Buddhamann Asian Fusion Restaurant.

Dinner – Saturday, 19^th December, 2015

Buddhamann is an Asian fusion restaurant combining aromas, tastes, flavours and quality ingredients of the Far East, Indian, Chinese and Japanese, with those of the finest European style menus. The establishment offers an exceptional experience in food preparation that should go down very well with diners adventurous enough to go for well, known dishes, but having a twist in the preparation, presentation and most important of all taste.

The menu is inscribed on a double side wooden board which at first glance looks like any other Asian menu for the starters and more so for the main courses for which headings are a typical European style menu, but when one reads the small descriptive print after each item, it all starts to make sense of what the Chef actually wishes to convey. But then again, as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and this applies perfectly so to the food on this menu.

Food ordered:

Starters:

After discussing the menu with the Chef we ordered a six-course degustation starter selection to be shared between four, and the following dishes were suggested and agreed to :

Mai Tai Spherification – as amuse bouche. This is a traditional Mai Tai cocktail molecular sphere served on a half fresh lime.

Salmon Sashimi – marinated salmon in white miso and served on a crispy salmon skin cracker and a lime pearl.

Yasai Futomaki – mangetout, mango, soyabroth and pickled cucumber sushi roll in a rice paper wrap;

Cuts of Tuna – brushed in kimchi sauce and served with smoked wokame seaweed jelly.

Alaskan King Crab sections – cooked in tempura and dressed with a wasabi mayonnaise, chilli chutney, served with black sesame seeds and herbs.

Boneless Quail tandoori – cooked in a traditional oven and served with a pomegranate, ginger and red currant sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Courses:

Lamb on the bone – cooked in a clay oven, marinated in ginger, garlic and tandoori masala, and served with a lime and coriander chutney;

Duck Royal – served with a soya, orange, red wine and lemongrass veloute sauce;

Black Angus Beef – marinated in the traditional North Indian manner, with a Japanese twist. Ingredients include: soya and oyster crème’ fraeche; and served in caramelised honey and shitake mushrooms.

Pork Cheeks – roasted in a traditional tandoori, with Goan style Indian aromatic spices, and a mosaic of vegetables and herbs.

Pilau rice and naan bread servings on the side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An end of meal passion fruit amuse bouche of was served to clean and freshen the palate.

 

 

 

 

Dessert: Lollipop sorbets chocolate and lime flavours

 

 

 

 

 

Wine list: A very good wine list is offered with some really good wines. A very good Crozes-Hermitage 2013 was selected to pair with this meal. Three bottles of water completed the dinner.

Value: The billed cost of the above selections with degustation shared between four persons and main course individually chosen came up to EUR180 (EUR45pp). Excluding the wine but including the water.

Service: Very good.

Very Good food, well prepared and presented; Very Good service; Very Good value in accordance with concept and top quality of the cuisine.

 

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House of Spice Indian Restaurant – Bugibba.

A taste of the Indian-Sub Continent - December. 2015.

House of Spice known as HOS Indian Restaurant situated in Triq Il-Halel, Bugibba, is a newly opened restaurant specializing in authentic top quality Indian cuisine giving flavourful tastes from all over

the Indian Sub-Continent. This restaurant boasts to be serving the most authentic Indian cuisine with a twist in flavours not normally found in other similar restaurants.

The place has been recently refurbished throughout as it was originally run as another restaurant, and the end result is quite tasteful as well as spacious, giving an aura of fine dining in an ethnic concept. Being new, the place is still trying to find its feet in such a competitive location, but a visit will reward the diner with a rather upmarket dining experience.

The menu is quite vast covering Indian Antipasti; Tandoori dishes; Handi dishes; Selection of th Chef’s specials; Tandoori Massala dishes; Biriani selections; Lawazamat dishes; as well as an international selection of dishes with an Indian twist. A children’s, non-spicy menu is also available with chicken tikka masal; Chicken Korma; Chicken Romally; Fish cake burger; Coley Goujons; which does make a huge difference from the usual chicken nuggets and canned sausages.

Food ordered:

The food ordered was a tasting affair between four persons, and the food served in this degustation was never ending. Exceptionally good, with selections of mild and very hot spicy dishes which were lapped up with three types of special nan bread:

Six types of dips and sauces were served as amuse bouche with papadums at the beginning of the dinner.

A dish of appetizers consisting of selections of Murgh Tikka – marinated pieces of chicken cooked in a clay oven; Taste of the Lahori – Chana-chat, samosa, and seek kebab, were served as a first course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main courses selections were:

Lamb gosht very hot from the Handi selections;

Kada Gisht – lamb with pumpkin from the Chef’s Special selections;

Hyderabadi dum Biryani – basmati rice cooked with South Indian spices;

Bindhi Bhaji – okra cooked with onion and garlic from the Lawazamat menu section;

Three types of exceptionally good nan bread were served separately:

Keema nan – stuffed with a thin layer of minced lamb;

Rashun nan – with garlic and coriander;

Kulcha nan – filled with cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert:

Of course, Indian, home-made desserts must be ordered with such a meal. It is a sin to order anything else.

