Ludwig Galea climbs his way to Tat-Taraġ

Cooler than a fresh peppermint ice cream we walk inside Tat-Taraġ wine bar in Rabat on a Thursday evening expecting to breeze in and find a table. Thursday is not the night for the movers and shakers of this world to put on their trendy gear and hit the wining and dining scene. Yet, much to my surprise, Tat-Taraġ is packed with people. Not the so-called glitzy pack who crave to show off their latest Prada belts or Gucci labels. More the conservative, laid back humans with a sincere smile in their eyes and that radiant face that spells out… I’m having a good time!
We walk into the room and there is a sudden silence that makes me blush. We strain for discretion, but obviously it seems we won’t go by unnoticed.
The manager greets us with a friendly smile and shows us to a table. I ask for a more secluded spot so he ushers us to a table that is intended for a larger group, but since it’s available we get it.
As you might have noticed, my guest for the evening is Malta’s very own pop tenor – Ludwig Galea. I won’t hide the fact that I am very fond of this guy, considering that before we knew each other it was a case of hate-at-first-sight – something that has been ironed out ages ago (There you go! Some juicy gossip you can thrive on this weekend!).
Once we settle into our seat, we are handed a wine menu and a small booklet which turns out to be the food menu.
Before I blab on… let me take you on a quick visual tour of Tat-Taraġ. This way you can visualise the ambience better, as my story continues….
The place is not too small and not too big, consisting of an average-sized room in the front part of the bar, a smaller room with a long table that is perfect for a big group do, and a very small space with just one table ideal for two lovers! It’s done up in a rustic way, although you get the odd piece of modern art here and there, and chequered red table cloths on the long table. The most authentic room remains the front part of Tat-Taraġ where the main bar – with shelves laden with all sorts of alcohol – stands.
It’s brightly lit, perhaps too much for my own taste, but the atmosphere is warm and cosy. Temperature permitting, it must be very nice to sit on the outside terrace and enjoy the wonderful view.
The wine menu is a very good one. They have the usual selection of local and foreign and New World wines, but it takes a twist into the unexpected and offers a Lebanese white wine at €16 which I pray God Ludwig will choose. He doesn’t!
Instead he picks a Valpolicella Zenato Veneto, equally priced at €16. I notice the wine prices range from €10 to €37.
Since I’m at it… I’m going to get the food talk over and done with!
I feel the food menus could be a little nicer… not in content, but visually. However, what they offer is very good. There is a selection of platters and dips, and some lovely ftiras which I will tell you all about later.
I shift my attention back to Ludwig and we continue the conversation we had started off on the way to the wine bar. As you might imagine it is heavily concentrated on music, record deals, hope, disappointment, success, and the various tracks that could lead to a gold-plated future. Ludwig has shed the conservative image and now leans towards a more “sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll” image. What with the long hair and the earring, the faded blue jeans and the skin tight shirts. I have a bulimic appetite for novelty so I welcome this twist, and think it is a delightful contrast to his classical singing.
All this might show him off as Mr Tough Guy, but deep down, this young man has a sensitive streak and a very generous soul. And let’s not mention the voice that could have easily synchronised with Freddie Mercury on Barcelona or The Show Must Go On.
I just have to ask Ludwig this one question: “Would you rather be nine inches taller or nine times as famous?”
He intelligently responds that he prefers to be nine times as famous. Which artiste in his/her right senses wouldn’t?
We get the wine. No mega frills, but everything is done well.
I ask Ludwig to taste the wine. He swirls the glass professionally, moving his wrist and not his hand, and tastes it without waiting for the aromas to bounce off the edge and invade his nostrils. Aaaah! He almost did it correctly!
The manager pours our wine in the appropriate glasses, and I am somehow amazed that he doesn’t spill a drop. I’m sure he must have practised this with the zeal of Maria Callas perfecting her high notes.
The food follows within a span of 15 minutes.
If you love to eat, and love to get large dishes simply prepared with a mix of flavours and colours, then Tat-Taraġ is the place. Once again, there are no frills involved. No avant-garde shaped plates with fancy decoration.
Instead, an abundant serving that could keep your stomach stocked for the rest of the week.
We order open ftiras which come with a nice salad, seasoned with balsamic vinegar. My mushroom ftiras are nice and filling, and Ludwig chooses one with four different cheeses (mozzarella, camembert, cheddar and blue cheese). Viva il-kolesterol!
My next question for Ludwig is a naughty one. I tell him to imagine he is on a boat in the middle of an ocean with three of his colleagues with equally exceptional voices: Chiara, La Barokka, and Malta’s biggest export – Joseph Calleja. Who would he feed to the sharks?
He thinks about it for a while as he chews on a piece of ftira, and finally decides to feed La Barokka to the sharks.
At the thought of water my mind triggers off a call of nature, so I jump at the opportunity to inspect the toilets at Tat-Taraġ. Those of you who have been following these articles know about my craving for nice and trendy toilets… but I’m afraid this is not my day. They are as exciting as a rainy day in winter. Though, a little sign instructs you to: “Wash your hands, please.”
Once out, I do a mini-tour of the place. They have two pieces of art which I quite like, and what really sticks to my memory is the wine cellar, which one can see if seated in one of the inner rooms.
Judging by the busy Thursday evening, I recommend a booking if you are considering to do the “Taraġ experience” on a weekend. It would be safe to say that dress code is casual, unless you want to sizzle and dazzle with something eccentric and be the talk of town. For the very vain ones, I can point out that there are at least four big mirrors you can admire yourself in.
Just as we are about to leave a group of eight men – presumably Rabat boys – fill the space at the end of the table. One, I notice, is considerably star-struck by Ludwig, though he tries his best to camouflage it.
We pay our bill of €28.25 which includes the gigantic ftira servings, and the well-structured and velvety
tasting Valpolicella Zenato Veneto.
Off again… into the night – and On Again… onto another experience!

Source: Weekender, March 7, 2009

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