Restaurants of Malta No.9: LE LUCI OF MARSASCALA.

28th January, 2012.

Le Luci  - Part inside view.

The premises where Le Luci Di Marsascala Restaurant is located in Mifsud Bonnici Square, Marsascala, has been operated as a restaurant for some time under various guises and themes.. First, as far as I can remember, it was run as an ethnic Lebanese restaurant, then it was taken over by another operator who changed the name as well as its concept. Alas, this operator only lasted for about six months, in  the very highly charged and very competitive location such as Marsascala, (where located in this area, comprising Marsascla and St. Thomas Bay), one can find around 80 eateries ranging from simple take-aways to some of the best fish, seafood and general restaurants found in Malta.

Le Luci emblem

Some, seven months ago, this venue was taken over by a young Chef, who in this very short time has gained a name for himself as an excellent Chef/Patron, ably assisted by his wife as front-of-house manager. I think that Roderick Vella and his wife are very successfully placing Le Luci of Marsascala on the culinary map of the South of Malta,offering, as the Chef explained it,  "Fine Mediterranean Cuisine", integral with quality, service and value.

A secluded romantic table.

The Menu.

Le Luci Di Marsascala offer a reasonably harmonious menu with a selection of soups and starters ranging in price from some E5.95 to E8.95 , notable of which are the Le Luci fish and shellfish broth and the Mussel Mariniere; next come a good selection of Pasta and Rice dishes ranging in price from E7.95 for the vegeterian risotto to E10.95 for the Tagliolini prawns and zucchini.
The main courses selection cover a range from the a la carte as well as the day's specials and cover dishes of Trio of Pork; Black Angus beef rib-eye; Babychicken;  Roast rump of lamb;  Roast Duck Breast; Chataubriand for two; Pan seared Salmon;  Grilled marinated king prawns; Pan seared sea bass; and Fresh fish from the catch of the day when available. Prices for main courses range from E13.95 for the Trio of Pork,  to some E23.95  for the King Prawns platter.

The Wine List.

The wine list offers a very good selection of local and imported wines, with a very decent mark-up. In fact, in my opinion,it is one of the best value for money wine selections available, which will not break the bank even if one consumes a couple of bottles. An excellent Pianoforte Ebony from Camilleri wines was priced at a very decent and reasonable E13.50.

The bread basket and wine.

Pre-dinner Appetizers

A very nicely presented and original, complimentary, small platterof appetizers which inclued home made sausage and caviar were place before each diner whilst we were selecting our food.



Our Choices.

Our cuisine selections were varied as we wanted to savour the different dishes not only for this review but also to check out the quality, preparation and presentation of the various dishes.

STARTERS:

The Fish and Shellfish Broth.

A very appetizing  Le Luci fish and shellfish broth, which turned out to be a really wonderful bouyabaise, made of fresh local fish and shellfish was ordered by my wife;







 then there were:

The Papiri Duck.

The Pappardelle Pork.

one Papiri duck- pasta with a very rich duck sauce;
one Pappardelle pork- pappardelle with a rich ragout of slow cooked belly pork and demi-glace with cream; both of which were excellent on the palate.

Parma Ham, Grilled Asparagus
and aged Parmegiano salad.

Pappardelle Pork with added cheese.
A plate to die for.

and one, quite large Parma Ham, grilled asparagus and aged parmegiano cheese, salad, which tasted of rich herbs and exquisite extra vergine herbal olive oil.








These starters were very good examples of the exquisite cuisine that this Chef is endeavouring to produce.


MAIN COURSES:

Chateaubriand prior to sharing.

Chateaubriand individual portion
with veg and potatoes.

Our main course choices were a succulent chateaubriand for myself and my wife to share, grilled perfectly medium, and which simply melted in one's mouth;

The Trio of Pork.

Baby Chicken deconstruction.

A Trio of Pork which consisted of a vriety of exquisite cuts of local pork cooked in three different ways- 24 hour cooked pork belly, pork fillet wellington with saute mushrooms and spinach wrapped in puff pastry, and braised pork cheek;
and the Baby Chicken which was described as a "deconstructed" baby chicken pieces consisting of: sous vide cooked breast, crispy leg croquette and stuffed wing with tomato scented risotto.

