TemptAsian - Asian Fusion Restaurant at The Palace Hotel, Sliema, Malta.

Dinner on Saturday, 14th December, 2013.

It goes without saying that the hallmark of every luxurious hotel are its restaurants. Breakfast restaurants, lunch and dinner restaurants to cater for the majority of guests are normal and a necessity, but what really separates the serious players from the ordinary, is a spectacular, up-scale restaurant, through which the hotel in question will be able to showcase its culinary expertise. Such restaurants become destination venues for the more discerning diner. Such a restaurant is TEMPTASIAN - Asian Fusion Restaurant, which has gone a step further through its chic layout and set-up, private curtained-in dining tables, lounges, and tables overlooking the spectacular, panoramic views of Sliema and Grand Harbour, from the 9th floor of The Palace Hotel.

TemptAsian has from the beginning of December, started to introduce a brand new menu, with new, more up-market dishes and cuisine selections from China, India, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, prepared by highly trained local Chefs or in various cases by specially head-hunted chefs from India, the Philippines and other locations to prepare more authentic, regional cuisine.

The new menu offers choices of:

Soups; Salads; selection of hot starters; floating baskets; Yakitori, Tandoori and Sate dishes as starters. These are followed by selections of main courses with headings such as Ramen; From the Sea; Sea to Wok; Sizzling Dishes; From the Land; and Land to Wok; Teppan and Charcoal grills; and side orders of noodles and rice varieties. Finally the menu contained a selection of exotic desserts, ice-cream with oriental herbs and flavours; exoctic fruits, etc.

Our Food Selections:

We started off with a mixed platter of Japanese sushi, sashimi, salmon rolls, dynamite rolls, with ginger and wasabi, which were enjoyed with a chilled prosecco.

This was followed by a choice of medium to hot spicy soups - two servings of the Malaysian Laksa Lemak and two servings of Po Taek - a spicy Thai seafood soup.

Mid-course we opted for the Combination platter to share between four - with selections of duck parcels, prawn kataifi, pork sate’, chicken tandoori , chicken lollipop, sweet corn fritters. With sweet chilli, soy, kiko and sate sauces.

Main courses ordered were individual choices, as these servings are not designed for sharing, but to be enjoyed according to one’s tastes. Our choices for main courses were for:

Foie Gras Teppanyaki with miso sauce from the Floating Basket selections.

Lobster Teppenyaki rom the Teppan and Charcoal grill selections.

Lobster curry from the specials.

and a serving of Thai Prawns.

A serving of noodles and rice to share were ordered as side dishes.

Desserts:

A dessert platter of flavoured ice-creams, and exotic fruits were ordered to share.

Wine to complement the above cuisine had to be a chilled, white wine, and a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2012, paired in quite well.

Service: Service was considered to be outstanding.

Value for money: The price of the above dinner for food only, excluding drinks and wine came up to EUR200 (EUR50 per person), which for the quality of the cuisine and dishes consumed is considered to be very good value, which added to a very luxurious dining experience.

Reviewers Impressions:

Ambience: Outstanding.

Cuisine Quality: Outstanding Asian Fusion.

Preparation and presenataion: Very Good +

Harmony of menu: Very Good +

Wine list: A good choice of local and imported wines, reasonable mark-ups on most wines.

Service: Outstanding.

Value for money: Very Good.

RATING: 9.5/10

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Contact details:

TemptAsian Restaurant,

The Palace Hotel,

High Street,

Sliema.

Tel: 21 333 444