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36 FOOD RESTO OF THE WEEK jar takes a look Rachel Zammit Cuta brings a recipe, wine d at a restaurant an e week. and delicacy of th ur comments on Write to us with yo it your own recipes m restaurants or sub mediatoday.com.mt to rzammitcutajar@ A Chinese meal to remember The Blue Room Chinese food is generally the same – fried and greasy and nothing like the Chinese food you'd eat in China. For something a little more authentic try an offthe-menu meal, though you need to give them a little bit of advance notice. From my experience of Chinese restaurants, not only in Malta but right across Europe, they are generally poorly decorated with tacky 'traditional' items that look like they came from a flea-market – lots of red tassels and gold dragons. The Blue Room is nothing like that, with its contemporary décor and stylish owner overseeing the show – real wooden floors, high backed, varnished chairs, contemporary, oriental prints on the walls and a surprising amount of light for a restaurant with no windows. The menu is extensive, with five or six dishes of meat, chicken, seafood as well as a vast array of starters including the regular favourites like wontons and spring rolls to more exciting steamed dumplings, soups and sizzling hotplates. The menu does include some vegetarian options and, in today's modern age of food intolerance, there are also some gluten free options. I've been to the Blue Room a few times and always enjoyed my meal so last weekend, when a friend suggested going there to celebrate her birthday, I was quite keen. When I got there, I realised that we weren't ordering off the menu as it had already been set. Chinese food in the West is always the same – spring rolls, duck pancakes, sweet and sour pork being firm favourites. These however are seldom found in China and made specifically for Western palates. A little bored of the same old food, the birthday girl arranged for us to have a more authentic Chinese meal. So we simply sat down and waited to be served. To start, we had some very simple raw veg- Stylish, contemporary décor sets The Blue Room apart from the tacky decorations of other Chinese restaurants on the island etables – sounds boring I know, but they were incredible; carrots spiced with ginger, raw turnip in sesame oil and mange tout and bean sprouts with some sweet and sharp dressing. This set us up for the meal ahead. We ate lots of small dishes – starter-style including, chicken and meats, some beautiful falloff-the-bone ribs that you could eat with chopsticks – and that's just by picking the meat off the bones not picking the bone up! We had a selection of dim sum, which has not really taken off in Malta and is quite difficult to come by; fresh spring rolls with vegetables and chicken, a dish that comes from the border of China with Vietnam, served with a spicy dipping sauce and to round off the starters we had some Chinese bread, which is almost sweet and doughnut like – the bread is boiled like a bagel and then deep fried until golden. As full as you are you can't avoid that bread until every last crumb has been devoured. Every dish came with an explanation of what was in the dish, where the dish came from and how the Chinese generally eat. Many Chinese people set up shop in the catering industry in the west because that all they can do and this generally shows in the quality of food and service offered. The staff at the Blue Room know the food and service industry and that is what makes the difference. Over some Chinese sake, we tried to come up with one Chinese meal eaten by any of a welltravelled bunch, that was better than this one and every single one of us came up dry. Even in the fanciest restaurants of London, Paris and Rome, none of us had ever had such a fantastic Chinese meal. When the bill came, it was a little on the pricey side. Whenever I go anywhere and have to pay more than €50 for a meal I get really annoyed, but usually because I don't really feel that what I got was worthwhile. This time, at €70 a head (with free flowing wine and liquors), I was more than happy to part with my hard-earned cash. You get what you pay for and this is most definitely well-worth it. If you're looking for something special to do for an occasion, give the Blue Room a call and get ready for a meal to remember! The Blue Room is open daily from 12:00 to 14:00 for lunch and from 19:00 to 23:00 for dinner (closed all day on Monday and Saturday lunch). Address: 59, Republic Street, Valletta Contact: 21 238014 WINE OF THE WEEK Offley Rosé Port Wine – Portugal Offley Rosé Port Wine – Portugal Region: Douro, Portugal Colour: Rose Grapes: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional & Tinta Barroca Alcohol: 19.5 vol Offley Porto Rosé is a young rosé Porto Wine, a fresh and light new flavour proposed by Offley, the prestigious brand that combines modernity with almost three centuries of experience. This new Porto Rosé combines the freshness and delicacy sought in a rosé wine with the elegance and charisma normally associated with Porto Wine. Offley Porto Rosé is a versatile wine that takes Porto Wine category into yet unexplored areas. The Porto Rosé has a light pink hue, with shades of violet. In the mouth is quite balanced and fresh, with a flavour of tropical fruits complemented by long and elegant finish Offley Porto Rosé makes an excellent aperitif hence also serve on the rocks or enjoy as a cocktail, with tonic water, ice and lemon in a long drink glass. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, B'Kara. T: 2144 - 4400 Charles Grech & Co. Ltd., Valley Road, B'Kara Tel: 2144 4400