Pet’s plates

Il-Kantra Lido, Ta’ Ċenċ
Ta’ Ċenċ Street,
Sannat, Gozo
Tel: 2219 1000

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

It was one of those days when I was utterly in love with life. And how could I not be? I was sitting at Il-Kantra lido in what has to be one of the most gorgeous spots in Gozo.

Il-Kantra is the restaurant of the Ta’ Ċenċ hotel, one of Gozo’s oldest and most exclusive establishments. But it must be said that this is not simply some seaside grill.

The restaurant as it is now has only been open for three years, transformed from a casual gabbana that welcomed hotel residents only.

A dusty dirt road down a winding hillside brings you to the most idyllic of settings. The area consists of cliff bounds, narrow inlets and garigue hills and is one of the most naturally beautiful, unspoilt areas in Gozo.

Kantra is the narrow inlet neighbouring Mġarr ix-Xini. Sitting in the restaurant, you look out at the solitary Fessej Rock at the entrance of both bays, with a backdrop of Comino and a distant Malta. Guarding the bay’s entrance since the time of the Knights is the 17th century Mġarr ix-Xini coastal tower.

The restaurant itself is a flat building that blends into the low-lying cliffs, cleverly constructed using natural materials, namely wood and stone, and painted in neutral grey tones that merge into the surroundings. If you continue taking the steps down past the restaurant, you’ll find yourself at the water’s edge, looking out onto the clearest sea.

The area was positively buzzing last year when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with their brood and entire film crew, invaded the quiet village of Sannat, bringing it out of its slumber. They occupied the area, from the end of August through to November, filming the aptly named By the Sea. Brangelina fever has now waned and the area has since returned to its former glorious tranquillity.

I was entertaining family from abroad and they were immediately in awe of the stunning setting. A delightful maitre d’ with a booming voice and a cheery disposition welcomed us in. Dining is entirely al fresco and for this reason the restaurant opens in Easter time and usually remains open till the end of October, weather permitting of course. The restaurant is very clean and decked out in modern, outdoor furniture and consists of a series of wide,stepped terraces, cool and shady under wooden awnings.

Considering it was a weekday lunch, the place was quite packed but the tables are spaced out so there is still a feeling of roominess. You can only eavesdrop on a neighbouring table’s conversation if they are being boisterous.

Il-Kantra is also open for dinner and one can immediately picture this restaurant as the perfect spot for a sundowner.

It was a hot day to be there at noon but somehow, under that awning, a breeze still reached us.

We took our time ordering, each of us taking in the beautiful coastal landscape

We took our time ordering, each of us taking in the beautiful coastal landscape. To say the family was impressed would be an understatement.

It was the first time in Gozo for most of the group and (what with all the recent media exposure) a few of the family seemed to regard the whole of this island as one mass movie set. Itching for gossip, they began discussing the Game of Thrones TV series and then pried a young waiter for any gossip regarding last summer. During filming, Il-Kantra was closed so he didn’t have a great deal to report.

As much as I’m pleased about the super boost to tourism, the money pumped into the local economy and the influx of tourists to this low-key island, Gozo is just so much more. It really is a gem that must be protected at all costs.

Some lovely bruschetta, one kind topped with rich, summer tomatoes and the other with orange flesh, accompanied our musings. We finally got down to the business of ordering. Il-Kantra does offer meat-based dishes but in that heat we only felt like seafood. We chose a light, crisp Sardinian Vermentino to accompany our lunch.

For starters I had the pansotti filled with prawns and scallops – delicious with a light, delicate flavour. The tuna pasta was loaded with generous chunks of fresh tuna and, along with sweet cherry tomatoes, basil and sprinklings of orange rind, it was fresh and fragrant. I tasted the mussels, cooked in wine with tomato flesh and parsley – they were hardly great and quite a few were overcooked, smashed and stuck to the shells or closed.

The caponata, that wonderful Sicilian ratatouille, was sweet, flavourful and just moreish with fat, juicy sultanas and topped with flaked almonds and chopped basil.

With their irresistible, vibrant delicacy, the deep-fried courgette flowers stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella should have been one of the most exquisite of treats. Sadly, however, they were served mushy and under-seasoned and sorely missed the mark.

We were given a small break, then proceeded with the mains. The swordfish mille foglie was a dry, heavy dish. Three of us had the mixed fish grill from the daily specials list – a generous plate consisting of baby bażuk and three king prawns. While being fresh, the grilled prawns were not great but the bażuk was fabulous.

I crunched on a prawn head much to the disgust of a cousin’s girlfriend who grimaced and obviously found this head-eating to be the weirdest, most despicable action she had ever witnessed.

The enormous portion of pistachio-crusted tuna was nice enough and deliciously rare, although, much like with a good cut of meat, I like tuna steak simply done – a quick sear without the need for any fancy topping.

We had agreed to have a mix and match sort of lunch with everyone sharing and tasting each other’s plates. These things must always be established from beforehand but the hitch of course is that this eating arrangement only works best when everyone else has a better dish than you!

My portion of paġell was beautifully cooked and quite excellent and the grilled calamari were lovely. I seemed to have chosen the finest dish at the table and, having tasted some other dishes, found it incredibly difficult to return the favour.

All in all, the flavours were heavily redolent of Sicily and it was no surprise to find that the chef is indeed Sicilian. Even the sides reflected this with grilled layers of aubergine and peppers, nicely sandwiched atop each other.

It must be said that the staff were extremely attentive and considering we were a table of eight, all food was served at the same time. Whereas food prices are fair, the mark-up on the wine is more than one would expect in most restaurants. There is, however, a range in bottle prices.

We had some ice cream, lemon sorbet and a refreshing passion fruit gateau for dessert and ended with coffee and complimentary shot glasses of limoncello.

At around €50 per head, it was definitely reasonable, especially considering the spectacular location. Towards the end of lunch, the pleasant breeze gave up on us and it grew stifling.

Feeling absolutely satisfied and quite content, there was nothing better than rolling down the steps to the secluded swimming area below and dropping into the refreshing water. Simply heavenly!