Hot and cold Carrot Halva – a festive dessert made with carrots milk, nuts, and honey, and served with Indian kulfi ice-cream.

The ever popular Gulab Jamun – those sweet honeyed dumplings;

Rasmali – soft paneer balls immersed in chilled creamy milk, garnished with pistacchios.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wine and beverages: The wine list is quite decent , and although I would prefer Indian beer to pair with Indian food, we ordered a bottle of chilled Gavi di Gavi; Some three bottles of water; espresso.

Service: Is quite good and attentive.

Value: The value of the above meal between four including the water and the coffees came up to a very decent EUR86, (EUR21.50 pp). The cost of the wine was EUR18 for the bottle.

Very good authentic Indian food; Very good service; Very good value.

 

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Dinner at Trattoria San Lawrenz -Kempinski Hotel .

Sunday, 6th December, 2015 - San Lawrenz, Gozo.

Our weekend in Gozo would not have been complete if a gourmet dinner was not had at the Trattoria San Lawrenz where a combined menu with dishes from the trattoria as well as from the L’Ortolan kitchen was being offered through pre-booking. L’Ortolan on this evening was being used as a steakhouse/cum buffet restaurant , but an option for the special menu was offered at the Trattoria when we placed the booking.

The normal Trattoria San Lawrenz menu offers a vast selection of pasta dishes, pizza which is baked in the trattoria’s special pizza oven, grills, fish, soups and salads. The menu being described here is a one-off tasting menu, which was available on the day through pre-booking.

The set menu was presented as a degustation , but every plate was served as an individual presentation to each diner, not as a sharing version, with the Maitre D’ explaining every dish in detail. Preparation and presentation of the dishes was a gastronomic work of art, which made one feel pampered with the service and the attention to detail.

Seated at our reserved table, menus for the five-course set dinner, were already on the table, wine list was presented, and wine and water orders were placed.

A basket of in-house made, and baked bread was placed on the table, which included a jar of home-made bean dip.

Amuse bouche - Tastes of olive oil -spherical black olive, with iced olive oil parcel which melted in the mouth with a surprise explosion of flavour that takes one by surprise; and olive oil snowflakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starters - each of these three presentations was served to each diner:

Riso Venere - with king prawns, calamari and cucumber;

Three ages and textures of Parmesan - soufle, foam and gallet;

Parma Ham Emulsion - with egg yolk, Andalusian bread crumble, cress and edible flowers;

Main Courses- choice of one serving per diner:

Meagre al Cartoccio with parsnip puree and sundried pralines;

Local rabbit saddle with porcini mushrooms, baby carrots, corn, shallots and sweet potato.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert:

L’Ortolan lemon tart;

Deconstructed Chocolate brownie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petit fours and coffees.

Wine list: good selection of wines, mark-up typical of five-star hotels a bit on the high side.

Service: Service at the Kempinski San Lawrenz , in all restaurants, is very good and exceptionally professional.

Value: The billed price for the above dinner between four persons, for the food and water, came up to EUR120, (EUR30pp). Price for the wine was EUR38 for the bottle over and above.

Outstanding food; Very good service; Very good value.

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Dinner at Nan Yuan Cantonese Restaurant.

Valletta Waterfront - Thursday, 10th December, 2015.

Chinese food Cantonese style is always enjoyable if cooked and prepared carefully and with attention, and such an experience is never amiss at Nan Yuan Cantonese restaurant at the Valletta Waterfront. This restaurant has become very popular and it is one of those places that when we feel a craving for Chinese food, it is first on our list to head for.

Food ordered:

We decided to give the mixed hors d’ouvres a miss this time and ordered:

Wonton soups as starters, followed by the Aromatic half duck and pancakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For main courses:

Choices of the Stir fried pork with bean sprouts and vegetables cooked in ginger sauce;

Tofu cooked in a sweet Cantonese style sauce;

and King Prawns cooked in oyster sauce and served in basket.

Vermicelli Noodles with seafood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To finish off the meal a pot of black Chinese, digestive tea was recommended and served.

 

A bottle of a good Chablis, one bottle of water.

The restaurant was very busy even on a wintry Thursday, but service was quite efficient with minimum waiting time.

Value: the value of the above detailed dinner, including the water and tea but excludingt the wine came up to EUR 72 between two persons.

An enjoyable meal at a very good value.

 

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Dinner at Patrick’s Lounge, Restaurant & Steakhouse at Victoria Gozo.

Saturday, 5th December, 2015.

When we are in Gozo, a visit to Patrick’s Steakhouse in Victoria, Gozo, is always a part of our schedule, and so it was on our recent weekend break in our sister Island.

Patrick’s is always very good if one enjoys a good juicy steak, which is sourced from various bovines. Whether it’s a Kobe style rib-eye or sirloin, or an Angus beef cut, Tomahawk for two, or a prime steer fillet or Chateaubriand , they are always available and cooked with Patrick’s master touch.

Settled at our reserved table, menu’s wine list and specials were presented, and we settled for a selection of individual starters and main courses from the main menu which had recently been changed and upgraded.

Wine and water orders were given, and an amuse bouch of the Chef’s special bruschetta was served.

Food Choices:

Starters:

Veal Carpaccio with Black truffle served with lemon and olive oil, Parmesan and Summer black truffle shavings.

Pan seared Foie Gras - served with baked brioche infused with fresh rosemary, onion marmalade, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Two servings of the Arborio Risotto cooked with sauted mushrooms, Tellegio cheese and baby spinach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main courses:

Cuban surf and turf - char-grilled Angus fillet of beef laced with black been sauce, tempura battered local king prawns and roasted potatoes.

Roast Barbary duck breast, served with over sweet corn blini, cherry, juniper berry and Barolo jus.

New Zealand prime steer Chateaubriand to be shared between two persons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert:

The freshly baked apple tart tatine

and

Valrhona chocolate fondant.

 

 

 

 

 

Wine: Patrick’s has one of the best wine cellars in Gozo, and if one knows his way around wine, it is quite easy to pick that special bottle at a very reasonable price. we settled for a bottle of Saint-Joseph Rhone red wine at EUR28.80 which pared perfectly with our food choices.

Naturally, two or three bottles of water, espressos and complementary grappas finished of the dinner.

Service: Service here is always well above average with special given to each table by Patrick’s lovely wife who on this occasion was acting Front-of-House manager.

Value: The dinner as detailed above for the food, water, coffees came up to EUR164 between four persons (EUR41 pp). Extremely good value for the food quality. The price of the selected wine was EUR28.80 for the bottle.

Outstanding food; Very good service; Very good value.

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Sunday lunch at Porto Vecchio Restaurant.

Yacht Marina - Mgarr, Gozo - 6th December, 2015.

Another restaurant that we are regulars at when we visit Gozo, is without a shadow of doubt Porto Vecchio Ristorante e Vinoteca, in Mgarr, Gozo, just across from the ferry terminal, on the other side of Mgarr Harbour. Apart from a very well furbished and appointed inside section in the main restaurant, this establishment has a splendid outside terrace which is situated across the road from the restaurant , (that is, just opposite), with open views of the harbour, the yacht marina and the ferry terminal. A warm welcome to all clients is always guaranteed by both Walter John Cassar and his father Chris the owners and hands-on managers of the place, who had set-up and opened the restaurant some eight years ago.

The restaurant offers a vast menu of antipasti, soups, pasta, fresh fish and seafood and meat, cooked and prepared in the “alla buona” Italian style. Here one can just enjoy a single plate meal with a bottle of wine, but then again one can opt for a full on three or four course lunch or dinner prepared with all the trimmings of a fine dining restaurant by the restaurant’s chefs.

After a short discussion with the restaurant manager about the daily specials, we agreed to his suggestion that all starters and main courses were to be served sharing style, so that each of the four of us, would get a good tasting of the different dishes and flavours of the freshly cooked and prepared food.

Once seated, water and wine orders were made, and a fantastic amuse bouche of a

Thyme scented Carnaroli Artisanal Risotto prepared and served with oyster mushrooms and seared foie gras was served.

Sharing starters selected and prepared by the Chef after a brief suggestion were:

Thinly sliced Fillet of Beef, carpaccio with asparagus, peppered goat’s cheese, shallot infused white balsamic and fresh cress;

Lampuki Fillets Ceviche with, white vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs

Home-made pasta Rabbit Agnolotti served with black truffle and pumpkin cream;

A pasta special stuffed with scallop & king prawn, stone crab and wreck fish roe , and Pastis scented black mussel broth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mains courses:

Pan-seared Fillet of Meager, with wilted spinach, pancetta and lemon butter;

Saddle of rabbit stuffed with Maltese sausage and served with carrot puree and bacon jus;

Glazed Boneless Quails with honey, orange, mixed spice and parsnip puree;,

Frenched Rack of pan roasted rack of lamb, served with mustard glaze, parsnip cake, and red wine jus.

Desserts:

Torta Frangelico with Piedmontese hazelnuts, espresso gel, fig and caramel Ice-cream;

Amaro Siciliano - Averna Panna Cotta, amaretti, caramel Glaze and chocolate vermicelli;

Banana & Cinnamon Spring Roll - Galliano cheesecake puree, apple eggnog and toffee Ice-Cream;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very good cheese platter with a selection of gourmet cheeses.

There is nothing to say about this display and serving of these dishes, except that the whole array was outstanding in both the quality and the presentations.

 

A truly WRMC Blue Riband Restaurant service.

Wine: very good selections of local and foreign wines. Good mark-up of about 55 per cent on the retail price. A local white wine was selected at EUR25.75.

Service: very attentive and efficient.

Value: The billed cost for the above lunch came up to EUR158.20 between four persons for the food, water and coffees (EUR39.50pp); wine cost for the bottle was EUR25.75. Exceptional value for money.

Very Good Food; Very Good Service; Exceptional value for money.

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