Sunday lunch at Acqua Pazza Restaurant, Marsaxlokk - Sunday, 19th May, 2013.

Somehow, we had forgotten about this little gem of a restaurant in Marsaxlokk. There was a time when we used to visit quite often, but with the advent of so many restaurants around Malta, and our commitment to review as many restaurants as possible, throughout a particular year, we seem to have forgotten about it. Nevertheless, after a long walk from one end of Marsaxlokk, as we had to park in the only available parking slot about two streets behind Rita’s Fish-shop, straight up to Ella’s Food Factory, on the other end, we realised the extent of business that is generated in this location, on a splendid Sunday afternoon by tourists and Maltese clients alike.

As one would imagine, Marsaxlokk, being a hub for every imaginable genre of tourist to Malta, caters for every taste and pocket, and as we did not book a table anywhere we had time on our hands to inspect a good number of eateries on Xatt Is-Sajjieda. Some are, and have always been, commercial tourist establishments, catering for vast numbers of covers and serving anything from pizza. burgers, pasta, fish and meat, inside and outside. One restaurant’s name was exceedingly apt describing itself as a “food factory”. I’m not saying that these places serve bad food, definitely not, as some offer very good pasta and fresh dishes., but I personally prefers a more quite and sedate atmosphere, where we could enjoy and excellent meal with a good bottle of wine, coupled with unobtrusive, good service and at a very good value for money. Such a place is ACQUA PAZZA RESTAURANT on Xatt Is-Sajjieda. The place is slightly away from the maddening crowds further down towards the church, as it is situated on the far end of Xatt Is-Sajjieda, lending it the added profile of being that much more up-market although un-pretentious.

When we walked in ( about 2 pm) we were greeted by Mario the long serving head waiter at Acqua Pazza, and on asking of he had a table available for two, he immediately directed us towards a good table, that had just been cleaned and set-up with crispy linen, sparkling glassware and cutlery.

A look through the menu, the specials on the board on the wall, and the fresh fish display, left us no option but to chose the fresh mussels and king prawns in white wine and herbs to start with, and a 1.2kg Gurbell - Meagre, from the fish display, to share between two.

These proved to be excellent choices with the fresh mussels cooked in broth, and looking and tasting exquisitely fresh, and my king prawns were similarly fresh and invitingly cooked in white wine and herbs. Both my wife and myself, as we are prone to do anyway, exchanged some mussels for one of my king prawns to taste both dishes. The king prawns were so fresh that one had to suck the juice from the head which was delicious.

1. Complementary antipasto;

2. Mussels in wine and garlic broth;

3. King prawns in garlic, wine and own jus.

The main course which consisted of the grilled gurbell, was first split in two halves from head to tail, grilled and served one half on each plate, un-filleted as requested by us. The cooking and texture were excellent, and the portions from the 1.2kg fish were more than enough for two. Side dishes of potatoes and vegetables were served.

1. The Meagre portion as served;

2 and 3: Side serving of vegetables and potatoes;

4: The filleted Meagre portion with veg and potatoes added. A very decent, large portion of fish.

Dessert: As we were quite full by this time, we ordered just one portion of their cassatella Siciliana, which was served with small pieces of caramelised fruit and dark chocolate.

To complement the food, one bottle of Italian white wine, one bottle of water, and two espressos were also ordered.

Wine List: Good selections of both local and imported wines are available, some wines are slight overpriced, but if one looks carefully, there are some good, both local and imported wines at a decent mark-up.

Service: Service at this restaurant is through long serving staff and is both very attentive and efficient.

Value for money: The cost of the above lunch order, all inclusive with wine, water, and espressos, came up to EUR89, or EUR44.5 per person. The price charged for the gurbell- meagre was calculated at just EUR 3.8 per 100gm which is a very acceptable price with excellent value for money.

Reviewers Remarks:

Ambience and atmosphere: Very Good.

Cuisine quality: Very Good +

Preparation and presentation: Very Good.

Service: Very Good +

Wine list and mark-up: Good.

Overall Value for money: Very Good.

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended.