A special dinner at Ta’ Frenċ hosted Michelin-starred chef Giuseppe D’Aquino – from Villa Cordevigo, the stunning ‘wine relais’ northwest of Verona – who was accompanied by some of his brigade.

Under executive chef Mario Schembri, restaurant manager Joseph Tabone and director Mary Grace Attard, every expectation was exceeded.

Calamarata, Fagioli, Cozze, Bottarga di Muggine e Alghe Croccanti.Calamarata, Fagioli, Cozze, Bottarga di Muggine e Alghe Croccanti.

Passionate and dedicated, D’Aquino has worked in kitchens all over the world, but it was his time in Paris that consultant chef and food writer Frances Bissell felt had most influence over his cooking. And, as was gradually revealed over a glorious evening of food and wine, he had worked in the kitchen of one of the most influential French chefs of all time, Alain Senderens.

The first three courses featured Gozo fish. Sgombro marinato, ricotta, n’duja e sedano ghiacciato was a mouthful of lightly marinated mackerel, with a counterpoint of green celery sorbet. Next came finely sliced raw amberjack served with a pizzaiola sauce, black olives and a thread of mozzarella cream. A pair of chiaretto or rosé wines accompanied these two courses. The first, a DOC Spumante Villabella, was chosen for its fine bubbles and acidity to balance the richness of the mackerel. The Chiaretto Villa Cordevigo IGT, an organic wine, of 2016, also showed a noticeable acidity and this was designed to match, not contrast with, the acidity of the tomato sauce.

A pair of white wines were offered with the next two courses. The 2016 Lugana Ca del Lago DOC enhanced a beautifully, and lightly, cooked fillet of red mullet, on a slice of aubergine with a romesco sauce and a sprig of crisp crescione. Next came the pasta, an intriguing interpretation of pasta e fagioli, almost a trompe l’oeil, in that Calamarata, fagioli, cozze, bottarga di muggine e alghe croccante.

A sauce made of a purée of white beans, a couple of plump mussels, shaved air-cured mullet roe and crisp seaweed completed the exquisite, yet somehow homely, dish full of comforting flavours and textures. The Villa Cordevigo 2013 Bianco IGT, with 70 per cent Garganega and 30 per cent Sauvignon Blanc was a more complex wine, supporting this full-flavoured dish.

Il Nostro Bellini.Il Nostro Bellini.

The risotto was a marvellous piece of dinner theatre, with the garnish, of finely diced crisp pork belly skin prepared almost like puffed wheat, served on the plate, and the risotto brought round in copper pans for serving at the table.

At this stage came a pair of red wines, both from the excellent 2010 vintage; with the risotto a Villa Gresti di San Leonardo, red to support the richness of the risotto. This was a lovely wine, 90 per cent Merlot and 10 per cent Carmenèrere.

The single meat course was a nugget of tender beef. Guancetta di Fassona Piemontese, pastinaca, erbe di campo, amarena e grue di cacao, salsa al Cordevigo Rosso, accompanied by the Villa Cordevigo Rosso IGT.

An immensely clever pre-dessert appeared, il nostro Bellini, a small, shiny sphere redolent of peach and prosecco, which offered a burst of chilled flavours. More intriguing flavours were to be found in the dessert, cremoso al cioccolato e fava tonka, gelatine al pepe nero, gelato al tabacco, estratto di cherry. The 2007 Amarone Riserva Fracastoro DOC was poured before the dessert was served.

The organisers are grateful to: The General Soft Drinks Company Limited; Villabella; Villa Cordevigo; Ristorante Oseleta; and San Leonardo.

www.tafrenc.com

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.