East meets west in the most delicious – not to mention stylish – way possible at Medasia Fusion Lounge. Regulars have already been in on the secret that this place is permanently buzzing for more than one reason, whether it’s the colourful cocktails, the super-stocked bar and the affable bar attendants or... the diverse menu that has just been given a revamp to raise the bar a notch or two higher.

Cappeletti Pinot Noir

The Medasia menu is already popular for its diversity and, having just been invited to sample it, I was about to discover why. All the favourites from your typical Asian menu are here, from sushi to spring rolls, satays, yakitori, tempura and more. As for the ‘Med’ part of the name, that is taken care of by a tempting selection of pasta, rice, meats and fish.

The best part? Medasia is very much about being social, the place to be if you enjoy a shared experience with friends. Mixing and matching, or even just ordering nibbles and platters over a cocktail or three, is very much encouraged.

Mixing and matching, or even just ordering nibbles and platters over a cocktail or three, is very much encouraged

But that’s the part that everybody knows about. On to the new part, which is the revamped menu that, I am assured, includes all the well-loved favourites that the regulars always look for, while including some delightful innovations.

As we pored over each tantalising description, we realised that there was no way we could hope to come to a decision in a reasonable time, not without some help. Saying that Medasia offers an extremely vast menu is not hyperbole. There is an entire section dedicated to sushi – sushi as it should be done, I might add. Rows upon rows of nigiri, maki, the new style sushi that is all the rage right now, sashimi… the works. If you’re a group, the platters’ section is great fun and offers a variety of sizes and combos, covering pretty much all options for those who don’t want the responsibility of picking specific dishes.

New Style Medasia Deluxe

Me, I fell in love with the New Style Moscow Special and its seductively smooth taste with salmon and salmon caviar and the New Style Medasia Deluxe, an edgy combo of prawn tartar, seaweed, cherry tomato and rucola with tuna slices, spicy mayo and flying fish roe. The Temaki rolls are also fun, presented in a seaweed and rice cone with various fillings. Try the Temaki Special – tuna and ikura tempura, curried prawn and seaweed, crispy eel and cucumber.

If the sushi fad never quite hit you, it’s still fine because there are pages upon pages of other Asian delicacies. Our platter came with a variety of novelties such as the Deep Fried Tofu Dumplings, which is possibly the only time I managed to get excited about tofu, the Pork Rib Rollitos, rolled in pancake and served with plum sauce, the Tuna Cigarillos, a heavenly concoction featuring seared tuna, oyster sauce and coriander rolled in mandarin pancakes and grilled, and the Grilled Thai Pancake, which featured more ecstatic noises on my part. It would have been embarrassing, were it not for the fact that my colleague was doing exactly the same.

Master Ship Platter

The platter was accompanied by some yakitori and satay skewers – since I wanted to keep space for what I knew was coming next, you will have to trust my colleague’s word that the Crispy Chicken Yakitori (featuring orange soy sesame seeds, coriander and rice cakes) and the Prawn Satay Skewers were “out of this world, take them away before I eat them all”.

Happily, by the time our Thai curries arrived, I had sort of cleared up some space in my stomach. But before digging in, I had to stop and do the annoying thing – that is, ‘Instagram’ my lunch, just because it looked so pretty, with the chicken and coconut rice presented in a carved coconut, and the crispy duck stir Fried Noodles housed in half a pineapple.

Photos out of the way, my colleague could stop complaining and start enjoying the actual food. Let’s just say that with these dishes, beauty is not only skin deep and we polished off the whole lot, noodles and all.

Tagliatelle Verdi al Tonno

Although by now we were truly bursting, our hosts would not let us leave without trying some Crispy Duck Mezze Lune from the pasta menu. Truth be told, I tend to be rather sceptical when one menu offers both Italian and Asian specialties. How can they be good at everything, honestly!

Medasia proved my misgivings wrong with pasta that would have passed with flying colours in any Italian kitchen. I resolved to myself to focus a bit more on the Mediterranean side of things next time I dropped in at Medasia.

As you may imagine, dessert was out of the question by now. A quick espresso and we were ready to leave – and to start planning the next visit. The verdict was in, anyway: the new menu at Medasia Fusion Lounge is just what your taste buds ordered.

http://www.medasia.com.mt/