Sotto Mare Ristorante - Marsaxlokk
:
Positives
Gone are the days, that to experience top class presentations and exquisite food preparations, one had to go overseas, with all the hassle and expense that that might entail. We have recently enjoyed, an exquisite, four course, gourmet dinner, skilfully created, prepared and presented, by Chef Ray Fauzza at Ristorante Sotto Mare at Marsaxlokk, and which clearly exhibited the creative, culinary skills of this chef and his team
Gourmet degustation dinner at: Ristorante Sotto Mare – Marsaxlokk.
Friday, 8th April, 2016.
Over the last months, we have attended and participated as normal guests, in a number of gourmet, exhibition degustation dinners such as: that organized for the Gout de France; wine-food pairing dinners at various restaurants; as well as for the launching of new menus; new items; experimental dishes and so forth, created by different Chefs. One observation that I have made is, that over the last one or two years or so, fine dining has evolved and developed to very high levels by a few top chefs in Malta, in various locations, and not restricted to the odd, one or two places. Gone are the days, that to experience top class presentations and exquisite food preparations, one had to go overseas, with all the hassle and expense that that might entail. Fine dining as we know it, has now moved to a few, establishments around Malta at which guests can experience outstanding and holistic dining experiences, in pleasant surroundings, and through an “informal-premuimised” service, with exceptionally good cuisine, service, and value for money.
We have recently enjoyed, an exquisite, four course, gourmet dinner, skilfully created, prepared and presented, by Chef Ray Fauzza at Ristorante Sotto Mare at Marsaxlokk, and which clearly exhibited the creative, culinary skills of this chef and his team
Ristorante Sotto Mare has been operated under a different name by previous operators, but since it was taken over by Wilfred Spiteri and his sons, the place has been completely re-furbished, and re-organized. Senior Chef Ray Fauzza was brought in last February, to overhaul the kitchen and to create a new menu aimed to elevate the standard of the cuisine offered, to compete with the very best. An a la carte menu offering antipasti; pasta dishes; hot or cold starters; meat, game and poultry dishes; as well selections of seafood and fresh fish from the display, or choice of live fish, crabs and lobsters from the restaurant’s aquariums, is presented. A special gourmet menu with antipasti, choices from two starters and two main courses, and a degustation style dessert, is also available on certain days, which menu was favoured by us and selected.
Food selected:
Antipasto:
Crispy, deep fried, local cheeselet in panko breadcrumbs, served with a jar of mint flavoured yogurt, with walnuts and honey chutney, and in-house made crostini. Garnished with edible flowers.
Starter courses:
Fagottini cooked in garlic butter, sage, cherry tomatoes and chestnut mushrooms with black truffle served in a puff-pastry bowl.
Giant ravioli al uovo, stuffed with red, local prawns, spinach flavoured with a touch of curry, and raw egg yolk. Cooked with sundried tomato and basil dripping. Naturally, the egg yolk was cooked to perfection, and remained soft, causing it to ooze out when the ravioli was split.
Shaved Parmesan cheese, served on the side.
Main Courses:
A choice of the marinated, Gressingham duck breast , cooked Wellington style with honey, glazed onions and salsify. Pan seared and oven finished in rich puff-pastry. Served with a vegetable roulade and Madieria sauce.
The Roulade of local pork fillet, stuffed with seafood, and served with vegetable roulade and thick freshly made lobster bisque.
Mashed potatoes cooked in egg yolk, were served on the side, in hot, cast iron pots, in which the potato was cooked.
Dessert:
Tasting portion of the in-house prepared, tiramisu, chocolate cannolo, sabayon and mqarret. A beautiful preparation.
Wine: A very good Greco di Tufo, and an excellent Pinot Nero from Venezia Giulia –IGT 2013, were paired with the different courses. A bottle of water and espressos.
Service: Attentive service, by the restaurant manager and the Italian sommelier, with a personal appearance of the Chef, was very good.
Value: The billed value of the above dinner came up to a very reasonable EUR98 between two persons (EUR49pp), for the food and water. Wine selections are of course extra and depend on the diners’ selections. Dishes detailed, or similar versions, are available as single orders in the a la carte menu, or in the special’s menu .
Outstanding food presentations with very good quality; Very good service; Very good value for up-market dining.
RATING: 9/10
Highly Recommended.
