Ed Eats

Roots
Vegetarian Food Truck
Mrieħel/Ta’ Xbiex
Tel: 99140837/54

Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

It’s not a great time to be reading the newspaper. The news from the world around us reads like a collection of stories about a bizarre species that just doesn’t learn. Or, perhaps, is hell-bent on self-destruction. Or both. We hear about a faction that attacks another faction, followed by the promise of retaliation and then, a couple of days later, the actual retaliation.

Usually, this buzz of idiotic activity pipes down after a while, only to return a generation later when the children of those wronged on both sides plan on avenging the pain their fathers and forefathers caused and suffered. And so we go at it again like bipedal lemmings. Only this is not a videogame from the nineties. There are real losers and there is not a single winner. Who would run a race that is impossible to win? The human race, apparently.

At least you’ve turned to these pages, the ones that fit snugly within the covers of a section that is aptly entitled Escape. You’re reading about the lovely things in life, the ones that should not be an escape but rather the focus of our daily lives. For now, until the testosterone-fuelled bigots that we seem to have voted into power across the world pipe the hell down, we must settle for tiny escapes from a sordid reality.

And isn’t food a wonderful escape? From choosing what to eat to preparing it, from choosing where to eat and actually finding the right time to do so, and from eating in blissful solitude to enjoying a night out with friends and family, food remains one of my most often fled-to form of succour.

Even on the most fraught of days, I use lunchtime as an escape. The pick of the moment for me is a very friendly food truck that goes by the very elemental name of ‘Roots’. The gorgeous Citroen H van that was born just after the second terrible war and produced all the way to the eighties is painted green, a colour that seems to universally imply healthy food. And the darlings who run the show, a couple who love food with an unashamed passion, turn simple ingredients into a wholesome and devilishly tasty, vegetarian meal.

The location of the truck bounces between Mrieħel and Ta’ Xbiex, with a helpful Facebook page indicating the location and daily menu. I normally coerce a colleague into choosing one of the two items that tickle my fancy so I get to eat a bit of both. This week it was Basmati rice with avocadoes, capers and lemon zest that I combined with a pistachio falafel on a fresh salad and couscous. The rice, fragrant with fresh basil, is a simple and understated affair while the falafel turned out to be yet another pleasant surprise on top of a fresh and lively salad, dressed impeccably like it was off to meet the in-laws for the first time. And at a fiver a pop, all this goodness won’t break the bank, even if it can be steep for a daily fix.

The seafood salad at Anciova.

Anciova
154, The Strand
Gżira
Tel: 2713 3764

Food: 7/10
Ambience: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

As much as I enjoy a delicious vegetarian meal, I’m not a vegetarian. It’s years of abusing my digestive system that occasionally leads me to food that’s gentle on my system. So, on my way to a friend’s place in Sliema a few hours after my meal from Roots, I stopped in Gżira for supper. I’d driven past a restaurant called Anciova quite a few times and was intrigued by the promise of Sicilian food. The place is usually busy, and that’s a good sign. If a restaurant can sustain a paying patronage, they must be doing something well.

There are a couple of tables on the pavement outside but they were all occupied that evening so we headed inside. The restaurant is long and narrow and sparsely decorated, using inexpensive shelves with wine bottles on them as the only attempt at a visual treat. On the way in, however, is a display of fresh fish that I inspected and was quite happy with. This makes up for a lot.

We were spoken to in Italian, under the usual assumption that everyone in Malta speaks the language. Only half of our table can actually do this with basic competence so I replied in English, hoping for the best. It took a couple of tries, because it was evident that I was understanding every word spoken to me, but we eventually managed to get by in English. Service is unusually functional for a Sicilian restaurant and there seemed to be more members of the front-of-house team than necessary for a restaurant that is little more than a wide corridor.

If you’re prepared for a simple setting and decent fish, Anciova could be the place for you

The menus are extensive and very Sicilian, so we were faced with the happy quandary of wanting to try most of the dishes. I started by picking the main course and followed one of the guys to the fish display where I chose a rather large cernia bianca. There would be plenty of fish, so we agreed that starting with simple antipasti rather than a more complete starter would be a wise course of action.

We picked the fish carpaccio and a seafood salad for antipasti, adding an inexpensive white wine from a list of very well-priced wines. While we waited, a basket of sliced Maltese bread and a couple of little tubs of pre-pack butter landed on our table. The bread was unfortunately quite stale, so I couldn’t get past the first bite. There’s only so much that reheating can do for a loaf of bread.

Our antipasti were served quite quickly. The fish carpaccio was dressed with plenty of olive oil and lemon but this did nothing to hide the fact that the fish was a little off. Rather foolishly, I asked the better half whether she thought there was something odd with the fish, playing down the issue to encourage her tasting it. Her reaction was a little stronger than mine, so we left most of the dish there.

The seafood salad was a different story. Served warm, the octopus was tender, the clams lovely and fresh, the mussels juicy and the little bit of squid there was had been cooked to a tender and moist perfection. It was hard to believe both dishes came from the same kitchen.

When it was time for our main course, the pale-faced grouper that we’d ordered cooked al cartoccio was brought to our table in its foil cocoon. The dish couldn’t possibly fit on our table, so our man placed it on an adjacent one and proceeded to fillet it in front of us, taking great care to remove the cheeks and place them on the plate with the reverence this delicacy deserves. As he separated the fish from the bone he didn’t quite like what he saw and explained that he’d be happier if it spent another couple of minutes in the oven.

This is not a fish that can afford to be overcooked so I appreciated the approach. A couple of minutes later, our fish was back at table, the flesh falling easily from the bone. This time it was hard to fault, cooked until it was just tender and moist and in a lovely broth that was just salty enough to carry the grouper’s flavour without overpowering it. On the side we had a small dish of grilled veg that did the trick without distracting us from the main show.

We paid €85 for the meal, with the lion’s share going to the cost of what was a pretty large fish. And this is where the dilemma lies. One could pay more for a fancier location, classy service and proper décor but there’s no guarantee that the fish will be any better than this. If you’re prepared for a simple setting and decent fish, however, Anciova could be the place for you. In any case, just make time for the escape and head out to dinner. Your peace of mind could very well depend on it.

You can send e-mails about this column to ed.eatson@gmail.com.