Amami
Mellieħa

Food: 8/10
Location: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

The restaurant is a light and airy space. A large, open kitchen leads on to a balcony overlooking Mellieħa Bay. I sit down with a ravenous hunger, determined to rectify a deficit in my diet –  a dumpling deficit. But before any cravings would be satisfied, a niggling matter needed to be addressed.

We were all thinking the same thing – why would an Asian restaurant boast such an oddly Italian-sounding name, and a rather silly one at that? The menu is quick to conquer our ignorance, informing us that Amami is in fact the name of an archipelago in southwest Japan.

The enlightening menu beckons with the tastes of Asia. It is not designed to send you off into unknown, unchartered territory. There’s a list of standard classics which, we soon discover, are executed beautifully.

For a weekend lunch we begin with dumplings, of course. Almost translucent-skinned, the plump steamed pork dumplings are the most perfect little darlings.

Moreishly addictive, the silky, gossamer-skinned dumpling dough casings give way to the lip-smacking savouriness of the ground pork filling. Bathing these stout, round parcels in some intense, soy-based dipping sauce enhances the flavours while cutting through the richness of the dumpling filling.

The vegetable gyoza provide more bite-sized punches of flavour. Fashioned with delicateness, each pleated-edged dumpling is tinged a light golden brown colour. They  have the perfect texture: juicy and tender with just the right crispness to the half-moon shaped, pan-fried dough. Mushroom-based, the filling inside the doughy packaging is texturally fleshy and meaty.

They are powerfully comforting, each hot gyoza cooled in a saucer of soy and chilli dipping sauce that is all fire and sweetness. We dribble and we rave over the alluringly plump Goi cuon; Vietnamese rice paper rolls to you and me and a signature southern Vietnamese dish. 

Vibrant and fragrant with astoundingly aching freshness, we have selected the prawn variety.  With crisp salad, fresh herbs, rice noodles and sweet prawns all folded between the fragile, ethereally thin rice paper sheets, the goi cuon are refreshingly light, delivering succulence and crunch. 

The nuoc cham sauce, a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce and a staple with rice paper rolls, overlays each appetising mouthful with chilli, lemongrass and lime juice. There’s a hint of heat to this nuoc cham and an agreeably pleasant pungency pervades.

Vigorously healthy goi cuon are the opposite of deep-fried spring rolls, although we tuck into these too, naturally. The piping hot, crispy duck spring rolls are packed with tender strands of aromatic duck, carrot and cabbage – their likeness to golden ingots ultimately the reason they are considered symbols of prosperity in China.

With each crunchy bite, these golden cigars snap and splinter with delicate crispness much in the same way as filo pastry. A blast of meaty steam wafts out. They are served alongside a sumptuously thick, glossy hoisin sauce that is dark, deep and delicious, glazing the spring rolls with a sweet saltiness.

Amami’s refined, well-executed dishes have us knocked sideways in delight

Light and flavourful, the spicy tuna tartare is exquisitely seasoned. The raw tuna’s silken texture and clean flavours are enhanced by soy, ginger, chilli and lime juice.

The avocado pairs beautifully with the raw fish while the radish and spiced cucumber deliver crunch.

The full-bodied, lush creaminess of the miso mayo gives a real kick and slippery strands of salty wakame seaweed prove an excellent garnish.

We love the Chicken Katsu, a rich, intensely savoury mild curry and a Japanese comfort-food staple. Katsu is the Japanese method of panko-breading and frying pounded cutlets.

For this dish, steamed white short grain rice is topped with the tender, fried chicken, all wrapped up and swathed in the curry’s thick, golden-coloured sauce.

The miso glazed salmon breaks away beautifully in large, tender flakes: rich, meaty and moreish. It is sweet and intensely savoury, all the gorgeous flavour of fermented soy bean caramelised to a crust and penetrating the fillet of fish. 

Served with a crisp bean sprout and mangetout salad, it is utterly delicious, slicked in a ginger and lemongrass dressing. Each mouthful is a pleasure, a beautiful contrast of textures plays in the mouth.

Most pleasing of all is the seared sesame tuna, served rare and speckled with black and white sesame seeds. It is all umami and meaning, except for the minutest round of fried noodles imaginable that adds little to the dish.

Other than that, there are incredible depths of flavour to be had here, unfathomable depths of flavour. The lightly seared succulent tuna is quite magnificent.

A garnish of soft, crushed potato has been scattered on top and there is the zesty-sweet onslaught of the tangy orange and ginger dressing. It brings further savouriness with a hint of sweetness.

The dish is utterly compelling and utterly luscious.

For dessert there comes a green tea fondant, served together with a little bowlful of passion fruit salsa that is vibrant with a perfumed tartness. The fondant itself is a delicate puff of loveliness; the light, spongy outer layer crumbles inwards in a gush of warm chocolaty gooiness, the slight bitterness of the green tea perfectly balanced by the chocolate. A decadent ginger-spiced chocolate tart is crisp and light, brimming with warmth and spice. 

A beautiful shortcrust pastry casing cracks  away nicely and the indulgently smooth, dense filling is full of the hit of ginger. The passion fruit brûlée is nothing short of stellar.

Crème brûlée has remained a delectable classic but the addition of passion fruit transforms this elegant dessert into something unbelievably unique and exotic.

All the tropical flamboyance of the fruit marries beautifully with the rich, creamy luxuriousness of the brûlée. The mango jelly and coconut ice-cream embellishments are a triumph, all culminating in a dessert that provides a divine balance of texture and flavour.

Amami’s refined, well-executed dishes have us knocked sideways in delight. The food isn’t nose-bleedingly expensive but it certainly doesn’t come cheap.

The restaurant’s manicured interior mirrors the excellent service provided by the waiting staff. Our poised waiter ensured a meal that was served smoothly, without any hiccups. There’s nothing much to dislike here.

If you’re handy with a pair of chopsticks, this is one place to put them to good use.