Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/702141
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 JULY 2016 34 Food Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Ribolla Gialla 2015 Attems, Italy TASTING NOTES: A striking straw-yellow colour, with subtle gold highlights, this Ribolla Gialla is elegant and deliciously fl oral, with lovely scents of acacia blossom and birch wood, followed by sweet tropical fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, it is bright and full- flavoured, with a finish hinting of yellow peach. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Superb as an aperitif wine with finger foods such as vegetable flans and savoury pastries, as well as the perfect partner to baked first courses. 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 have to admit I'm a little bit sceptical of hotel restaurants. I generally think of them as the lazy hotel guest's last resort – after a long day of sightseeing and getting sunburnt, there is no energy left to look further afield for a bite to eat. I am glad to say that The Summer Kitchen at the Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard has proved me wrong. We showed up on a cool evening, soon after the bistro opened its doors for the season. Our fellow diners consisted only of a handful of older hotel guests and one hopeful cat. While we seriously enjoyed the pleasure of dining in peaceful sur- roundings, this didn't do much to counter my impression about hotel restaurants. That was about to change quite quickly. We were shown to a table overlooking the pool and we could also glimpse the beautifully manicured garden from our perch. We were offered an aperitif and got down to examining the menu. Skimming through, you'll recognize the familiar section headings – pasta, pizza, grills, burgers, appetizers and sal- ads. There's also a category called 'Small Plates', which I'll get to in a second. On close inspection however, you'll be hard-pressed to find those usual dishes that tend to populate the menus of a lot of restaurants. Save for the favourites (mostly under the pizza section), there was plenty to keep us interested and to make our choices that much harder. The salads in particular struck us as a fasci- nating blend of unusual ingredients. The grills, the menu helpfully explains, are prepared on a charcoal oven, a detail that did not go unnoticed as the open kitchen exuded its irresistible aromas. Our starters showed up. In the name of scientific research, we chose one dish each from the small plates and appetizers section – the spiced sausage with man- chego shavings, and the hummus, spin- ach fatayer, cheese sambousek and pita pockets. The former was a kind of do- it-yourself bruschetta, with rich flavours that went down a treat with the toasted bread it was served with. The latter dish was a wonderful medley of Mediterra- nean flavours, combining moreish stuffed pasty bites and wonderfully balanced chickpea dip. Moving on to our main courses, my guest and I both decided on something meaty. In retrospect, we were probably subconsciously convinced into our choic- es by the amazing smell coming off the grill. No regrets though. My guest chose a rump steak, which came with the bé- arnaise sauce and chimmichurri, on the recommendation of our hostess Victoria. At this point I would like to empha- size what an asset good staff is to a res- taurant – the difference between a good restaurant and a great one. At the end of the evening, we went home satisfied and vowing to return, not just because of the excellent food but because the service was impeccable. The staff here is truly exceptional. Back to our meal. I picked the Medi- terraneo burger. When I ordered, I was asked how I would like the patty cooked. This doesn't happen very often in Malta, where for some reason 'old leather shoes' is the default texture of any burger. Douze points for this little detail. The burger itself was fantastic – you can definitely appreciate the quality mince that went into it and the other ingredients (burrata, tomatoes, a Parmesan mayo and radic- chio leaf) lent the creation a crisp, fresh counterpoint. Oh, and the chips were top-notch. We wrapped up the evening too full to accept the offer of dessert (warning: the burgers are bigger than they first appear). So we sat in the calm for a moment longer before heading home. I expect that once the secret gets out, The Summer Kitchen will be bustling with diners in no time, as the weather warms up. I'd suggest mak- ing a booking post haste – there won't be an empty seat in the house before very long. THE SUMMER KITCHEN CORINTHIA PALACE HOTEL & SPA DE PAULE AVENUE, ATTARD. TEL: 25442520 WEB: WWW.CORINTHIA.COM Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK Giving hotel restaurants a better name PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Hotel restaurants don't have the best of reputations – in Malta at least. The Summer Kitchen at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa is proving that this doesn't have to be the case. RACHEL AGIUS heads down there to sample the goods