possibly no better end to a superb lunch than a lovely degustation of rare old fortified wines and spirits tactfully conducted by the house’s patron.

A big thank you to you Tony and Christina for looking after us so well and for treating us to such a perfect Sunday.