Cassatella

Dessert choices offered were a selection of Cater Essence products, which although good, are becoming a bit too common.

Liquor selection.

Wine selections fell on two very decently priced Pianoforte Ebony reds, with a bottle of still and a bottle of sparkling water, and espressos to finish off the dinner. Complimentary liqours were offered.

The price range for this restaurant excluding wine and drinks is about Eur30 per person, our bill for the above orders, including the two bottles of wine, water and espressos came out to a very reasonable Eur38 per person. One has to keep in mind that cuisine presented is "fine Mediterranean" which takes time and attention to prepare.



REVIEWERS IMPRESSIONS:

Ambience: The restaurant is situated in a refurbished house of character which presents a very pleasant and romantic atmosphere. Very Good.
Decor: Maltese stone authentic walls and architecture; well spaced tables, linen table cloths. Very Good.
Harmony of Menu: Very Good.
Cuisine Quality: Very Good fine dining cuisine.
Preparation and presentation: Very Good.
Wine list and mark-up: Very good.
Service and attention to clients requirements: Very Good.
Value for money: Very Good.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5/10  Mediterranean Fine Dining.
RECOMMENDED. 

Contact Details:
Le Luci of Marsascala,
Mifsud Bonnici Square,
Marsascala.
Entrance from: St. Anne Street down a short flight of stairs to the playing field, or from Marina Street, through the playing field.
Telephone: 9964 3988 and 27661144.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
A light lunch menu is also available.

Restaurants of Malta No. 8: Barracuda Restaurant.

21st January, 2012.

An interior view.

Barracuda Restaurant.







The Barracuda Restaurant of St. Julians, has been established and in operation since 1978, and has, ever since, projected itself as one of the leading fine dining restaurants in Malta. Situated right on the water's edge at Balluta Bay, the venue offers picturesque views of the bay and surrounding areas from its terraces which would be excellent for summer dining. Alas for a cold and chilly winter's evening as it was yesterday, Friday the 20th of January, one would opt for a cosy table on the inside part of the restaurant. It goes without saying that the terraces were closed.

We had reserved our table from the day before, but nevertheless, the restaurant was only about half full throughout the evening. On arrival we were greeted by the restaurant manager who showed us to our table which was situated in the glass enclosed terrace overlooking the bastions and the bay. For some reason most patrons were being seated in this darkened area, rather than in the more cosy, well lit, inside atmosphere of the main drawing room, which incidentally, once formed part of this 18th century house of character in which the Barracuda Restaurant is situated.

Bigilla and olive.

Our drinks order for one Prosecco, one Malibu Pineapple and two Johnny Walker Black Label on the rocks, was taken, menus and wine list were presented, and within minutes our pre-dinner drinks, basket of fresh bread and a small bowl of bigilla (Maltese bean dip) were placed on the table. A complementary small bowl of soup was also served.




The Barracuda Restaurant prides itself as a fish and seafood restaurant, and the fresh fish display was quite appealing in the chiller, but being the evening that it was, cold and chilly, rather than selecting fish and seafood, and naturally a chilled bottle or two of white wine, we went for a more wholesome pasta and meat selection complemented by a full-bodied red wine.

Our orders were for:

The Calamari and caramelised
onion Ravioli with Saffron.

Starters: One Asparagus Soup with fresh Maltese cheeselets and mint leaves; one Tagliatelle with smoked duck, mandarine, ginger and veal jus; Brie and Roasted Bell Pepper Open Lasagne with wilted rucola, olive and chilli dressing and one Calamari and Caramelised Onion Ravioli with saffron and mango beurre blanc.

Braised Cheek of Local Pork.

Main Courses: One Braised Cheek of Local Pork with caramelised pear and apple and celeriac puree; and three Grilled Angus tenderloin with sauted wild mushrooms, green asparagus and rosti potatoes.








Dessert: Four individual helpings of crepe suzettes prepared with Grand Marnier at our table, for which a charge of Eur44 was made on the bill.

Menu Remarks:
The meat section of the menu contained just five choices viz: the braised cheek of local ;pork; marinated duck breast, the grilled Angus Tenderloin, Lamb loin and Ossobuco.
For persons who cannot eat red meat, this left a bit to be desired as thy would have only been left with the braised cheek of local pork to choose by default. A further addition of some prime pork and chicken selections would be in order.

The fish selections included grilled swordfish; pan fried seabass; grilled giant prawns; cumin crusted prawns, whole fresh lobster, the seafood platter descibed as the Daily Catch platter for two persons; and selection of fresh fish from the trolley at approxemately Eur25 for each 400grams fish weight.

A choice of starters, pasta and soups are also available on the menu.

Vegetables and potatoes are listed in the "Sides" order list, and and are charged for extra, as ordered.

Back to our selections:

The Lasagne that never was.

The Asparagus soup was considered to be average; the Calamari and Caramelised onion ravioli were reported to be very nice, which seems to be the only good dish served to us this evening; the Tagliatelle were average and seemed to be stuck together, meaning that they might not have been freshly cooked; and my Brie and Roasted bell pepper Open Lasagne with wilted rucola was a disaster. In my opinion this last item should have long been removed from this menu.

The Asparagus Soup-
Starry nights.

The Tagliatelle with smoked duck.
Must have been an off-day for pasta.

The braised Cheek of Local pork was nicely presented in red wine reduction and was reported to be very nice. Photo shown above. Same reduction sauce as for the Angus has been used.

Tenderloin sectioned in half.
Is this medium or medium well?
The outside well done crust was too
much for my knife. The texture is also a
bit on the stringy side for an
Angus fillet.

The three grilled Angus Tenderloin were orderd one medium well, and two medium. As expected my medium fillet was given to my wife, and I ended with the medium well. Nevertheless, all three tenderloin fillets were rather chewy and a bit hard on the knives. We've had better Angus fillets in less pretenious restaurants believe me. If anything these tenderloin filletes were anything but tender.
Angus cattle produce consistently high-quality beef with, exceptional tenderness, smooth texture and superior, delicious taste. In this regard, this establishment would do well to take a hard look at what they have in stock, as the tenderloin served left a lot to be desired. Very disappointing, and the servings' consistency was not standard. see photos below.

Angus tenderloin presentation 1.

Angus tenderloin presentation 2.

Angus tenderloin presentation 3.

Cooking the crepe' suzettes.

The dessert was served in two parts. First the ladies servings were prepared and then some ten minutes later we men were served with our portions.

A good wine on the list.
Our selection.

The wine list has a very good selection of both local and foreign wines. Nevertheless one can find several wines that are ordinary everyday, quafing wines, found in supermarkets, on this list. A good scrutiny of the wine list by a wine specialist is required. On the plus side there are also various good quality wines with a decent mark-up.








Value: One maybe cannot do justice to any retaurant if the cost per person of the meal is calculated on our own personal order as we tend to go a bit over the top with drinks and wine.
So taking out and deleting our drinks order from the final bill, and including just one bottle of medium priced wine which is normal, the bill for the above would have come to:  Eur61 (drinks) for one bottle of wine, two bottles of water, and espressos; and Eur178.80 for the food.
Making a total of Eur240 or Eur60 per person, excluding gratuites which according to the menu is expected to be Eur16 minimum service charge. The price of Eur60 per person, is considered to be well over the top for the cuisine quality that was served in this instance.

All photos illustrating cuisine, and published here have all been taken by myself of each presenataion as served.

Once again our 20 Knights Restaurant Discount card was accepted for a Friday booking, which is a plus for this venue and which gave us a discount of Eur89.40 on the food bill. Pity, that the cuisine served was not up to the expected standard.
A plus point for this venue is that it provides free parking at the Meridien Hotel's parking facilities.

Reviewers Impressions:

Ambience: Very Good.
Cuisine quality: Average.
Presentaion and preparation:  Average..
Service, attention to clients requiremnets, staff demeanour and attitude: Very good.
Wine service is to be commended.
Value for money: Overrated.

Overall RATING: 6.5/10 Average.

Contact Details:
Barracuda Restaurant,
194/195 Main Street,
St. Julians SLM 05.
Malta.
Tel: 21 331 817.

Dessert Wine Inspiration from Delicata.

Emm. Delicata Winemaker have during the last months of 2011, released their new dessert wine the: 

GRAND VIN DE HAUTEVILLE MOSCATO MALTA D.O.K LIQUEUR WINE 2009.

Grand Vin De Hauteville
100% Moscato Liqueur Wine.

