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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015 34 Food Rachel Agius 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 Resto of the week All the savoir faire and tradition of Minuty are crystallized in the Prestige range which saw the day 25 years ago. The Prestige wines are a must within Minuty stable, being wines of character born of the subtle marriage between power and finesse. They express the perfect mastering of both the terroir and the heritage of an entire family of wine makers that are enamoured with and proud of their work. The grapes are carefully selected and come from vines cultivated in integrated farm way. Grapes varieties used Grenache: 90%, Cinsault:20% Tibouren:10% Syrah :10% This light rosé wine expresses some very intense aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers. its velvety mouth associated with its freshness gives it something very aerial... Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Minuty Rose Prestige 2014 – Chateau Minuty Provence, France FOOD is the ultimate art form. With every other form of art I can think of, it is only one or two of the senses that are addressed. A painting is a thing of visual beauty while a concerto appeals to the auditory senses. Food on the other hand, takes a much more holis- tic approach, involving all of the five senses. You eat with your eyes first is a well-known adage among chefs. The visual appeal of your dish as it is set down in front of you is of ut- most importance. No matter how delicious a dish is if it doesn't look good it takes away from the overall experience. The olfactory senses then prepare you for the delicious- ness of the meal to come. Touch comes next as you sink your fork, and then your teeth, into the first bite where the texture is all-im- portant. At this stage even sound comes into play as you hear the crunch of crispy items in your plate and last but not least, the culmina- tion of the experience, taste. L'Artista in Bugibba looks after every one of the senses to make sure the overall expe- rience is one worth remembering. Though the restaurant itself is nothing special, once you get inside you are immediately struck by the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff who clearly know what they are doing. Emmanuele and his wife Lisa, both from Sardinia, have been at the helm of this restau- rant for the last two years and have built up a reputation among locals and Italians which was evident on the Wednesday night we headed down to L'Artista where every seat was taken, and diners were happily feasting on fresh meats, fish and pastas – a promising sign of the meal to come. Emmanuele him- self takes every order to be sure he really un- derstands his customers' requirements. Then it's back into the kitchen where both himself and Lisa get to preparing every plate. Emmaunele explains that fresh ingredi- ents are at the forefront of good cooking and sourcing quality ingredients is of utmost im- portance, particularly when it comes to fish. "I have a great relationship with Azzop- ardi Fisheries and go there on a daily basis to get what I need for that day's service," he says. This is why he recommends choosing food off of the Fisherman's Choice – a menu that changes regularly, depending on what is available. The Farmer's Choice, a menu filled with succulent meats, unfortunately falls by the wayside (we will have to return to try this one shortly) because of the passionate way he talks about the fish dishes, raw, cooked, or in pasta dishes, we decide to let him show us what's best and gave him free reign. With a bottle of Sardinian white we and an amuse bouche of the freshest sushi grade salmon we awaited our meal with anticipa- tion. What came after that was almost an assault of the freshest fish on the market – the freshest, most tender calamari with zuc- chini salad, a Sardinian salad of fresh white fish with tomatoes and onions, cured tuna and fresh, plump mussels so tasty we simply couldn't help dipping loads of crusty bread in the juices. Next came the pasta – just a taster – wrapped around a fork and decorated with edible flowers. This is where you can really see the artistry. Then comes the time to put your own fork into the pasta and this is when the dish truly shines. The salty flavour of the sea urchins together with the perfectly cooked pasta is truly a dish worth waiting for. For mains we had a taster of tuna and swordfish, simply seared on either side leav- ing the centre raw so that the flavour of the fish is mostly unaltered. Unlike many other restaurants in Malta, they do not season this fish themselves, however they do bring a selection of olive oils and coarse salts to the table so that you can decide how much you want to put on your own fish. Dessert, though we were sure we couldn't manage another bite, came in bite-sized piec- es. Deliciously rich moussey chocolate bites that are extremely moreish. We ended the meal with a sgroppino – a lemon sorbet drowned in prosecco and vod- ka and a Mirto di Sardegna – a liqueur made from the berries of the myrtle plant that grows abundantly in Sardinia. With full tummies and perhaps just a little too much to drink we left the restaurant sat- isfied and promising to return to the warm, friendly atmosphere that is L'Artista. L'Artista Triq il-Gandoffli, Bugibba Tel: 99954947 Facebook: www.facebook.com/artistamalta L'Artista – where a plate is a blank canvas