Doug’s dinners

Il Galeone Restaurant
36, Tignè Seafront,
Sliema
Tel: 2131 6420

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10

Everybody has a fallback restaurant don’t they? That place you go when you fancy an uncomplicated, relaxed meal that you know, 99 times out of 100, will hit all the right spots in exactly the right order. A place where they recognise your face and often know what you are going to order before you order it.

We were home and it felt good

For myself and Sharon that place was always Il Galeone in Sliema.

For many years before we were married and quite a few after, this was the restaurant we would regularly turn to in our hour of need. And it pretty much never let us down remaining a shining beacon of stability in an ever-changing sea of culinary uncertainty.

However, life moves on and circumstances change. First I was asked to write this column on a regular basis, which meant finding a new place to eat every week. Then came the arrival of Doug Jr, which meant the concept of dining out evaporated in a puff of logic. By default, that obviously meant our regular visits to Il Galeone dieda sudden, unwarranted and extremely premature death.

So, when I asked Sharon where she fancied going for dinner by way of a simple birthday celebration, I can’t say I was utterly surprised by her answer. In fact, and this is as good a place as any to confess, I had already booked us a table for two at Il Galeone. A sort of pre-emptive strike of the reservations kind.

I have to admit it was with a dash of nervousness that we drove down to Sliema that Saturday. The impending parking nightmare, of course, had something to do with this. But more pertinent was the fact that we were revisiting the scene of some delightful meals at a place we hadn’t been to for upwards of four years.

Had the place changed at all? Was it still the same chef? Were our old favourites still on the menu? Had the restaurant, in fact, completely changed and now specialised in vegetarian dishesfrom Venezuela?

One of the niggling concerns was soon dismissed as we found a very decent parking place within minutes of arriving. And the second worry soon went the same way as we arrived at the restaurant to find things pretty much as we had left them.

The outside tables and chairs had been changed, but otherwise it was all refreshingly familiar. In fact, we were quickly seated at our al fresco table by a waiter we recognised from our last visit, back in the days when you could mention Franco Debono and Lawrence Gonzi in the same sentence and nobody would bat an eyelid.

We were home and it felt good.

We order some drinks and eagerly pour over the menu. Sharon always had a particular favourite here – Spaghetti Capitano – and I was hoping and praying that it was still on the menu or my evening would go downhill rapidly. Andit was, right there where it had always been.

A short while later and we are ready to order. The mushrooms stuffed with ham, cheese and garlic for me by way of starter, the eggs provençal for Sharon. Now, anyone who has ever read any of my reviews in the past will instinctively know this was a daring step by the wife.

While I am keen to try out just about anything, Sharon rarely steps outside the safe boundaries of pasta and seafood.

Ok, eggs provençal is not exactly exotic or risqué to most people. But for her this was a move of sheer adventure that would make Bear Grylls shake with fear.

For mains I went with the Fillet Rossini while Sharon, understandably, went for her old favourite. However, instead of being reassured by this, it sowed an entirely new seed of doubt. What if it doesn’t taste exactly the same as it used to, she murmured to herself. See what I mean about being conservative?

With wine and water also ordered, we start that chirpy process of casually dipping into various topics of conversation without staying in any particular one long enough to get wrinkly toes.

Normally I would mix this up with a little bit of observational entertainment courtesy of other diners but, while the outside area is full and the inside pretty busy, we have been given a table with restricted views of the other guests. It’s like they knew I was coming (which they didn’t, by the way).

Sharon’s heated rant about the price of tuition fees and the mind-boggling unfairness of the Church school lottery system is cut short by the arrival of a plate of bruschetta.

This was something they always did in the past and the fact thatthe tradition has been maintained is comforting.

No sooner have we finished nibbling our way through the tasty toasty morsels than the starters arrive and I dive into my mushrooms with speed and Olympic-level grace. Darn fine they are too although, to be fair, I could maybe have done with a couple moreof them.

On the other side of the table Sharon is taking her first tentative steps into the world of eggs provençal. For those who don’t know what this it, think posh breakfast. A refined helping of eggs baked with tomato and cream.

She starts with a delicate nibble, slowly builds up pace and is operating at just below gobble speed by the time she finished. “Delicious” she declares and, just like that, her eating horizons have been unexpectedly broadened. Dinners may never be the same again.

Inter-course conversation focuses on the eurozone crisis which is strange as neither of us know very much about it. But nevertheless we make a decent effort and anyone overhearing us would probably think we actually knew what we were talking about when in fact it’s all Greek to us.

Mains are served with a polite flourish and my steak looks divine, sitting in a pool of delicate sauce with a disc of paté slowing softening on its crown.

It is cooked exceptionally well, the flavours work together in perfect harmony and it is going down a treat. The sides are well cooked too, although again I could have used a bit more of the veg and the potatoes.

The real crux of the meal, however, is taking place on Sharon’s side of the table. The Spaghetti Capitano, the key to which is its tomato, pepper, cream and garlic sauce.

However, I digress. Back to the pasta where the proof of the pudding will be, as they say, in the eating. She dips her fork, twirls likea pro and chews thoughtfully.“Fantastic” is the verdict, “as goodas ever.”

To be honest, I am just as relieved as she is. After all this is her birthday we are supposed to be celebrating and her disappointment at this point would have put an inevitable downer on the evening. As it is, it’s smiles all round.

I offer Sharon a taste of the steak which she declines, insteadfocusing on her beloved pasta. Pretty soon we are both left staring at empty plates. The way it shouldbe really.

Normally at this point we would decline desserts for fear of being branded greedy, but somehow we manage to get through a Cassata Siciliana and a plate of cheese and biscuits like true professionals.

We follow that up with a coffees and a slow but steady stream of nightcaps which mean we are, eventually, the last patrons tosettle up and depart. Some things never change. I won’t bring the final bill into the equation aswe skewed it wildly with ournightcap marathon.

However, if we had been a sensible couple dining and drinking in a reasonable manner, it would have come in between €65 and €70.

As we headed home we reflected on a highly successful meal. For the most part, nothing has changed at Il Galeone during our absence.

The menu is roughly the same, the atmosphere still warm and welcoming and the service fast, friendly and efficient.

The food, as I think I’ve made clear, lived up to all the unfair expectations we placed on it. The only minor point I would have is that one or two of the dishes were not as abundant as I remember them to be.

But that could be my memory playing tricks on me or even the fact that I have become greedier with age. Both distinct possibilities.

They say, when it comes to relationships you should never go back, which is generally sound advice. However, when that relationship is with a restaurant you love, then going back can be a good thing.

dougsdinners@timesofmalta.com

The scoring
When reviewing any restaurant I try to be as objective as possible and take into consideration all the different aspects which make for an enjoyable meal. The scores I give cannot be seen as a permanent result for a venue, but merely a reflection on how it performed on the occasion I was there. Also, it is important to note that comparisons between different restaurants’ marks should not be made. I score an establishment on how it performs within its own field, not against competitors in different catering sectors. For example a cheap pizzeria that does what it does well is just as deserving of a high mark as a fine dining establishment would be.