The production of this wine is similar to the Vin Santo wines, so popular as dessert wines in Italy.
Produced from 100% concentrated Malta grown Moscato grapes this delicate, liqueur wine has a light golden colour, rich and opulent in flavours with an aroma of honey, fresh, grapey and delicious. It is light in the mouth, leaving a sweet taste on the tip of the tongue just enough not to overwhelm delicate desserts.
Excellent with all types of desserts and after dinner cheese.

Alcohol content:15%
Type: Dessert wine.
Serving temperature: Well Chilled 10Deg.C 
This wine is available only through restaurants.

An Excellent Malta produced Dessert wine
in the famous Vin Santo tradition.

Restaurants of Malta No.7: ZEST RESTAURANT.

ZEST RESTAURANT, forms part of the Hotel Juliani in St. Julians, and rightfully describes itself as a chic venue where East meets West in both dining and decor.

As myself and my family were to spend the last weekend of 2011 at the Hilton Malta, and planning to welcome the New Year 2012 in style,  (checking in on Friday afternoon, checking-out on Sunday 1st of January afternoon), we were carefully considering at which venue we were to dine at, at St.Julians on Friday evening. The criteria for our choice was: The restaurant had to be up-market; It had to be at walking distance from the Hilton Malta as there was no way that we were going to vacate our free parking place at the Portomaso parking; and last but not least, the restaurant had to accept our restaurant discount card on a Friday.

Zest Restaurant Internal Overview.

I phoned three separate restaurants enquiring about dining reservations. All three had vacancies and were ready to reserve a table for us, for four adults for 20.30 hours (8.30pm), but when I asked if they would accept and honour my discount card of which all three are participating venues, two of them declined stating that they only accept discount cards between Mondays and Thursdays. The third one, answered that they would accept the card with pleasure, and that it was no problem for them to do so on any day. Bully for them. This restaurant was:

ZEST RESTAURANT

which turned out to be one of the very best restaurants that we had dined at during the past year.

Inner Section.

This modern restaurant is designed to provide patrons with a contempory, relaxed elegance in chic surroundings, which is pleasing to the eye, and focusing on comfort in the form of bench and sink-in sofa seatings and comfortable chairs in pleasant surroundings of soothing dark shades and very soft relaxing music.

We arrived on the dot at 20.30 hours, and were ushered to our reserved table by a very amiable waiter, clad in traditional, oriental black tunic, and our order for drinks was taken, upon which we were presented with the menus and the wine list.

The menu boasts a selection of dishes from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, as well as some Continental dishes, all individually priced, but to assist patrons to make better informed choices, the Executive Chef created four different set-menus covering most dishes on the a-la-carte menu (each dish priced as the main menu), but giving a very good discount on each set menu.

The set menus offered consisted of the:

Continental Menu - offering marinated duck or Home-made artichoke agnioletti; Seared Salmon or Lamb cutlets; Espresso Mascarpone Parfait or a Selection of sorbets. This menu was priced at Eur33.95 per person.

East Meets West Menu - offering Red Prawn Risotto or Steamed Dim Sum Platter; Pan Fried Duck or Thai Steamed Sea Bass or Beef Teppenyaki; Creme Brulee Cheese cake or Bento Box. This menu was priced at Eur36.95 per person.

Sushi Appetisert to share.

Sushi with pickled ginger
and wasabi.

Asian Menu - which offered - Sushi Appetiser with pickled ginger and wasabi; Asian Platter consisting of Yam vun sen salad, Peking duck roll, rabbit and lamb satay manis and black pao accompanied with dipping sauces; Kheng Curry Kong consisting of king prawns cooked in a yellow curry and coconut sauce with Thai spices; Ayam Misau consisting of green chicken curry with sauted pak choy and mange tout; Indonesian Beef Renang consisted of a mildly spiced beef with chilies, aromatic roots and spices simmered in coconut milk; Dessert: Bento Box dark chocolate and chili fondant with rasberry sorbet or Banana and Ginger Tarte Tatin with coconut ice cream, sesame and dark chocolate tuille. Price Eur37.50 per person.

Degustation Menu - offering  a glass of prosecco; Sushi Appetiser with pickled ginger and wasabi; Red Prawn Risotto; A Trio of Tempura; Laksa a Singaporean prawn, chicken, and coconut soup with vermicelli noodles; Sesame Crusted Beef; Dessert: Passion Platter. Price Eur 45 per person.

