Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/646116
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2016 34 Food Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino presents a clear ruby red with garnet highlights. Pronounced notes of blackberry elegantly accompanied by fl oral notes such as violet. The nose is complex and well- blended: spicy notes of black pepper and clove, tobacco and leather, and "jus de viande" refl ect well the evolution of the wine. Resonating tannin textures, mellow structure with a long and elegant fi nish. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 2010 Brunello di Montalcino 'Castelgiocondo' Frescobaldi, Tuscany 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 THE pretty little village of Marsaxlokk is a great outing on a Sunday morning, even if it is a little hot for market shopping right now – a visit to the bustling market fol- lowed by a fishy feast washed down with some crisp white wine. I seem to remember a time when a trip down to Marsaxlokk for a fish feast was always a sure ticket to the freshest selec- tions of what Maltese waters have to of- fer. Today, however, you are most likely to get there to find the fish is fresh but eve- rything else a little less, with many of the restaurants taking advantage of the tour- ists checking out the market without much attention going into the food they serve. Tartarun is most definitely not one such restaurant. As soon as you walk through the door you can tell this is going to be dif- ferent – blue linen tablecloths, large tables with people sitting around every single one, as they clink large glasses filled with wine and laugh and chatter while they wait for their food to arrive. Though there is a menu with a few dishes that are almost always on offer, the most enticing part are the specials, fresh from the fisherman's catch. Any good restaurant is run by a dedi- cated team who are passionate about what they do. Passion oozes from the staff at Tartarun. Before you decide on what to eat, take a walk to the display table where a sample of what's on sale is available for you to see. Whether it is wild sea bream, the small, bony red mullet or great big bar- racuda, there is someone to tell you what each and every fish is and how it should be cooked – in cartoccio, in sale. Your waiter will also tell you about some tantalising dishes that are not on the menu. We went for calamaretti, deep fried in a delicate batter, on a bed of buttery leeks and topped with some fresh radish, and a warm octopus salad that was tender and full of flavour, with fresh tomatoes and warm kalamata olives. If you're really hungry then go for one of the pasta dishes. My favourite has definite- ly got to be the tagliatelle 'Astice' – pasta with a rich creamy lobster sauce with bits of fresh lobster and a great big lobster claw that needs digging into. It's not only the fish that is cooked spec- tacularly well, but all the sides as well. Right from the bread they bring you while you wait – fresh and with a side of fla- voured butter – my guess would be with sun-dried tomatoes. The potatoes are also devilishly moreish. Just as the Tartarun team are knowledge- able about their fish, so are they about their wines. The wine list is extensive with wines from all over the world. Their house wines – wines they import themselves from Sic- ily – are delicate and are paired fabulously with the fishy flavours of the dishes they serve. Tartarun is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 till 15:30 and for din- ner from Tuesday to Saturday from 19:30 till 22:30. Tartarun Xatt is-Sajjieda, Marsaxlokk. MXK1301 Tel: 21658089; 99177258 Email: info@tartarun.com Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK Marsaxlokk madness at Tartarun