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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 34 Food A staple red under the legendary Marchesi de' Frescobaldi empire, this harmonious red from Tuscany, Italy's famous red wine region, epitomizes the greatness of Italy's most prized grape variety sangiovese in a prime vintage like 2010; as James wrote, "It's an outstanding example of the extraordinary 2010 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino, showing wonderful balance, refinement and structure as well as freshness." Yet the wine is still largely available in the market for around euro 35 a bottle, a perfect marriage of quality and value. James Suckling's the Wine of the Year for 2015! "Aromas of warm stones, dark fruits and walnuts follow to a full body, soft tannins and a savory finish. This shows ripe fruit and salty undertones that give it a wonderful juiciness. It's dense and tight now but will give so much pleasure in the future. Best ever from here. Drink or hold." Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 2010 Brunello di Montalcino 'Castelgiocondo' Frescobaldi, Tuscany – Italy 97 points – James Suckling 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 way westerners eat Chinese food is always with wild abandon and a Chinese meal isn't quite complete unless you've eaten more than your fair share. RACHEL AGIUS heads down to the Valletta Waterfront for a taste of Chinese excess at Nan Yuan (complete with leftovers for the following day). EVER since its regeneration a few years back, the Valletta Waterfront has al- ready gone through the restaurant equivalent of a changing of the guard. Some establishments stood the test of time while others were replaced, bring- ing new faces to the area and its hordes of cruise ship tourists and locals looking for dinner and/or drinks. Of those restaurants that stuck it out, Nan Yuan is arguably one of the most popular. Its traditional but relatively low-key décor celebrates its Cantonese heritage without coming across as too cliché. Clean and uncluttered, the din- ing area offers plenty of room to spread out if you're a big group or have a cozier tête-à-tête if yours is a much smaller party. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that the locals love their food. And they love it in ample quantities. As a result, your average Maltese family will consider val- ue for money rather high on the list of priorities when choosing where to dine out. At this, Nan Yuan excels. The menu offers a variety of dishes at reasonable prices, meaning your family night out need not sting your bank account. The restaurant was surprisingly busy on the Tuesday night we visited; unu- sual, given that the nocturnal summer crowds had not yet descended on the popular tourist spot. We were seated and proceeded to pore over the menu. In the interest of trying as many different dishes as possible – a food writer's sacri- fice for you, dear readers – my guest and I reeled off a list of our selections. Service was prompt and courteous, which was handy seeing as how our ta- ble was soon heaving under the weight of our dinner. Our waitress even had to extend the table with a neat little shelf, an act that triggered the tiniest shred of guilt that maybe we were about to eat too much. The guilt went away pretty fast though, as the mixed starter arrived. The selec- tion included wontons, chicken satay skewers and spring rolls. We also tried (for research purposes) the lamb satay skewers. It turned out to be an excellent choice. There are also plenty of delight- ful food carvings, swans and other ani- mals made from vegetables, carved by the owner of the restaurant, Lee. Next up was the duck. A staple on every Asian restaurant's menu, the bird comes with spring onions, cucumber and a rich plum sauce. It all goes together, like a delightful, edible parcel, in those paper- thin pancakes. Although we're always taught not to eat with our hands, con- structing these delicious packages defi- nitely falls outside those rules. After the remnants of the duck were cleared, the next round of dishes ar- rived. It was at this point that we consid- ered that perhaps we may have overdone it. Beef noodles and egg fried rice jostled for space with the cashew chicken and sizzling beef. The cashew chicken in par- ticular caught my eye. The chicken had been fried, adding a satisfying crunch to a dish already bursting with flavour. In all, we gave it a good attempt. Belts straining, we had to refuse dessert, as well as the vast array of Chinese teas they have available. Luckily, our host thought nothing of packing up our lefto- vers to take away. The food tasted great the next day too. My advice to readers? Go hungry and try a little of everything. Nan Yuan will not disappoint. Nan Yuan, Vault 14, Waterfront, Valletta. Tel: 21225310 Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK Make sure you're hungry for a trip to Nan Yuan PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD