Ed eats

This year, while I ate my way through another 70,000 words and the same amount of calories – all in the name of this column – the world carried on spinning and people kept on living and doing whatever it is they do while my head is turned.

The dining experience is one that needs all components to be working properly for us to walk away completely satisfied

We were meant to be wiped out by some cataclysmic event but managed to dodge certain doom once again. If H.G. Wells were around today, he’d rewrite War of the Worlds as a Marvel comic.

Seven billion superheroes inhabit a planet that is regularly scheduled for destruction and yet these superheroes avoid death by simply keeping their calm and in general carrying on with their business. And eating.

Even when a song threatened to ‘penetrate the foundations of modern philosophy (sic)’, we somehow survived the cultural onslaught and have hung onto our state of mind, even if a billion bipeds listened spellbound.

The more paranoid heads of state thought: “What if the song were in English and contained subversive lyrics? Would it be dangerous with one in seven of the planet’s inhabitants exposed to it?” The more nonchalant leaders, like that dude over in the US, danced to it to entertain his daughters.

So I stop being concerned about global events and stare down at my plate. Whatever is on it will find a route to my stomach, hopefully providing some enjoyment on the way there.

If we destroy our planet or some external force spares us the trouble, I want to be well fed when it happens. The chapters, headlines and footnotes of my life story will all be somehow related to food. And no good story ever started with: “There I was, having a light salad, when…”

I reviewed 46 restaurants this year and, once again, if I were to sum up the year, the most widely applicable description could be simply ‘poor service’. The quality of food, the value at which it is served and the ambience within which we consume it really does vary quite a lot. Yet service seems to suffer almost across the board.

It is either formal and stuffy in an anachronistic, old-world kind of way or it is rough and uncouth. Even pulling the ‘informal’ trick out of the hat doesn’t excuse sloppy service. If the kitchen and the front of house aren’t working well, timing will be off as will the likelihood of being served what you actually ordered.

If the client-facing staff hasn’t been properly trained and has no incentive to perform well, we the diners will be treated poorly. And because we’re used to it, we have adjusted our expectations downwards. This should not be.

The dining experience is one that needs all components to be working properly for us to walk away completely satisfied. So most restaurants out there that are happy with their cuisine ought to take a good look at their front of house, analyse it objectively as though they were their own clients, and see what could do with a spruce-up.

In no particular order, I’d like to wrap up the year by sharing what I consider were the highlights.

Ali Baba manages to work its way into my personal charts again. Not only has Hany returned, they’ve also done up the interior very tastefully, removing the only possible excuse one could have for avoiding this fantastic trip to Lebanon.

The food is consistently excellent, the value is hard to beat, and every visit is an experience thanks to the passion and love that make their way into every aspect of the meal.

Also back in the charts is the formidable Salvino’s that has, throughout the year, kept up its momentum of innovative cuisine that takes us on journeys around the world as Andrew never tires of coming up with the unexpected. I’ve heard he’s moving out of Salvino’s next year and can’t wait to find out where he’s headed.

The last entry that manages to remain a firm favourite from year to year is the charmingly understated Rising Sun Bar in Marsaxlokk. I try to visit for lunch as often as I can, mostly with the clan in tow. This family-run place that sells a simple ftira to tourists also boasts a Maltese kitchen that is as authentic as it gets.

Never mind matching cutlery –or matching tables for that matter – just go there for Michael’s time-honoured methods of cooking simple Maltese delights. Then listen as he plays down his achievements if you mention how delicious your dish actually was.

I’ve had a few unpleasant surprises this year. I expected Quadro to be well above the level I experienced. Perhaps they had a bad night when I visited. But then so many people will not give a restaurant a second chance, so I suppose there is little excuse to slacken when you’re posing as a fine dining establishment.

Another unpleasant episode was my visit to the Ta’ Xbiex Waterpolo Club. With a venue so splendid, it is a pity that more effort was not made in the kitchen. Again, it could have been a bad day but would I risk returning?

Then there were the pleasant surprises. Fortuitous was my stumbling into Str.Eat in Valletta. While I haven’t got over the misplaced grammar in its name, I did experience the result of an immensely accomplished kitchen. In subsequent visits I got to meet the chef and he turns out to have quite a list of internships and jobs to his name, some of the places he mentioned being the recipients of Michelin stars. Go there for the mussels and for the steak.

The coveted spot for the best steak has been lonely ever since Chukkas occupied it. Now it finally has a worthy contender. Just don’t ask me which I prefer. They are different steaks and different experiences, each very worthy of recommendation.

Burgers get three contenders for the top spot. New York Best, Café Cuba and Ryan’s all serve the real deal and, luckily, they are all very different in burger type and experience. And once again I’d be hard pressed to determine which is my favourite.

Lucky for us diners was the parting ways of the Don Serafino people and the Dragonara Casino. One of the chefs stayed behind, giving us a less costly approach to his cuisine at the new Brasserie.

The rest of the crew, along with new chefs, have moved to Al Molo. This has also taken a couple of rungs down the price ladder and has tuned the experience to a less formal one. So now we have two options from what had previously been one. And both are restaurants I firmly intend to return to.

And finally there are two restaurants that compete for charm, character, and excellent food. Both are in the bistro style, possibly my favourite of all dining options.

Chez Philippe in Gżira and Trabuxu Bistro in Valletta tick all the bistro boxes and do so with enthusiasm. They’re inventive with their menu, keep the pricing within reason, and win on personal, unobtrusive and friendly service.

With that I wish you all a fantastic new year. May it bring with it as many pleasant and memorable gastronomic experiences as possible. And may it also deal you the good health and prosperity that it takes to enjoy every one of them.

You can send e-mails about this column to ed.eatson@gmail.com or follow @edeats on Twitter.