Round-Up of Restaurants visited and reviewed in June 2015.

Lunch at Qbajjar Restaurant,

Marsalforn/Zebbug- Saturday, 27th June,2015.

When we spend a weekend in Gozo, we invariably stay either in a penthouse belonging to a friend of ours at Qbajjar, just in front of the Chez Amand Restaurant, or in one of the hotels. This time we stayed at Qbajjar, and as my good friend Chef Amand Verraneman and his daughter Caroline, no longer run Chez Amand, we tried out the neighbouring establishment to it, Qbajjar Restaurant. We were actually surprised at the quality of the service and the food, and like many others it seems, we were not disappointed to have done so.

The restaurant’s menu is quite detailed and caters for all tastes and pockets, and include selections of: Hot and cold starters; various salads; soups; fresh pasta dishes; risotto dishes; meat and fresh fish; and of course selections of some ten pizzas. Home-made desserts at EUR3.75 each, and a children’s menu which is not just nuggets and sausages. Menu prices are very reasonable apart from very good service. To top it all, Qbajjar Restaurant has its own large parking area, which is strictly reserved for the restaurant’s clients. No wonder that this place is full of people all day long from lunch to late at night.

Food ordered:

We asked for the fresh fish available and we were shown a display on a tray with fresh skorfon, pagell and a spiny lobster, as well as farmed spnott and awratt. We settled for the wild pagell for two persons, and the skorfon (scorpion fish) for the other two as main courses; and for starters we ordered:

one pepata di cozze; one insalata trecolori with mozzarella di bufala, tomatoes, basil and olive oil; and two servings of the spaghetti pescatore served with a variety of seafood, and shellfish, cooked with cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs, white wine and olive oil.

Once the food, wine and water orders were made we were also served with some focaccia nibbles, a basket of fresh, hot bread rolls and olive oil. The bread rolls tasted exceptionally good and fresh.

The food was served in good time, portions were very generous and above all very good indeed. True enough we were famished after the long drive and travelling from Malta and as it was past 14.00, but what is very good cannot be denied. Chips, roast potatoes, fresh salad and hot veg were served on the side.

Dessert: One rainbow cup with fruit was ordered, plus coffees.

Wine list is ample and the mark up is very reasonable at 45% above retail. A bottle of Antonin Noir which paired well with our food was priced at EUR21.70.

Value: The bill finally came up to EUR 133.35 between four for the food, water and espressos viz: EUR33.34 pp; Wine price was EUR21.70 for the bottle.

Good food, good service, good value

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Dinner at Tmun Mgarr - Gozo, Monday, 29th June, 2015.

Monday was a public holiday and our last day in Gozo, and rather than joining the long queue of vehicles that were waiting patiently in line for about a mile outside the terminal, we opted for a leisurely, good dinner at Tmun Mgarr Restaurant, which is walking distance away from the terminal anyway. A call to Paul and Leli ensured that we had a table booked for four persons, drove over, parked our car just outside, and were seated at our table immediately on arrival, although we did arrive a bit later than the booking.

The place was as usual full up both inside and outside on the terrace as this establishment is in great demand. Once the food, water and wine were ordered, we were served with an amuse bouche of marinated octopus with herbs and a type of creamy sauce; wine and water were brought over. The Falanghina chosen by myself was out of stock, but a god Greco di Tufo was selected instead which also paired well with the food ordered.

Food ordered:

Starters:

A platter of the Chef’s degustation menu was ordered to be shared between two. This consisted of an array of antipasti from the main menu such as: Tuna and swordfish carpaccio cured with lemon grass, olive oil and lemon juice; deep fried tempura battered prawns; white baite; fish fritters, neonati fritters; prawn crudo; and seafood bisque in cup.

One fig tart tatin, a nice presentation and great for summer;
One fish crudo platter - tuna and swordfish.

Main courses:

One grilled 400 gm dentici;
One serving of the Red, Mediterranean king prawns;
One serving of grilled, fresh calamari cooked in spices with herbs and garlic;
and one Bouillabaisse fish soup, cooked with chunks of fish, calamari, prawns and shell fish.

Dessert:
One freshly made apple tart tatin;
Two servings of home-made sorbets - lemon and strawberry;
and Tmun’s famous cheese platter, strewn with an array of delicate cheeses such as:
Pecorino ice-cream made by the chef; Saint Albray; Gorgonzola DOP; Testun Occelli al Barolo produced from cows and goats’ milk, and aged cheese in barolo grapes; and a portion of Il Valcasotto (cheese with oat meal).

Wine selection good with elections that pair well with the food on the menu. Our choice for the evening was a Greco di Tufo, well chilled and priced at EUR 23.95. Two still water and espressos were also ordered. Complementary liqueurs were offered but were declined due to the long drive ahead, but coffees were enjoyed.

Value: The bill came up to a reasonable EUR 161.9 between four, ( EUR40.48 pp), for the food, water and coffees, excluding the wine which was priced at EUR23.95.

Service was as usual very good, hands-on by the owner assisted by a good team of waiters. This is a family run establishment where very good, outstanding service and fresh cuisine are doted upon and cherished. Cuisine quality very good.

Tmun Mgarr Restaurant is a WRMC Silver Spoon Restaurant.

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Dinner at Porto Vecchio Restaurant - Mgarr, Gozo.

Saturday, 27th June, 2015.

Porto Vecchio Ristorante e Vinoteca in Mgarr, Gozo, is another one of our favourite restaurants in Gozo. Situated at the new Yacht Marina on the other side of Mgarr Harbour across from the ferry terminal, and run hands on by the owners Chis and Walter John Cassar, this restaurant has built a very good reputation for very good fish and seafood dishes and thus a regular clientele of both Maltese and Gozitan patrons, especially during the Summer months enjoying dinner on the spacious terrace.

Food ordered:

An amuse bouche of quail eggs with a sardine mini-salad was served once the wine and food order were made.

Naturally food had to be centred around fish and seafood and after having been shown the fresh fish availability we ordered three servings of the traditional fish and seafood alljotta which was served nice and hot and teeming with fish chunks and black mussels;
and a serving of the Pepata di Cozze.

Main courses:

2 x 500gm each Dott cooked al cartoccio and one 700gm lobster on pasta cooked in the lobster bisque bringing the lobster flavours in the pasta.

Dessert: As we were quite full from the food, we did not feel like having desserts, so a cheese platter to be nibbled at was ordered. Cheese on the platter consisted of a very good display of top class cheeses such as: Toma Monte regale made from raw cows’ milk; Gbejna bajda; Mona Lisa Erborinato blue; Crutin al Tartufo and Toma Piemontese DOP; hazelnuts; frozen grapes; chutney and biscuits.

Wine selections offered a good choice, we settled for a bottle of Vermentino Bolgheri which paired well with the food.

Value: Between for persons the food bill including two bottles of water, espressos, and complementary liqueurs, came up to EUR184.25 (EUR46 pp); the wine cost was EUR22.75) for the bottle.

Service was very good and attentive; Cuisine quality very good.

Walking distance from the ferry harbour, so a jump over for dinner without the hassle of taking one’s car is worthwhile even for the change.

Porto Vecchio Restaurant is a WRMC Blue Riband Restaurant.

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Beppe’s Restaurant, Marsalforn, Gozo.

Sunday, 28th June, 2015.

Great weekend plus a day or two in Gozo, over the Monday public holiday, interspersed with a lot of swimming, lazing about, and eating . Visited some six restaurants in different locations for lunch and dinner, varying from upscale casual dining at its best, an excellent family-oriented casual dining restaurant, and two so/so tourist oriented places for lunch. A review of each shall be posted one by one.

BEPPE’S in Marsalforn is one of the smallest restaurants in the Menqa area of Marsalforn , but is surely the best in this location, if one is looking for fine dining or up-scale cuisine. Beppe’s does not serve pizza and burgers like the majority of others in this stretch , and the Chef-Patron Joseph Spiteri has over time, managed to attract a good clientele who, like us make it a point to visit this restaurant most times that we visit Gozo.

Booked a table a couple of days before, for Saturday dinner. The location was as usual jam-packed with people on the Saturday evening, with all restaurants at the Menqa teeming with diners of all categories.

Food ordered:

It goes without saying that when we visit Beppe’s, we pre-order his famous degustation menu as a starter to share between four, naturally followed by a fresh fish for main course. This qualifies as a top Chef’s Table anytime, with the best and freshest ingredients used in all individual servings.

The servings presented in the degustation menu were prepared ad hoc by the chef and consisted of servings of:
Fresh Sicilian ricotta on cherry tomatoes and black olives served with figs;
Fresh tuna tartar - exquisite in taste and flavours;
Swordfish carpaccio;
Crab meat millefoglie;
Prawn crudo;
Soft cheese stuffed deep fried sfinegg;
Seafood flavoured rice balls with cheese interior;
Spaghetti rizzi ,(Spaghetti with sea urchin roe);
Pan fried fresh tuna steaks crusted with mild black pepper - another exceptional serving;

Finally: two Rock fish (skorfon), served to share. Nicley filleted at the table by the head waiter.

Dessert: A serving of the Chef’s ad hoc dessert made there and then with mascarpone/ricotta stuffed cannoli , fruits, melon sorbet and chocolate sauce was presented to share.

Wine: Two bottles of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; two bottles of water; espressos; complemented the dinner. Complementary grappa and a cognac were also offered.

Value: The bill price of the above dinner for food, water and coffees, excluding the wine, came up to EUR170.6 between four (EUR42.65 per persons). Very reasonable for the food quality served.

Wine cost per bottle EUR23.50.

Service and cuisine quality very good. Well worth a visit.

BEPPE’S Restaurant is a WRMC Blue Riband Restaurant.

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Fathers’ Day Lunch at Ron’s in Marsaxlokk.

Sunday, 21st June, 2015.

Ron’s in Marsaxlokk is one of those places that everyone knows about although very inconspicuous by its facade and its external appearance. The restaurant has a few tables on the pavement just like every other restaurant in Xatt is-Sajjieda, Marsaxlokk, (although some have much more than is allowed by law), a very small entrance leading to a tiny bar with the main restaurant situated upstairs with access from a rounded staircase. The restaurant seats only just about 30/36 persons, opens only for lunch, and is in great demand by regular, local clients as well as by a good number of foreigners. The place offers no frills, just good food. It is always advisable to book a table for a specific time if one is going, but it is a must that clients arrive in time according to the booking, as tables are not kept empty, in fact you might be asked to wait for a few minutes, before your table is prepared and ready even if you are spot on time. Nothing really wrong with this if one is ready to accept the concept and the peculiarity of the place, and if one just wishes to eat at Ron’s.

Ron’s is a typical fish restaurant in this once quaint fishing village which is not really quaint anymore, so if you decide to give it a try, just go with the notion to eat fish and seafood.

Arrived promptly at our reservation time at 13.00, table for nine persons, not ready on arrival.

Assured that we would be seated within ten minutes. A few tables were moved around once vacated, tables set-up and everyone was seated eventually. Food orders were taken, wine ordered and served, water ordered and served.

Food ordered:
Starters:

Five spaghetti seafood; two spaghetti rizzi; one serving of the whitebait fritters; one salmon paupettes. A small spaghetti rizzi for my granddaughter . Portions are huge even at starter sizes, as every dish can also be ordered as a main course.

Main Courses:

One John Dory; two wild sea bass: one Fritto Misto; two swordfish steaks; two servings of the fresh,red King prawns. Side servings of grilled vegetables; roast potatoes; chips; and fresh salad, were served on the table.

Desserts: No one was really in the mood for more food, but nevertheless one portion cassatella, three servings sorbets and espressos were ordered.

Wine list is not large, but ample choices are given of some good wines reasonably priced at between EUR15 and EUR18 a bottle. We settled for two bottles of Gavi di Gavi at EUR16 each. some five bottles of water were also drank during the lunch.

Value: This is the best part of this lunch. As I said above the place is unpretentious and no frills in the extreme, and the price for all the food, wine, water, espressos, came up to EUR250 between eight adults viz: EUR 31.35 pp, excluding tip of course.

Good food at very good value for money. Service good, but take -it or leave-it laid back.

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Vecchia Napoli Skyparks - Luqa Airport.

Dinner Saturday, 20th June, 2015.

It is not very often that I visit a restaurant with the intention to do a review, when the restaurant would have only been open for a couple of weeks. I usually, give the place and the owners, time to settle in, find their feet, and also for any new equipment, as in this case, to do, so to speak its “running in period”. Ovens, grillers, etc., have to be used for a few weeks before the new material would start to behave as it should after the production processes; wine chillers have to be in place and wine kept at the correct temperature; chefs, serving staff, management, and any other employees, have to settle in and find their way around and to bring forward the restaurant’s aims and concepts.

Vecchia Napoli Skyparks being a replica of the long established Vecchia Napoli Sliema, has only been in operation since the first week of June, so we made an exception of our first visit, and made a reservation for a table for five persons for last Saturday, dinner.

Vecchia Napoli Skyparks, has been a success from the word go it seems, as we were informed that the place is literally full for lunch and dinner throughout the week. Being located so strategically at MIA’s Skyparks building , serving staff from the airport and adjoining offices, and for dinner being in the centre and easy reach of some seven or eight regional villages, I would have been surprised if this was not the case. Saturday evening was proof of this as when we arrived the place was full to the brim, with a queue of people waiting for a vacant table and to be seated.
The menu offers selections of antipasti; salads; focaccia selections; pasta dishes; Bambini menu; food from the grill; American burgers; and of course Pizza;

Ordered:

One junior pizza Topolino for my five year old granddaughter, which was served within minutes, which as the name suggested, was in the form of Mickey Mouse’s face ,;
and two servings of the Cestino Di Calamari Fritti - a basketful of crispy calamari rings, to share between four as a starter.

To follow one serving of the Bistecca ad uso di Firenze, ( another name for the bistecca al Fiorentina I suppose), which in fact is a large grilled T-Bone steak;

Two servings of the Cosciette di Pollo Con Miele - chartcola grilled boneless chicken legs, seasoned with honey, Thyme, Garlic, Salt, pepper and olive oil;
and of course I had to try out the pizza as otherwise why go to Vecchia Napoli in the first place? So I ordered the Calzone Capo di Monte - closed pizza stuffed with mozzarella, Parmigiano Regiano, Ementhal, mushroom cream, etc, and covered with rucola, prosciutto crudo and Grana Padano shavings.

Dessert: One Nutella stuffed pastry which everyone wanted to taste; one slice pear flan; and ice-cream for my granddaughter.

Service quite busy, but ample staff were present to serve patrons; food reasonably good, but as I said earlier, with a new restaurant some settling time is required; e.g. my Calzone Capo di Monte was good but no match for the same pizza from the Sliema outlet.

Remarks:

The chicken legs were good;
the T-Bone steak was large, tender, and quite good, but for some reason a distinct smell from the new grill/oven was discernible - this steak is priced on the menu at EUR29.95;
Pizza Topolino was enjoyed by my granddaughter.
The deep fried calamari rings, attention must be given for these servings to be well drained from oil on a grid before serving to avoid a pool of oil at the bottom of the basket. The top rings were crunchy and went well with the white wine, but the bottom half had to be left .

Wine selection is good, prices reasonable, but definitely more attention must be give to the red wine storage in a good cooler and far away from kitchens. Our Carmenere order had to be changed to a chilled Isis which was good and refreshing. Three bottles of water and espressos were also ordered.

Price for the food, water, and espressos adults EUR127.65 (EUR 32 pp adults). Child’s meal pizza and ice-cream EUR8.

Again, if you reserve a table, make sure that you arrive on time, as on some days the restaurant cannot afford to keep tables vacant due to the demand. Parking is no problem whatsoever, and excuses of this nature do not stick. We suggest that the legal parking areas are used which cost only just EUR2, and to avoid the wondering wardens who rightfully fine anyone trespassing outside the parking areas. All in all OK.

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Dinner at Tarragon Restaurant - St.Paul’s Bay.

Friday, 19th June, 2015.

Dinner at Tarragon Restaurant is always enjoyable, and since they had carried out a fantastic refurbishment, a table by the window overlooking the bay, adds to the pleasurable experience.

Excellent staff, and service headed by Joshua Borg restaurant manager, and very good cuisine.
On being seated, menus and wine lists were presented, water ordered and served, and food and wine orders made in due course.

With the wine, one has to know what one wants as the wine list is a huge volume which might take a couple of hours to read it all. Prices range from EUR18 to something around EUR900, as the cellar is well stocked with a good collection, apart from the normal restaurant wines. By the way we settled for a very good bottle of Valpolicella Ripassa from Zenato, which was duly decanted and left to breath for a while.

Food:

Amuse bouche of the spherical olive and a tuna covered crouton were served.

Starters: were ordered partly from the specials list and partly from the main menu:
Tempura prawns;
Shredded Teriyaki Rabbit confit in crispy baked strudel pastry topped with balsamic creme’ fraiche;

Mushroom and truffle risotto with crushed pistachios and herbs;
and Papardelle with rabbit livers with merlo reduction, peperoncino oil and capsicum cream.
The starters received very good comments, and my papardelle dish was delicious.

Main Courses:

Chicken breast in a mild curry, sweet chili, coriander and Cashew nut sauce.;

Wagyu Tagliata thin slices of beef cut from the shoulder and served with fresh salad;
Fillet Rossini grilled fillet to order with warm foie gras. ;
(very good cut of fillet ordered by myself medium-rare and a good chunk of foie gras. The rossini in this instance was missing the traditional crouton underneath the fillet, the truffle shavings and of course the Madeira reduction sauce).
and Duo of Lamb - French rack smothered with whole grain mustard, an pistachio herb crust; and lamb fillet marinated in the Chef’s special mixed spice .

Dessert:

Two servings of the Pinapple carpaccio with sorbet; and lemon sorbet.
Cheese board.

Value: The bill for the food, water, and espressos excluding the wine came up to EUR206.75 between four persons (EUR51.69 pp); wine cost was EUR35 for the bottle.

Complementary liqueurs were offered with the coffees.

Very good service and very good food, in a nice ambience and atmosphere.

Tarragon Restaurant is a WRMC Silver Spoon Restaurant.

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Il Vecchio Forno - Mosta

A relaxed casual dinner at Il Vecchio Forno in Mosta on Sunday night. We ordered a house pizza called pizza Vecchio Forno with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil, and also a cheese platter. This contained about eight different cheeses and was complimented with water crackers (galletti), maltese bread and salad. We shared everything, together with a bottle of white greco di tufo wine and still water. For desserts we chose some sicilian sweets - ricotta and pear tart, and almond parfait. The price at the end came to Eur40, ie Eur20 each which is very good value for money too. Will definitely visit again.

Il Vecchio Forno is a WRMC Top-Ten Family Oriented Casual Dining Restaurant.

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Dinner at New Madras Indian Restaurant, Bugibba .

Saturday 13th June, 2015.

Ethnic food if cooked and prepared by a top chef from the mother country, as well as from a specific region of that country, is always the best, as this arrangement would avoid imitation food, or food that is tailored for the palate of us Maltese as well as for our visitors.

Such a restaurant is the New Madras Indian Restaurant in Triq Gondolfi, Bugibba. Run by a Madras family, headed by Chef Vellai Chamy Muthuraman, who had began his extensive Indian culinary career way back in 1977 in the southern Indian region of Chennai. Every preparation including the desserts are made in-house through authentic ingredients sourced from Southern India, and which in turn make this restaurant one of the very best Indian restaurants in Malta. We’ve been several times, and have never been disappointed.

Food ordered:

On ordering the food,water and wine, we were served a platter of crispy poppadoms with chutney and yogurt dips as amuse bouche.

This was followed after some time in preparation by the Chefs Special Indian platter starter for four persons, which consisted of a very nice array of:
Alloo Bonda - fried potato balls dipped in Besan batter; Masala Vada - deep fried pastries made with garbanzo beans and Indian spices; Kabab Cocinar ; Kalmi kabab - chicken drumsticks; Chicken Shish kabab; hariyal tikka; Black and White seasoned chicken.

Main Courses to share:

Chicken Tikka Madras;
Dal Gosht,
Mushroom xacuti;
Kofta curry meat balls;
Bombay aloo - spiced potatoes;
Lemon rice;
Coconut rice;
Garlic naan.

Dessert:

One thing that I insist on when dining at an Indian restaurant, is the in-house made, authentic desserts. Some Indian restaurants offer very commercial, ordinary desserts, which have nothing to do with Indian food or traditions.
In-house made desserts at the New Madras Restaurant served were:
Mango Kulfi;
Pistachio kulfi;
Gulab jamun;
Carrot halwa.

Wine list, offered some good white wine choices which paired well with the cuisine. Mark-ups reasonable at about 75% above retail.

Service by family members, very attentive and efficient.

Value: the cost of the dinner between four excluding wine EUR104 (EUR26 per person). Very good value for very good quality food.

New Madras Indian Restaurant is a WRMC Blue Riband Restaurant.

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Dinner at Due Mari - Tigne Point.

Friday, 12th June, 2015.

Decided to give the promotional, seafood themed dinner at Due Mari Restaurant at Tigne Point a try, on Friday. The deal for this promotional, seafood buffet dinner was only EUR15 per person for the food, with a choice of wines at EUR15 per bottle.

An extensive array of hot and cold seafood was on display on the buffet counters, with an eat as much as you like basis.

Red king prawns; grilled pink king prawns; octopus in garlic; salmon; fish fritters; rice nero di sepia; penne seafood; bbq’ed swordfish steaks; tuna carpaccio; stuffed tuna fillets; white bait; black mussels in a rich sauce; New Zealand green half shell mussels; grouper fillets, oysters; deep fried calamari rings. It’s impossible to list everything as one could not really eat from everything.

Very enjoyable and looking forward to a similar theme evening shortly, once they start doing them seasonally every Friday. There is a possibility that this theme night is going to be held every Friday.

Full price to be checked on booking, as this Friday’s price was the promotion price, but according to info checked-out, it would be around EUR20/25, and worth every Euro, I can assure you. The place was fully booked and no wonder as the quality of the food and the service were very good.

The photo shows a typical self service platter which happens to be the one I plated to start with. Incidentally I could not eat more after this, although I did indulge in a couple of oysters to finish off the wine.

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