The main menu offers a range of separate Western oriented appetisers, as well as a range of separate Asian appetisers; Easter and Western main courses priced individually;  a noodle bar; Shabu Shabu a typical Asian dish consisting of raw beef or fish or prawns, vegetables and bean thread noodles cooked by each diner at the table in a pot of hot broth - sounds like fun for the adventurous; and Sushi are also available for those wishing to order from the separately itemised a-la-carte and not from the set menus.

After going through the above menus our choice fell on the Asian Menu for three persons sharing, and one Thai Steamed Seabass from the main course menu for one person.

The Asian Platter to share.

Individual serving

Our selection of the Asian Menu, of which I have given a detailed description above, proved to be an ideal choice, also offering great value for money. Food served on trays in the middle of the table, for each diner to share and help themselves from, was abundant and cooked superbly. It was very enjoyable and the different oriental flavours blended together perfectly. This menu was complete in itself including desserts and our choice of the Banana and Ginger Tarte Tatin for two, and the Bento Box for me were very nice indeed.

The Main Course Dishes
of the Asian Menu.

Individual Serving:
Kheng Curry Kong; Ayam Missau;
Indonesian Beef Renang.

Thai Steamed Sea Bass.

Lemon Sorbet.

The Thai Steamed Seabass ordered by the fourth member of our group, was steamed in Thai lemon sauce, Kafir lime and lemon grass, and served with separae vegetables in season and rice. To complement this course, a lemon sorbet dessert was recommended and served.

Banana and Ginger Tarte Tatin.

Bento Box - Dark Chocolate,
Chili Fondant and Rasberry Sorbet.

Complementary Festive Season
Delicacies served with the
Espressos. A Nice Touch.

The dinner was complemented by two bottles of still and sparkling water, one bottle of an excellent Zenato Valpolicella Classico Superiore which was very reasonably priced,  after dinner espressos, and complementary limoncelos and Festive Season delicacies.








There is no doubt that Zest Restaurant, offers a magnificent ambience for that special romantic dinner, a special occasion, as well as for an enjoyable dinner with a difference with family and friends. Service and attention by both the managerial staff as well as the attending waiters was exceptional, even though the restaurant was very busy on the last Friday of the year.

Value for money if one has to order from the a la carte menu, choosing a three course dinner of choice which would consist of appetiser/starter; main course (either Asian or Western) and dessert, the bill is expected to reach Eur 40/45 per person, excluding wine, water and drinks.

Our bill for the above came out at Eur175.20 all inclusive ( food: Eur141.20; Wine, water and espressos: Eur 34). Working out at Eur35.3 per person for the food.

When I booked my 20 Knights Restaurant Discount Card was gladly accepted by the restaurant. This card gives holders a sulubrious 50% discount, normally on the food bill only, up to a group of four adults. On presentation of the card and the card voucher the management gave us a full 50% discount on the total bill ( viz: food, wine, water and espressos) thus reducing our final bill down to Eur87.59 on four covers for four adults. And as I have emphasised before, this was on FRIDAY, 28th December, 2011, and not on a weekday between Monday to Thursday when the restaurant is expected to be, or normally is,  less busy.

REVIEWERS IMPRESSIONS:

Ambience: Excellent;
Cuisine quality: Very Good +;
Preparation and Presentation: Very Good;
Harmony of Menu: Very well studied and oriented Very Good;
Service, attention to clients' needs, demeanor and attitude: Very Good +;
Value for money: Set Menus Very Good +; 
Value for Individual choices from a la carte menu 3 course dinner: Very Good for the type of restaurant;
As a one-of discount with the 20 Knights Discount Card: Excellent.
Restaurant Category: Fine Dining - Eastern/Western.

RATING: 9/10.
RECOMMENDED.

Contact and location:
Zest Restaurant - At Hotel Juliani,
12, St George's Road,
St. Julians, Malta.
Tel: 21 388000.

Restaurants of Malta No. 6 : PALAZZO PRECA RESTAURANT.

Entrance.

