Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1234806
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 APRIL 2020 NEWS Prices for the three- course "almost finished" meals are adjusted to reflect the fact that staff like waiters or cleaners for the main restaurant floor are not needed, since the establishments are closed. "There is less expense here, but we also have to factor in the delivery costs" age delivery: your doorstep Bull, and Susurrus are all Gau- ci's brainchild. They are highly rated, and each offer the kind of mouth-watering food, attention to detail and professional pres- entation which anyone with a taste for fine dining wants. There was just one problem. All restaurants have their doors shut right now. But Gauci did not let that stop him. He created a delivery service whereby food from Tarragon, Caviar and Bull, and Susurrus is transported straight to one's place of abode. Gauci explained to MaltaTo- day that two types of deliveries are available. The first, offered by Tarragon, involves hot meals which are delivered straight to customers' homes within 45 minutes. "The food will be hot, although the degree of this obvi- ously depends on the area where the delivery is being made. In some more far away areas, it is advised to heat the food slight- ly." The second type of deliveries, however, are the most innova- tive. Tarragon, Caviar and Bull, and Susurrus are also offering a service where an "almost fin- ished" three-course meal – a starter, main course and desert – is delivered to one's home along with instructions for ap- plying the final cooking touch- es. "The food is delivered to your home in a s a n i t i s e d vacuum bag. All you need to do is to follow the i n s t r u c t i o n s supplied with the delivery – the food in the bag is placed inside a hot pot filled with water to reheat it. In the case of baked food, such as potatoes, they can either be boiled in the bag, or, if they are roast, for instance, they should be placed in the oven." For the price of €30 per person, this ensures that the experience of eating in Gauci's restaurants is replicated as closely as possi- ble within a hungry customer's own home. Gauci recounts how, when hit by the measures forcing the closure of his res- taurants, he had to think of a way to keep offering his fine din- ing services and ensure the estab- l i s h m e n t s remain func- tioning. And, in a new world where many are concerned about COVID-19 transmission, Gauci wanted to ensure that people's minds were at rest that the food they were having delivered was completely safe. "When I first thought of this three weeks ago, I knew that an online restaurant would have to be set up. The first thing on my mind was that, if it were me who was ordering food in this current climate, I would want to ensure that what was being delivered to me was made and handled according to the high- est hygiene standards," he said. "I've studied health and hy- giene in the course of my pro- fession, and I practice it daily – it's second nature for me. The Marvin Gauci @ Home service adheres to these highest stand- ards. When you order from us, you are buying food from a rep- utable source. People are very conscious of this within the cur- rent environment." "All our chefs wear gloves, masks and hats before they walk into the kitchen to cook and handle food. Once the food is ready, it is sanitised and placed into the vacuum bags. The boxes these are placed in are all sterile. The cars the food is transport- ed in are disinfected. We are delivery a safe product through which there isn't a risk," he un- derlined. The meals available feature delicious-sounding dishes rang- ing from starters such as lob- ster and salmon artisan-filled tortellini, mains like black angus short beef ribs, and desserts like white chocolate and black sesa- me blondie. Full menus are available on the Tarragon, Caviar and Bull and Susurrus Facebook pages. Orders for the Marvin Gauci @ Home service are being taken by phone, until a dedicated website for placing orders is finalised. Gauci highlights that the pric- es for the three-course "almost finished" meals are adjusted to reflect the fact that staff like waiters or cleaners for the main restaurant floor are not need- ed, since the establishments are closed. "There is less expense here, but we also have to factor in the delivery costs," he says. The feedback for this unique experience has been "fantastic". "Many people can't go out right now, but they can still en- joy refined food at home. They don't need to spend two hours cooking, which is how long it takes to prepare a three-course dinner. And it is delivered ster- ile, and as good as it can be," Gauci adds. Bahia, another eatery tackling the coronavirus challenge MaltaToday also spoke to Colin Ciantar, owner of the award-winning Bahia restau- rant, which is also providing a fine dining delivery service. Bahia is offering a series of delicacies, such as a cured fish cheeks Waldorf salad, braised local pork cheeks and a musco- vado and hazelnut tart, for de- livery to people's homes. Ciantar says the service, launched in the past weeks as a response to the COVID-19 measures, is proving popular, especially with foreigners. "The feedback we are receiv- ing is good. We have a system in place where we notify custom- ers of all the steps in the deliv- ery process – when payment is received, when the food is on its way, and once it has arrived, we ask for comments," he says. New menu dishes should soon be added, with the restaurant team working on additional items to include. To ensure the food arrives at people's homes as hot and fresh as can be, drivers head straight from the restaurant to the deliv- ery location. "Our drivers don't go on multiple deliveries at a time, they go directly to the des- tination," Ciantar highlights. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt