Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/459448
XII maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2015 Food Charles Grech & Co. Ltd., Valley Road, B'Kara Tel: 2144 4400 Feudo Principi di Butera Symposio 2012 90 points, Wine Enthusiast Today's Feudo Principi Di Butera 2012 Symposio is a stunningly delicious red blend that was crafted to highlight the unique terroir elements of the coastal Sicilian climate. Very well balanced, with equal footing for juicy dark fruit and sweet earth, today's wine has a lovely sea salt minerality that lingers throughout. These flavors are paired with nice structure and a lovely pop of acidity, making today's wine a great pairing idea for a wide variety of dishes. The grapes are picked manually during the third week of September, choosing only the best grapes. Vinification occurs separately in stainless steel tanks, according to the grape variety, at a controlled temperature followed by 30- day maturation. Then the malolactic fermentation takes place and maturation goes on for 18 months in 350 liter French oak barrels of first and second use. Imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, B'Kara T: 2144-4400 If you were to list the world's great- est nations for culinary effort few people would feature Great Britain anywhere near the top. Though Great Britain is known the world over for its bland dishes smothered with Bisto gravy, this is largely due to undiscerning diners and not lack of quality English fare. Thankfully Malta has no lack of discerning diners so the opening of The Londoner gastro pub in Paceville is pretty exciting as the pub incorporates all things English – good beer on tap, a series of football matches on the TV, English music playing in the background and a great selection of some of England's finest dishes, including Sunday roasts. To get into the pub spirit I headed down to The Londoner nursing a sore head from the night before and lo and behold, a prominent part of the menu offers a sure cure – a spicy Bloody Mary. For some reason – watery tomato juice – a good Bloody Mary is difficult to come by in Malta, but the one at The Londoner is worth its salt; good consistency, the right amount of spicy and sea- soning, and true to its word offers a little comfort. The menu offers a variety of English classics; complete English breakfast with eggs, bacon sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding and bubble and squeak, or bacon baps if you're in a hurry. If you've skipped breakfast and are coming in straight for lunch, take a look at the great British start- ers; pork pies, deep-fried cheese or chicken wings with a spicy dip to keep you going till your mains. Mains include some of my all time favourite one-plate meals – steak and Guinness pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash and a selection of stews. And on Sundays roast lamb or beef with all the trimmings, Yorkshire puddings and smothered in gravy (not the Bisto kind, but real home-made stuff). After lunch we stayed for a few pints of bitter, and though I'm not a football fan, stayed to watch a game (two games really – something to do with overall points and staying on top of the league, but it was of vital importance to follow both matches). What putting up with the football does entitle a foodie like myself to is conversation with English fans, (they provide way more entertainment than the game itself) and after a few hours of drinking, the Drinker's Favourite platter which included Scotch eggs, with a near runny centre, chunky chips, made from real potatoes with Leister melt, pork pies, garlic bread and other yummy bits and bites. All in all it was a fun afternoon out, reminiscent of many pub afternoons in the UK. I will most definitely be back. And one more thing… Happy Hour is from 3:00pm till 7:00pm – that's a whole lot of happiness! The Londoner is open daily from 10:00am till 4:00am. WINE OF THE WEEK Rachel Zammit Cutajar takes a look at a restaurant and brings a recipe, wine and delicacy of the week. Write to us with your comments on restaurants or submit your own recipes to rzammitcutajar@mediatoday.com.mt Braving the cold may seem less appealing now that we are well into winter. However, RACHEL AGIUS finds out just how rewarding it may be if that outing involves a trip to Marsaxlokk's Terrone Resto of the week A taste of the London life The Londoner Dragonara Road, Paceville Tel: 21376637 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheLondonerpub?fref=ts