Pet’s Plates

Arzella
Għar Qawqla Street,
Marsalforn
Tel: 2155 4662

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

The fishing village of Marsalforn may be one of the most popular spots in Gozo, but it most certainly is not a favourite of mine. As in the case of Xlendi, development in Marsalforn has been major and it has not been a harmonious affair. With the haphazard expansion along the entire waterfront and the ensuing honeycomb maze of hotels, pubs, shabby apartments and restaurants, the remains of the quaint, old fishing village are now barely discernible.

Gradually, over the years, the entire seafront has been ruined. And this is a great pity, because had such shoreline development been managed differently, Marsalforn could indeed be rather attractive, leaving room for a picturesque countryside and coast. The location is a place of great natural beauty, lying between rising hillocks, including the hill-top towns of Xagħra and Żebbuġ.

A fertile valley ends at the mouth of the crescent-shaped bay to an area characterised by little coves, a sandy beach, numerous swimming spots and 18th-century salt pans beyond the bay at Qbajjar. The seashore here truly exemplifies Gozo’s unique, dramatic coastline; a rugged shoreline that even the illustrious Edward Lear, astounded by what he saw, found to be of indescribable beauty.

We mused over all this while sitting at the restaurant Arzella, to be found to the far right of Marsalforn bay in the furthermost corner on the way to Għar Qawqla. Perched up high, it afforded a full view of the entire promenade. Me and a famished companion had arrived very late and were, nonetheless, greeted warmly by two rather charming waiters.

After apologising profusely for our tardiness we were ushered to our seats. It was lunchtime on a Monday and, without having yet tasted a morsel of food, I already wished to congratulate the restaurant for actually being open! It is damn near impossible to find anywhere open for lunch on a Monday in Gozo (and in Malta for that matter).

This is of course, as absurd as it is annoying! I understand that restaurants need a day off after a busy week to refuel and restock but why haven’t some cottoned on to the fact that some people may still desire or require to eat out on a Monday? Why don’t a number of restaurants choose to take another day off instead?

The weather was not clement and so we sat on the terrace adjoining the restaurant that was covered by a marquis. We were effectively sitting in a plastic tent, but it was comfortable and cheerful enough. So close to the sea, I of course had a hankering for shellfish. The menu was so concise that it fit onto one single sheet of paper. It looked like the sort of menu that would change regularly.

Arzella’s pasta offering was quite excellent

A good fish soup is the hallmark of any serious seafood restaurant and that is what I went for. I eagerly looked forward to my steaming bowl of traditional Aljotta – a Maltese fish soup of humble origins and a Lenten favourite. French influence is evident in this soup that owes its conception to the French fish stew of bouillabaisse, itself originating from the port city of Marseille. Aljotta is an excellent example of head-to-toe (or tail in this case) eating, whereby even cheaper, smaller fish along with trimmings and leftovers can be made into something appetising.

This Maltese speciality is essentially a fish broth or stock involving chunks of fish, flavoured with fresh herbs like mint, parsley and marjoram, enhanced with garlic, zesty lemon and tomato flesh and bulked up with the optional additions of potatoes or rice. All this makes for a wonderfully-rich, luscious soup.

There was no carbohydrate element to the aljotta at Arzella but I was keen to tuck in and mop up every last remaining bit of soup with crunchy hunks of Maltese bread. Unfortunately, the soup I was served was heavily watered down – not to the extent of dishwater, but close enough. It was also ridiculously oily and rather tasteless.

The unidentifiable bits of fish flesh in it were nice enough but, as a seafood lover, the soup had hardly won me over. The soup should have been extremely tasty, garlicky and fragrant from all the herb infusions but the result was pretty bland.

As for the deep fried calamari rings, the batter was crisp enough but the squid rings were extremely tough and rubbery. Despite the aid of sharp-enough cutlery, I still could not cut through them. I had to resort to eating with my hands and, even then, I had to prise the squid pieces from my teeth with difficulty. The chewy calamari were accompanied by a spicy tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

It’s a wonder we managed to face our main course considering all that was going on around us. A family of starved people were sitting at a large table right by ours. Unfortunately, they were in full view as they shovelled down food dangerously fast and in the most revolting fashion. The food portions at Arzella certainly pandered to their great appetites. My spaghetti ai frutti di mare appeared before me, composed of a scarily substantial portion of pasta, topped with a very generous helping of ‘fruits of the sea’ – a melange of mussels, clams, prawns, squid and a langoustine. It was a seafood medley piled on to a mound of aglio olio pasta that was a bit too dry and stodgy for my liking.

I diligently ate all my shellfish, not wishing to waste any of it. Some pieces were overcooked, but overall it was decent. Having fought my way through the pile of pasta, I was about to explode.

Famished friend had been far luckier with her selection. The sea urchin linguine was delicious! This is a dish that is easy to make and equally easy to spoil. The sea urchin meat had flavoured the pasta with a tantalisingly subtle, slightly salty perfume. Of course, the best way to eat sea urchin is entirely raw. And, eating sea urchins at their freshest in this way is something very possible in and around Marsalforn, where sea urchins thrive along the seashore. The sea urchin is pulled out of a rock crevice and carefully cut open to reveal the yellowy-orange roe at the centre. Avoiding the needle-like spines, the sea urchin flesh is scooped out and spooned straight into the mouth, perhaps garnished with a squeeze of lemon juice, if at all. What a heavenly delicacy. But it must be said that Arzella’s pasta offering was also quite excellent.

We were out of time to savour any desserts and went straight for coffees. We were out again in no time thanks to the very efficient kitchen and staff and dashed for the Gozo ferry.