Ed eats

Two Buoys
Spinola Road
St Julian’s
Tel: 2122 2221

Food: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

There’s a difference between training and education. If I look back at the time I spent behind the bars of primary and secondary schools, I can only remember the bits that dealt with my training. As I progressed through the university system, this difference became even more pronounced.

We were taught a great deal about subjects that made us sharper tools but there was little effort to open up our minds with an approach that would make us inquisitive. We were essentially trained to be as good as we could possibly get at a particular profession or trade. The bits and pieces that were meant to create complete and functional members of society were left by the wayside.

I understand that the system has progressed since the Middle Ages and that today’s kids are better off. There’s a more concerted effort to introduce music and visual arts into their curious minds.

Not everyone will grow into an artist but many will appreciate the arts. They’ll understand that the music they’re listening to can have an impact on anything they produce. Even if they grow up and become accountants. They could possibly figure out what it is they like about a painting or a photograph. And this gives them an edge over my generation.

I’m evidently not the only one to lament the rather flat approach to the way we were trained. There’s much more that is happening outside the more official and state-sponsored institutions that help keep the arts alive. Privately run art galleries, theatres, music festivals and other endeavours that encourage individual expression are popping up at an encouraging rate.

Somewhat surprisingly, this rant was actually sparked by dinner. It was actually the promise of art that drove me to dinner. I’d seen this sign on a restaurant in Spinola that claimed that the place was a Bistro and a hands on art studio. Food and art sounds like a terrific idea so off I headed at my earliest opportunity.

Now I don’t normally visit a restaurant too soon after they launch because it takes a kitchen a while to get into the swing of things and it also takes some time for the entire team, particularly the front of house, to work like a well-oiled machine.

I broke my rule because I was too curious about the ‘art’ bit to wait too long. I was also hungry, in the area, and quite keen to sit on their terrace. It was a weeknight and the restaurant was relatively quiet so finding a table with a lovely view wasn’t too hard.

A young lady greeted us a charmingly keen cheer and this set the tone for the rest of the evening. She was quite evidently running the floor and her team, while still a little uncertain, kept this pleasant demeanour flowing all night.

I was expecting the same of the chefs. The menu introduces the team as a trio of siblings, with two b(u)oys in the kitchen. See what they did there? The menu is that of a bistro with a blend of rather predictable items and others that show that the guys in white aprons are itching to try something different.

Balancing the art, especially if well curated with the food, will be a tough act

There are truffled croquettes with the starters and a chicken thigh and quinoa salad with the salads to keep things alive, for instance. But for the most part the relatively compact menu keeps things relatively familiar. I like menus that don’t go on forever. I’d rather the kitchen knows a few dishes well than makes a mess of every item on a menu with a hundred items to choose from.

Being this close to the sea it was hardly surprising that the daily specialities circled the day’s catch like a hungry seagull. There was fresh fish, mussels and clams. And that had me sold. Our host said that they could do anything with the mussels and clams and suggested a bowl of them in white wine or a pasta dish. The kitchen isn’t even restricting me to a dish – they’ve bought the bivalves and are happy to turn them into anything tasty.

I picked the pasta, specifying spaghetti, and showed interest in the red snapper for main course. Refreshingly, this came with a warning. The fish had cost them plenty, our host said almost apologetically, and would cost me €29. It looked big enough for us to share and I had no idea whether that was a portion price but went ahead and ordered it anyway.

The better half went with the truffled croquettes to start with and we invited a €20 bottle of Italian white wine to join us on the terrace.

Waiting for your food to turn up is quite a pleasant experience. You’re far enough from the madness and get to enjoy the view of the pretty little bay. If that becomes boring, you can play a game of count-the-tower-cranes. While we played, a young man brought galletti and beans and a bowl of bread. The galletti are those flavoured ones that taste of salt and flavour enhancer to me. The butter with the bread was of the little single-serve edition.

And this is strangely a point in favour of this restaurant. The prices on the menu are really decent, especially for the location. Given a choice between pricey, of which there is plenty within a hundred metres, and reasonable, the boys decided to keep things affordable. I’m happier to spend a tenner on a starter and make do with these galletti than to walk past a restaurant with this view because I know I’d be charged the GDP of a small nation for a meal.

I was quite curious about the art. I spied a few paintings on the walls inside the restaurant but from my perch I couldn’t quite see what was different from any other restaurant that had paintings on the walls. I took a trip to the little boy’s room with the hope of finding out more.

The lower floor is the same size as the rather large restaurant and is dedicated to an exhibition space. I won’t go into detail about what’s on the walls right now but it does seem like an encouraging space, one I’d be pleased to visit regularly if they keep up a calendar of interesting works.

By the time I was back, our starters were arriving. My spaghetti was decent, if a little over laboured so the broth wound up richer than the mussels and clams could handle. It was just about decent though so I ate my way through, eyeing the croquettes as I did so.

They were formed into the shape of a mushroom and served very neatly as a trio atop a rectangular slab of slate. They were quite lovely and creamy, with a heady scent of truffle and the crunch of a breaded exterior making for a delightful packet of flavour and texture. The little salad on the side was more than garnish and completed the dish with freshness and aroma.

Our main course was also a mixed bag. The fish was grilled and served whole, without the offer of having it filleted. I happen to enjoy doing this myself and undertook the task with alacrity because the rather strong breeze was about to turn things quite cold, quite quickly.

The fish was good but not great. It had been slightly overdone and I doubted whether it was actually the day’s catch. The potatoes were just about decent but the baked veg that we’d ordered as a side was a treat.

Desserts were strongly recommended by our host, particularly since they were all prepared by the chefs rather than bought in. I was tempted by the banoffee pie. It wasn’t remarkable, and suffered from an unusually thick and stiff base but the sticky toffee had me hack away at it until I’d cleaned the plate.

I paid a total of €80 for the meal and considered this quite fair for the location, the fresh fish and the service. Considering the place is just out of its bubble wrap, it is off to a good start. Balancing the art, especially if well curated with the food, will be a tough act. But there seems to be plenty of will and enthusiasm all around so it ought to be a place to watch.

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