De Mondion Restaurant at the Xara Palace Hotel -

27th September, 2013.

I have been twice to this restaurant myself, once we dined inside with a group, and just today, we reserved a table for four persons, on the terrace, to review this restaurant as normal paying clients, and to see what the hype is all about or what makes it tick.

Let me put it this way, the internal decor of De Mondion, is not really one that a reviewer would drool about, even when it is set-up as it should be to welcome guests for dinner. When the tables are not set-up as was the case on our present visit, the place looks exactly like an ordinary room, albeit with timber beams and some nice paintings, with barren tables with just an ordinary tablecloth draped on them, and a person who I assumed was the restaurant manager ( a new person that I had not seen before, as there seem to have been some management changes recently), fiddling with an i-pad or tablet on one of the tables. Hardly a setting for one of the most expensive restaurants anywhere ( not just in Malta). A table which was laid in one corner alongside the wine cellar indicated that this restaurant might be being used as a breakfast room for hotel guests, as the table was still laid out with all sorts of cereals, and another table had the breakfast buffet stainless steel food recipients and covers on it - again hardly the perfect arrangement for a fine dining restaurant whether in use or not.

We were shown to our table by the Maitre D’, on the terrace, enjoying magnificent views that spanned for miles around Mdina and Rabat . Light music was playing at a low volume which made the atmosphere extremely romantic and welcoming, that is until a table which was set-up for a group of ten persons, and which was situated exactly adjacent to ours, became occupied, by a group of extremely noisy and boisterous French tourists, who we suspected were hotel guests on an all inclusive booking, as they were served food from a set menu that was not available to normal guests. These people spoiled the atmosphere something terrible, shouting, giggling and laughing hollowly as if they were at some rowdy pub, annoying everyone else. I have seen young children behaving much better than these people at other venues, but just as nothing is done by restaurants about noisy and unruly children in certain restaurants, I do not think that the staff at De Mondion were either inclined or prepared to deal with a situation that involved ten ignorant grown-ups.

Menus were presented, wine list was brought over, pre-dinner drinks and water were ordered, napkins were politely draped on our laps, and an amuse-bouche of a ricotta and cheese ball were served.

The a la carte menu at De Mondion is not a large affair, with some five starters ranging in price from EUR24 to EUR 30 each, and some five main courses averaging EUR39 each, with corresponding desserts at about EUR17 each. The wine list on the other hand was a vast affair with, out of this world high mark-ups , and in which I could not really understand why a Marsovin Antonin Noir was priced at EUR38 (to be fair I have seen it priced, ridiculously much higher at other venues), and then a Marsovin Marnisi, (which retails at the same price as the Antonin), was priced at a whopping EUR75. For a wine professional, such inconsistent mark-ups, would indicate not only inconsistencies with pricing, but also a veritable conundrum on what wine to order, let alone a client who might not be so conversant with wine quality and prices and who would be inadvertently highly overcharged , not to say ripped-off.

Our Food Selections:

Starters:

It was not a problem to decide on the food choices really, and seeing that we were four persons, and there were only five starters and five main-courses to choose from, the problem was simply to choose the odd-item out, rather than what we would actually choose, individually, so that the food would be paired with a reasonable choice in wine.

Choices were made of the:

Pan-fried Fresh Scottish King Scallops
Braised Belly of Pork with Maple Syrup
Mango and Cucumber Salad

Remarks: The scall0ps were rather chewy and not the best fresh scallops that I personally have been served elsewhere or have cooked myself. The braised belly pork of necessity was slow cooked, possibly hours before and was heated up, making it rather chewy and tasteless, as pre-cooked food tends to be. This serving was priced at EUR27.50

Pasta Bag filled with Red Prawns and Sea Urchin
Razor Clam and Pea Ragoût with ‘Fawwara’ Capers
Saffron Velouté

Remarks: The red prawns and the sea urchin filling in the pasta bag were a bit elusive as they were nowhere to be seen. The filling was a type of paste certainly not fresh red prawns, and the sea urchins pose a big question mark as from where they had been freshly obtained in Mdina. The razor clam was reported to be quite chewy. This serving was priced at EUR28.50.

Le Foie Gras Rouge
Pressed Terrine with Orange
Baked with Truffle Oil and Brioche
Pan-fried on White Port Brûlée

Remarks. This serving was reported to be good. Menu price EUR 30.

Organic Smoked Risotto with Asparagus and Shimeji Mushrooms
Mozzarella di Bufala Fritter
Cauliflower Velouté

Remarks: A rather very creamy risotto, which was neither here nor there in taste.

Price of this item EUR24

Main Courses:

Stuffed Saddle of Rabbit filled with Onion and Fennel Root Relish

White Bean Press and Rutabaga
Pan-Fried Rabbit Liver
and Rabbit Jus with Fennel Seeds

Remarks: Nice presentation. This serving was reported to be good.

Menu price: EUR34.

Roasted Tenderloin of Aged Charolais Beef
Braised Veal Cheeks
Chanterelles, Shiitake and Cipollini
Beetroot Purée and Madeira Beef Jus

Remarks: Nice presentation. Tenderloin cooked perfectly medium-rare. Price was extremely expensive for a charolais fillet.

Menu price: EUR39.50

Roasted Best End of Scottish Lamb;
Potato & Lamb Shank Confit Roll;
Roasted Salsify, Rocket, Garlic & Lemon Puree;
Beef Tomatoes and Lamb Jus

Remarks: Nice presentation. Taste and cuisine quality reported to be good.

Menu price EUR38.

Roasted Venison Tenderloin scented with Lime Zest
Turnip and Plum Raviolo
Roasted and Puréed Parsnips, Golden Raisins and Game Jus.

Remarks: The venison was served on a bar of wood for decoration, and to possibly make the serving look larger than it was. A bit funny really as in my opinion what is placed on a plate should be edible, and placed there to be eaten. The garnish/veg served with this dish were a bit chewy. The photo on the right shows the wooden bar on which the venison portion was placed.

Menu price: EUR39.

Desserts:

Sweet Carrot Cake, Banana and Exotic Fruit Sorbet

Ginger Foam, Raisin Coulis
Pecan Nut Crumble

Remarks: True enough this was tagged as a “sweet carrot cake” but when we say sweet it was oversweet.

Menu price: EUR15.

Valhrona Bitter Chocolate Coulant with Coffee Center
White Chocolate and Banana Mousse, Azuelta Tuille
Mint and Lime Ice Cream

Remarks: This serving, which is one that I always choose myself, but this time was selected by my wife. This was the best dessert served both in quality and taste.

Menu price: EUR17.50

Jellied Apple Compote with Calvados
Apple and Lime Mousse with Fresh Raspberries
Raspberry and Champagne Sorbet, Muesli Biscuit

Remarks: Another very sweet dessert, which was not finished off by one of the guests. The remaining part was finished eventually as we wanted to taste the actual sweetness. Yes it was very sweet.

Menu Price: EUR 16.50

Milk Chocolate and Nougatine Parfait
Walnut Ice Cream, Bitter Chocolate Soil
Dried Berries and Macadamia Nut Crumble
Vanilla and Citrus Syrup

Remarks: I selected this serving , and as parfait go, it was nothing to write home about. Menu price: EUR 16.50

A point to ponder: Dessert wines should always be sweeter than the dessert that they are served with, and although a good selection of albeit very expensive dessert wines are available (some at EUR10 by the glass), it would have been difficult to find a sweeter dessert wine than the sweetness of the above desserts, with the exclusion of the Valhrona bitter chocolate fondant.

To complement the above cuisine, we selected a bottle of the Marsovin Antonin Noir at EUR38, and two bottles of water . Various vintages of this wine were listed on the wine list with prices ranging from EUR36 to EUR59, I wonder who dreams these prices as this wine regardless of vintage is always the same and does not warrant these mark-ups.

Value: Dinner at De Mondion does not come cheap, to my mind prices are heavily inflated, which goes to explain why, every time that we went, or our associates went, the place had only three or four tables occupied. On this visit (27th September, 2013), on a Friday evening, with the exception of the very noisy French table, normal diners present in all, including us, were just ten (10) ten persons. Our bill for the dinner cuisine choices as described above came up to EUR325.75 for the food and EUR 55.75 for the wine, water, and two pre-dinner drinks (at EUR4.50 each). Total all inclusive price was thus EUR381.50 or EUR95.38 per person excluding tips, which finally brought the price to just over EUR100 per person with tip.

Service: The service at de Mondion is faultless and considered very good +. True enough they were a bit at a loss of how to cope with the noisy and annoying hotel guests’ table, but this was not really their fault. If De Mondion is projecting itself as a fine dining restaurant, at the prices charged, it should act as such at all times, and groups should be seated elsewhere. Coffees were not ordered, but petit fours were served nevertheless. Complementary liqours were not offered.

Reviewers remarks:

Ambience: The terrace offered a fantastic atmosphere with the lighted views of the southern regions of Malta and the vicinity of Mdina. The fact that the not set-up, inside restaurant through which guests had to pass from, to go to the terrace, left a lot to be desired, as well as the restaurant manager’s fidgeting about with his i-pad on one of the restaurant tables. Restaurant tables, especially in fine dining restaurants, should be set-up all the time.

Cuisine Quality: Experienced much better at a much lower menu price.

Preparation and presentation of cuisine: Traditional fine dining.

Service: Very Good+.

Wine List: A very vast wine list, with choices of wines from all over the globe, with Old World and New World wine choices, which is only let down by excessive mark-ups.

Value for money: Extremely expensive and overrated. .

Overall Rating: I shall leave everyone to make their own minds on this one from the review given above, but due to the excessively high prices of both food and wine, I cannot place a recommended tab on it.

One final remark: When we were presented with the bill, we were given a card to fill in with our remarks on the restaurant’s food quality, service and value, this is fair enough. But we were also given a postcard, requesting us to complete some vote, recommending the restaurant for a “crowd-sourced” award. Does not, the management of this establishment, as well as other expensive restaurants, think and realise, that patrons who are ready to spend so much money on a dinner : 1) do not have either the time or the inclination to take part in such schemes; and 2) that such establishments are demeaning themselves when they solicit clients to vote for them in a “crowd-sourced” exercise, when their clients are mainly, high-net-worth individuals?

Contact:

De Mondion Restaurant,

Xara Palace,

Misrah Il-Kunsill,

Mdina.

21 450 560.