PALAZZO PRECA RESTAURANT/CAFE situated at 54, Strait Street Valletta, has opened its doors just about six weeks ago , and as expected from the owner Mr. Charles Preca of Tal-Familja Restaurant of Marsascala fame, and his daughter Ramona who is the Executive Chef at this restaurant, is fast establishing itself as a leading, upmarket fine dining restaurant in the heart of Valletta.

The restaurant is located in a fully refurbished 15th century palazzo, and is easily reached as it is a few paces away from the Strait Street corner with the Embassy Shopping Complex. Entrance through a tastefully refurbished main hall, resplended with 15th century architecture and solid stone pillars, which form the main restaurant, leading to the Saphire Room on the right hand side for exclusive dinners, or staight on to the bar and cafe' area on the inside, which is also used as part of the restaurant on busy days. The restaurant is run by Mrs. Preca (Charles' wife),  as front of house manager, and by a good team of waiters and waitresses who have been trained to give efficient service with a smile without in any way imposing themselves on patrons.

Complementary antipasto
As served to us.

Snails aglioli
As served to us.

We happened to decide to have lunch at this venue, after finishing our morning Christmas shopping on December 28th, and just walked in at about 13.30. The place was full in the main hall, and we were seated in the very pleasant Saphire Room on the right hand side which was also nearly full. We ordered a bottle of water and were presented with the menus and wine list, and when the water arrived we were also served with a decent platter of antipasto with bruschetta, bigilla dip, salami, olives, rukola and galletti, as well as a bowl of snails in aglioli sauce which were delicious. This convinced us to skip out on a starter and ordered directly two main courses. Our choices fell on a serving of duck breast in orange reduction sauce for my wife, and an Angus rib-eye Mdina cooked medium-rare and served on a delicate cream and mushroom sauce reduction, complemented by a "well priced" bottle of Valpolicella Classico Superiore wine.

The Duck Breast in orange
reduction sauce. As Served to us.

The main courses were served in no time and once again, Ramona Preca's culinary skills were demonstrated in the two servings, which although one can comment that both duck breast as well as rib-eye steak can be found in most good, and in most not-so-good restaurants, Ramona's products were sublime. The combined flavours of the duck and orange reduction were out of this world and I had to try a nibble from my wife's plate. My rib-eye was also cooked to perfection, medium-rare, well rested, and not a drop of blood anywhere. The reduction sauce was exquisite, and I could not help dipping a piece of fresh bread crust in it when I finished eating my steak. A decent dish of potatoes and vegetables was also served to complement the main course.

Angus Beef Rib-Eye Mdina.
As Served to us.

Potatoes and hot vegetables.
As served to us.

We had to once again skip desserts, and opted for two espressos,  and were offered a liquor compliments of the house which we accepted with pleasure.

The menus offered contained a very well put together, selection of dishes divided between antipasto, salads, pasta dishes for starters as well as fresh fish from the trolley and selections of oysters, king prawns, various seashells including scallops and mussels; Irish and Angus beef fillet and rib-eye cooked with different sauces; traditional rabbit and bragioli. Prices shown on the menu where considered by us to be moderate with Eur13.90 for the duck breast, and Eur20 and Eur17.90 for the Angus fillet and rib-eye; and pasta and starter plates starting at some Eur6.50. Fresh fish as is normal  charged by weight.

Other dishes on the menu:
Traditional Maltese Bragioli.

Other dishes on the menu:
Traditional Maltese Rabbit in Garlic.

The wine list is also very well appointed with selections of most local wines as well as a good selection of imported wines. What I would like to comment here is that some wines are slightly over-marked-up, especially some of the local wines. This is happening in most restaurants, I'm afraid.
 In my opinion local wines costing Eur10 or more in wineshops should not carry a mark-up of anything more than 50% to 75%  over the wine shop price anywhere and in any restaurant. One also has to remember that restaurants buy their wines at wholesale prices. So please restaurateurs, do moderate wine prices.

Reviewer's Remarks:

Ambience:            Very well appointed venue.
Cuisine quality:     Very Good.
Preparation and presentation: Very Good.
Service:                  Very Good.
Wine List: A good selection of wines - markup should be adjusted.
Value for money:    Very Good.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5/10 RECOMMENDED.

Location and contact details:
Palazzo Preca Restaurant/Cafe
54, Strait Street,
Valletta.
Tel: 21226777 - 9984 6866.