“If Catherine Zeta Jones ran for the elections against your husband… Do you think the male Labour supporters would still be loyal to him?” The question fills the air with an electrifying vibe, and Michelle Muscat – wife of Labour Party leader Dr Joseph Muscat – turns her smiling brown eyes in my direction and smoothly replies: “She will never run against him, as she is one of his favourite stars… He will win her over!”
Michelle Muscat, the young mother of two twins (Soleil Sophie & Etoile Ella), has taken time to pick me up and drive me to Horza Ristorante & Bottega di vino in Valletta. We have been here for 30 minutes and we’re enjoying every scintillating minute of our conversation.
She is a light and cool combination of soft freshness and tender sophistication, sliced with the wonderful feeling of a young family woman who has woken up to find that her calm every day life has now become the fodder of newspaper articles.
I half expected a dash of Labour-red lipstick and matching nail polish, but instead she has opted for a quietly chic and jolly wearable flimsy white dress and a dainty, peach bolero over it. Her hair falls down just above her shoulders in a familiar Jackie O fashion, framing her petite face, and the cherry-quartz & Czech bohemian crystal necklace she wears around her neck. She has designed and made the necklace herself.
Il Horza is turning out to be an equally delightful place. A small, yet functional town house situated in Archbishop street, it combines period features with some mock antique furniture and the gut feeling that you are in for a great dining experience. I say this, because the owner – who introduces himself as Charles – knows his food and wines like Pamela Anderson knows her silicon. He is the soul, spirit, and raison d’etre of the restaurant/bottega and he will go at great lengths to make you feel at home.
At Horza they don’t really have a menu because the food menu changes a little every day. And that’s the fun part! Charles stands in front of you with his beaming face and goes through several food options in a manner reminiscent of a Sicilian tavern. There are no platters really, but the antipasti sound tempting. Today there is a pasta con Bottarga di tonno (salted tuna roe) which both Michelle and I would like to try. There are other juicy food options but we seem to linger on the bottarga.
Right now we are looking at the antipasti Charles’ chef has prepared for us: Chicken liver pate, grilled aubergines with hazelnut gremolata, fritture di neo-nati, spicy roasted onions, and some cheeselets. Mrs Muscat – like me – seems to have a very healthy appetite, and we dig in immediately. We work out a little deal since she is not big on sea-food. I get the neo-nati and she gets the cheeselets. I tell you Michelle… The neo-nati come close to listening to Joseph Calleja sing – DIVINE!
And would you like to know what Michelle Muscat and myself have in common? It’s kind of weird actually but we both like to cook and take photos of the food. I reveal my little secret and she laughs, admitting she does the same. We also share a love for anything that is creative and spend at least one hour discussing another favourite topic – Public Relations. We are also big time chatterboxes! Yes, I’m loving Michelle Muscat!
The wine she has chosen is a French Pascal Folivet (Pouilly Fumé 2007) priced at 22.00 euro. It is not on their wine menu but in their bottega on the upper level. The choice is quite vast, and I’m told that they even have a Charming Grüner Veltliner 2007 from Austria which Kim Markus from the Wine Spectator has rated with 90 points.
We clink the crystal together and sip the fresh, white wine waiting for our bottarga di tonno to arrive.
I snap into here and now.
“What do you like best about your husband?” It’s a very straightforward question for which I require a very straightforward answer.
“I like the fact that he is a very positive person,” she replies with a sparkling vitality that indicates she is enjoying life to the full. I ask her how they met and she tells me that they met at a political event they both happened to attend, which I assume is no PN mass meeting on the Floriana granaries!
Charles is back with the bottarga di tonno and asks if everything is okay, and if we need anything else. I ask for some fresh pepper, and he explains to me that because of the way it’s cooked it might not be a good idea. He seems to know how his food works, so I decide to trust him. In fact, the bottarga is beautiful as it is. It has a very special taste, so you might like it or hate it. It’s a tad salty, but the olive oil and lemon juice are the perfect additives to this dish. It is one of the less complicated dishes – which gives it a very special and genuine appeal.
Mrs Muscat’s cell phone rings around 22:00hrs and it’s the leader of the opposition calling from abroad. “He is in Brussels for a one day meeting,” she informs me before she picks up and “Qalbi”s her way into a brief conversation. I see this as the appropriate moment to investigate the bathroom. Naturally, as suspected – Jurassic Park would have been more entertaining. Sorry, I rephrase. Being devoured by a T-Rex in Jurassic Park is by far more entertaining than the bathroom.
“Have you ever disapproved of any item of clothing your husband wore?” I ask, once I am back and Dr Muscat is probably back somewhere in Brussels feeding on a high cholesterol diet of Belgian mussels.
She giggles. “I choose his clothes cause he is not that good with colours,” she admits. “I even number them for him sometimes but we choose the ties together.” I tell her that my new hobby has become picking out ties mentally for public speakers. Ties are a simple, yet powerful tool, which can deliver big messages.
“If you had been a bee whom would you sting?”
Michelle is thoroughly bemused, and at the same time excited by the questions pouring in. I’m told she has never been asked such a variety of creative questions, and I revel in the compliment like a little boy swimming inside a chocolate fountain.
It takes a while for her to answer, then in a fun tone she replies: “Maybe Lawerence Gonzi for hiking up the electricity bill.” I joke that bees can also be attracted to honey!
“Which political opponent do you like best… and why?” Yes, the questions get tougher as the wine consumption gets higher.
Michelle sips her wine, her eyes sparkling. She is really enjoying herself, and she is so unbelievably down to earth that I have no qualms about addressing her as “Michelle” as she refuses my more formal Mrs Muscat. “Simon Busuttil, and David Casa. They visited me when I was in hospital and you can’t imagine how much I appreciated that!” She is 100% honest in her replies. My eye is very well trained to spot that.
We skip the tempting desserts Charles offers us, but allow ourselves two glasses of Limoncello. The food tonight has been luscious… the wine first rate… the manager providing us with a friendly service, with conversation flowing like fine champagne.
The bill amounts to 60.50 which is not on the cheap side, but both the food and the wine have been of high quality.
As we walk out we discuss the twins who are now 20 months old, and the diamond of their eye. One looks like daddy and one looks more like mummy. Is she ready for another set of twins? “If God sends them… I’ll accept them!” She runs a delicate hand through the Jackie O hair-do, upsetting it slightly, and hops into the car like a trained athlete.
Somewhere in Brussels… Dr Muscat might still be picking on mussels drizzled with white wine and garlic! Or maybe he is already fast asleep dreaming of Michelle and the twins.
RATING: 1 - 7
Wine - *******
Ambience ****
Food - *******
Service *******