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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2016 34 Food Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Grecante Grechetto 2015 (Oscar del Vino 2016) - Arnaldo Caprai, Umbria, Italy Intense yellow straw with green tinges. Floral notes, intensely fruity and delicate. Soft, well balanced, pleasantly fruity. Grecante is an impressive aperitif and a perfect accompaniment to seafood, veal and poultry dishes International Wine Cellar - "Pale straw. Apple, nectarine and lemony fresh herbs on the bright nose. On the palate, soft ripe apple and apricot flavors are lifted by accents of lime, citrus peel and white flowers. Bright, harmonious acidity contributes to an impression of elegance. This strikes me as one of the best, deepest Grecantes made to date by Caprai." 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 I'M going to do something unusual and start from the tail end of my most recent meal. First I should clarify that I've never been a huge fan of carrots. Don't get me wrong, I am neither allergic nor do I have especially strong negative feelings to- wards them. However I've often felt these bright orange root vegetables were added to dishes just because of their eye-catch- ing colour. Nothing more to offer than a pretty face. The Kim Kardashian of the vegetable drawer, if you will. I tell you I am converted. All it took was one quaint little eatery, hidden away in the heart of Gharghur, to change my mind. The life-changing carrots in question took the shape of a puree, atop which was perched a beautiful shallow fried pork loin. The pale orange mash was truly transcendent, offering a depth of flavour I never thought I'd find in what I had previ- ously considered only a half-hearted sup- porting act in the food performance. I take it all back. The sweetness struck a lovely balance with the savoury, rich pork flavour, which itself had a beautiful col- our gradient and just a little crunch to the outer surface. This is not a dish to miss. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The eatery in question is Cent'Anni, one of Gharghur's best-kept secrets and an ex- cellent location for a quiet dinner, a ro- mantic tête-à-tête or a catch-up with friends. Though this is a wine bar more than a restaurant, no stone has been left unturned in the quest for incredible in- gredients for a night out. The place is small – you wouldn't fit a big party in here – but that only serves to help you appreciate the ambience and history of the place. It's tucked in a little road off the main square, nestled among other traditional townhouses, and has plenty of authentic features such as colourful tiles, old bar decorations and that cosy feel cre- ated by centuries-old limestone walls. A tiny fortress against the chaos of modern life. Our host Rene takes very special care about what goes on his menu and the starters section is packed with organic, artisanal and otherwise high quality cold cuts and cheeses. The cured leg of jamon iberico, bolted in its somewhat medieval looking cradle on the bar, is testament to that. And the wine list… oh the wine list! This is where Cent'Anni really excels. Rene imports a lot of wines himself so you won't find these little treasures anywhere else on the market. There is a vast selec- tion of boutique wines, small wineries that believe in quality over mass produc- tion. Rene takes great care in selecting the wines he serves, choosing indigenous wines made with indigenous grapes, this way you're sure to get a genuine taste of the terroir of your choice. Both myself and my guest chose a ham- based starter. My dish consisted of or- ganic cacciocavallo – a harder cheese with a robust flavour – and thinly sliced strips of pancetta. The ham was almost silken, it was so delicate. My guest chose the Serrano ham, a wonderfully moreish dish. You know how I felt about my main course (see above) and my guest was equally enthused with her fresh linguine with pesto and prawns. A commendable take on an old favourite. If you're not too hungry, Cent'Anni still has plenty to keep you happy. We spied a well stocked bar, with a selection of gins and whiskeys big enough to sate even the most particular drinker. This is a wine bar after all! A selection of platters and dips will also keep you happy if you're only a little peckish – a good accompani- ment to a relaxed night cap. This little treasure of a wine bar cer- tainly surpassed our expectations, and we could both only wish this was our 'lo- cal' – it's a place that meets any foodie's needs, no matter what they're after. Cent'Anni Triq Luigi Catania, Gharghur Tel: 99459914/27033321 Facebook: centanni Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK A little treasure in a sleepy village You can judge a restaurant by the way it treats its vegetables… or was that a man and animals? Whatever the case the little wine bar, Cent'Anni, has shown RACHEL AGIUS its true colours with an unlikely hero, a side dish of carrot mash PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD