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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 APRIL 2016 34 Food Mouton Cadet Blanc is a blend of classic varieties: Sauvignon Blanc (69%) brings fresh, fruity and floral aromas and flavours, Sémillon (28%) gives roundness and structure and Muscadelle (3%) a distinctive aromatic character. The nose opens on citrus notes combined with the elegant white fruit aromas typical of Semillon. Characteristic Sauvignon Blanc box and broom aromas emerge with airing, gradually becoming more prominent in the bouquet. From an elegant and sensual attack, the midpalate displays good consistency and attractive fruit flavours, especially grapefruit and white peach, while the fruit- filled finish prolongs the pleasure with great refinement. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Mouton Cadet Blanc 2015 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Bordeaux, France 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 SURPRISES make life interesting, for bet- ter or worse. There's nothing like the un- expected to help reignite the curiosity that most of us seem to have lost once we grew out of school uniforms and moved into the adult world. I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down with Benny Muscat, whose name has been synonymous with the restaurant business ever since Malta's burgeoning tourism found its feet decades ago. The 'nonno' in the restaurant's name – La Buona Trattoria del Nonno –has many a story to tell about what it was like when he opened Ta' Marija, an award-winning res- taurant that is celebrating its 52nd anni- versary this year. He later also ran Palazzo Pescatore, home to countless conferences and weddings before it was shut down some years ago, much to patrons' dismay. Walking into the trattoria, you'd be for- given for wondering what the fuss is all about. An open kitchen overlooks a cosy front room… and that's pretty much it. Or so I thought. Benny guided us outside and switched the lights on. Here was a seem- ingly endless dining area, bounded by trees and garden, shielded from the elements by awnings and canopies hung with fairy lights. Further along, we came to another indoor dining room, complete with its own kitchen services. Further still were an outside bar, more seating and even a kids' area. If you want to appreciate its full glo- ry, don't visit on a stormy Thursday night like I did. There was plenty to keep us occupied in- doors though. The menu was vast – any- thing from salads and fresh pasta to pizzas, fish and selections from the grill. Benny has been in this business a long time and his mantra was and remains 'second best is not good enough'. It was quite obvious that his staff, both in the kitchen and outside it, took this very seriously. We were met with a welcome drink and some nibbles while we made our minds up on what to choose. We settled for sharing a half rack of ribs and a pizza, just to make sure I could offer you a bal- anced review. You're welcome, by the way. We also ordered a salad to share, just be- cause we had both seen pictures of the ribs and knew we had our work cut out for us. The ribs are something of an institution here. Named after Benny's daughter, who came up with the marinade recipe, Lara's Special Marinated Honey Spare Ribs are something else. Fall-off-the-bone tender, I suggest you eat these with you hands to fully appreciate their sticky, sweet rich fla- vour (ask the staff for an apron – they have those on hand for just this sort of thing). The wood-fired oven made quick work of our pizza, which arrived with a light crust, which was not too greasy, and topped with moreish fior di latte mozzarella. We had trouble stopping ourselves on this one, de- spite being full to bursting already. La Buona Trattoria del Nonno is, per- haps unsurprisingly, a family-run and family-friendly place to eat almost any- thing you can think of. Dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are allowed to take their time – good food is not made in a rush, as Benny told us. What did sur- prise us was the immediately obvious and genuine passion for food and good service – other restaurants could learn a thing or two from the way this place is run. La Buona Trattoria del Nonno St. Paul's Street, St. Paul's Bay. Tel: 21573182 / 99470811 Web: www.trattoriadelnonno.com Facebook: LaBuonaTrattoriaDelNonno Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK Simple food served with passion Benny Muscat is what you could call a veteran in the industry and experience has taught him a thing or two. However his passion for great food and great service is still paramount after all these years. RACHEL AGIUS heads down to La Buona Trattoria del Nonno to find out what makes him tick PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD