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32 2013 IN REVIEW For the love of food Top 10 meals of 2013 As George Bernard Shaw said, there is no love sincerer than the love of food. In this line of work, eating out is more of the norm than something reserved for special occasions. 2013 has seen the opening of many new restaurants – some that definitely deserve a place on my list of regularly visited restos. A great dining experience doesn't necessarily have to be a fancy occasion and I personally favour heartier meals over fine dining. Some of my top 10 dining experiences have been fast food and breakfasts though some finer dishes and of course some hearty meals also made it onto the list. These were the highlights of 2013 in no particular order. Dim Sum at The Blue Room I've always eaten well at The Blue Room, but what pushed this restaurant into the top 10 list was a meal a friend organised for her birthday. Rather than order off the menu we had a menu set from before - a Chinese meal that Chinese people would actually eat - not the usual Westernised nosh we've been lead to believe is Chinese! We ate lots of small dishes – starter-style including, chicken and meats, some beautiful fall-off-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. The Blue Room 59, Republic Street, Valletta. Tel: 2123 8014 Slow cooked beef shin at Hush Ok. So I didn't actually sit down to eat this dish properly. It was brought out for a photo shoot for a paid advert! I did devour it though, after the photo shoot was done, and even though it wasn't as warm as it should have been it definitely makes it into my top 10 list. The beef shin was braised for four hours and then served on a bed of pumpkin and mashed potato and drenched in a port wine jus. The meat was so tender you don't even need a knife to cut it. Why haven't I been back to eat it properly paired with a great glass of red? Hush Portomaso Marina, St Julian's. PTM01 21369100 Sour dough pizza at New York Best With the opening of their new outlet in Qui-sisana, New York Best introduced their sour dough pizzas. What makes this stand out from the crowd? What I love most are the various stages that come with each slice. The first few bites are full of cheesy goodness, with simple yet fresh and delicious toppings, as you get close to the crust, there is a bite of pizza base with tomato sauce – no cheese, no toppings – that gives you the chance to savour the wonderful flavours of the sauce without distraction. And lastly the crust. I usually eat the crust of the first slice of pizza and then have to leave the rest as I would rather leave a plate of crusts than a full slice of pizza, but this is so delicious, crunchy, yet not dry and it cleans your palate for the next slice of cheesy goodness to come. So what is their secret? How do they make simple fast-food so deliciously moreish? The answer lies within the question. It is not fast food at all. The dough is made fresh daily, using flour, water, yeast, salt and sour dough only, but it left to rise slowly for 24 hours. No short cuts. New York Best Esperanto Street, Msida Qui-si-Sana Sliema Tel: 2728 2899 Banana tarte tatin with peanut butter and bacon ice-cream at Salvino's Salvino's has become one of my favourite restaurants this year and choosing just one dish from there is difficult. It will have to go the innovative dessert – a banana tarte tatin served with bacon and peanut butter ice-cream. I've always been a fan of salt in my desserts and bacon makes everything better. There are no words to explain how truly yummy this is. Salvino's 32, Archbishop Street Valletta 21246437 Brandy poached figs in chocolate sauce at Rubino Again choosing one dish to feature from Rubino is almost impossible, having eaten there many times this year. In the end I went with a simple but delicious dessert – Maltese figs, poached in brandy and served on in a chocolate sauce. When you cut into the fig there's a chocolate surprise in the centre. This dessert is symbolic of what they do at Rubino's, taking simple seasonal ingredients and coming up with an innovative way to serve them. Rubino Old Bakery Street, Valletta Tel: 21 224 656