It-Tmun Victoria, one of Gozo's finest restaurants with its multi-award-winning wine list, is to rebrand to carve a distinct identity for itself, chef patron Patrick Buttigieg told The Times Business.
Mr Buttigieg, who created It-Tmun Victoria in 2003 when he branched out on his own after working for his family's It-Tmun in Xlendi for several years, is now overseeing the finalisation of the designs for his restaurant's new identity. It-Tmun Victoria will be renamed Patrick's Tmun to eventually become known simply as Patrick's.
Among the reasons for the rebranding, Mr Buttigieg cites patron confusion with his father's new Tmun Mġarr restaurant - many customers are under the impression one is an extension of the other.
"It is certainly flattering," he said. "But it is not the case. The Mġarr restaurant is run by my parents and their menu is skewed towards fish. Both venues have an excellent clientele and equivalent standards, but it is time to distinguish them from each other - although we work with the same philosophy, we are not a franchise."
Mr Buttigieg has other plans besides a new identity: The lounge within It-Tmun Victoria is to feature an exquisite cocktail list to complement its wide range of spirits and enomatic wine serving system, including champagne by the glass. Besides, his indefatigable efforts to extend the repertoire of the restaurant's remarkable wine cellar - It-Tmun Victoria's "ego" - are a constant work in progress.
The labour of love to build on the 1,500-bottle, 200-strong wine list, already boasting 30 grape varieties, will continue.
With the restaurant now in its seventh year and after having won the patronage of a varied but discerning and loyal clientele, Mr Buttigieg has taken stock. He is where he set out to be at this point in time. But the knowledge to be had is endless and the ideas for the restaurant limitless.
Patrick Buttigieg was raised in the family restaurant in Xlendi. He joined the kitchen staff at age 13, under the watchful eye of his mother, whose supervision ensured he learned proper kitchen values and solid cooking foundations. He reasoned at the time that as it was the kitchen team who left the restaurant earliest, he would still be able to socialise after work.
The experience, however, was no piece of cake. Then, as now, Buttigieg Snr was a stickler for ensuring patrons enjoyed value and careful service and his own expectations were high. Inspired by his parents, the teenager was determined to prove himself and eventually pursued his studies at the Institute of Tourism Studies in St Julian's. Under the institute's work placement scheme, he spent one season at Ta' Frenċ, the famed Xagħra restaurant, and eight months in the Channel Islands in Jersey.
On his return from overseas work experience, he returned to his parents' restaurant and applied his new knowledge to give the menu a facelift. In 1995, Mr Buttigieg decided to spread his wings and worked for hotel chain Corinthia. Within months, he caught the eye of master chef John Hornsby who was recruiting staff for the new San Ġorġ hotel. But Mr Buttigieg turned down an offer to join the team at the St Julians property and instead returned to Xlendi. But it would be a few more years before It-Tmun Victoria came into being, with Mr Buttigieg also taking up a three-year post at Gozo's Kempinski resort as sous chef.
In 2003, Mr Buttigieg left his father's fold for the last time to realise his long-standing ambition to open his own business. In the process, his parents also lost their own sous chef as he decided to join the younger Buttigieg in the new venture.
It-Tmun Victoria quickly amassed a following and veered from the originally intended format as a casual eatery. With a meticulously designed menu, exacting service, elegant ambience and carefully selected music, It-Tmun Victoria earned an excellent reputation.
The now mythical wine list (named best overall wine list award since the history of the Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants Awards) came a little later. After getting the business off the ground and slowly being able to venture out of the kitchen more often, Mr Buttigieg eventually began to spend more time on the front of house and the wine list began to play on his mind.
Years earlier, his father would often ask him to join him for a glass of wine after everyone had left the Xlendi restaurant. It was a ritual the son cared little for, particularly because the wine was often French, not the younger Buttigieg's favourite.
"One day, my father opened a peculiar bottle of Shiraz, and that was that," he recalled. "I loved it. I researched, read, and tasted every Shiraz I could. Then I began to buy the best which came my way. It is one of the reasons why my wine list has a Shiraz 'bias', though there are many Super Tuscans for good measure."
Unsurprisingly, his prize acquisition is a 1996 Three Rivers Shiraz, bought at auction (just a few score cases still exist), which retails for close to €3,000.
Mr Buttigieg has immersed himself in the wine world. He has read volumes, building a respectable library in the process, and travelled widely. Last year, he obtained a qualification from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust of the UK, and much earlier in his career did a stint of teaching at the ITS in Gozo.
His purchases are the result of careful research and six years of ploughed back profits. Apart from various fine wines bought locally, the wines are generally acquired online.
His finds are elegantly listed in a 120-page wine book presented to patrons. There is an entire world in it - from Gozo to Grange - his own reserve list, a glossary, and past patrons' memories of the wines 'that got away'.
Among some true gems on the extensive - and enviable - list are a 2004 Château Petrus, almost a decade of Sassicaia, a 1999 Château d'Yquem, a 1997 L'Apparita Merlot, and a 1996 Dom Perignon, besides an impressive array of verticals and magnums.
Mr Buttigieg's personal collection is a joy to behold, and includes, to mention just five, a 1997 Tignanello, a 2000 Château Mouton Rothschild, a 1995 Château Palmer, a 2002 La Landonne Cote Rotie and a few vintages of Penfold's Grange.
He is currently investing in various Bordeaux wines en primeur (purchased on the wine 'futures' market) certainly too young to serve, even if patrons asked.
All 2004 vintages bought en primeur include Château Lafite Rothschild, Château La Tour, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut Brion, Château La Mission Haut Brion, Château Cheval Blanc and the ever-illustrious Château Petrus.
Mr Buttigieg admits he has a wish list - his current collection has just brushed the half-way mark on that list - and there is still much hunting and spending to do. He has become attached to his cellar, Gozo's first visual cellar, but the investment is generally intended for patrons' enjoyment.
Every so often, It-Tmun serves a six-course tasting menu designed to exalt the intended wines. Mr Buttigieg believes the wine bar boom which hit the islands in recent years has fuelled not only a thirst for wine but also for knowledge: Sixty per cent of It-Tmun's patrons are local.
Knowledge is key, he insists. Building a cellar takes more than several thousand euro: It takes passion, love and, above all, culture, not only to part with a fine wine, but also to ensure patrons enjoy it for all its worth, Mr Buttigieg said.