Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/714702
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 AUGUST 2016 34 Food Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 M de Minuty Rose 2015 Chateau Minuty, Provence – France The grapes are carefully selected and come from the best soils of Côtes de Provence and come from vines cultivated in integrated farm way. The grapes are blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. A magnificent wine of pleasure : the aromatic harmony that offers some notes of peach and candied orange. the mouth is fresh and round. M de Minuty Rosé by Château Minuty is the bestselling wine for a reason: it's the archetype of Provence rosé... 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 MALTA really is a place of beauty, espe- cially in the summer. Balmy temperatures in the day and night, crystal clear waters and rugged landscapes make the island picture perfect. When it comes to luxury spots by the sea however, we lag somewhat behind our Mediterranean cousins who have done such a pretty job in places like Palma, Capri, Saint Tropez, Sardinia and the like. This summer we have seen a little bit of a shift towards luxury tanning with the opening of Pearl Beach. In the heart of Sliema, this is not a new spot, but one that was recently taken over by Charles Grech. Over the last few years Charles Grech has been proving itself in the world of catering. With their track re- cord in excellence from their café in Val- letta, which opened in 2012, and the bistro that opened in Sliema last year, you could only expect the very best from this new seaside paradise. When the location is right, there is very little that needs to be done to sell a place like that and unfortunately that is what many lidos thrive on in the central loca- tions of Malta. Pearl is definitely not one of those. No expense has been spared and it shows. Luxurious beach beds, plenty of shade, great beach tunes with live DJs and attentive staff anticipating your every need give the place the feel of a beach club in Saint Tropez or Ibiza. But alas this is a restaurant review, so onto the food. The tables are in a shady part of the restaurant with a cool breeze coming off the sea making even the hottest days pleasant. As soon as you arrive you are greeted by a hostess who directs you to your table, or sunbed. Their well-spoken and polite staff are a breath of fresh air. Anyone working in catering will tell you how hard it is to find waiting staff. We've become accus- tomed to Eastern European waiting staff who don't speak much English so having someone that can not only speak your lan- guage but is knowledgeable about the food they are serving and can make recommen- dations on both food, wine and cocktails is a real treat. That gives the place an instant thumbs up, even before we started. We started off with a round of cocktails from their varied cocktail menu and these come promptly to your table in proper glasses, not the standard beach plastic. Their menu is short and simple – short- er still if you choose to eat at your beach bed – using only the freshest ingredients available. Three salads, three pastas, three mains (give and take a few) along with some starters are on their permanent menu as well as a selection of the fish fresh from the fishermen's nets and a small spe- cials board. This way if you're a regular you will never be bored. Dishes served are simple, but everything is done right. The best way to illustrate this is in their Nicoise salad. A few years back you would order this dish and likely get tuna out of a can. Fast forward to today and real tuna in your Nicoise salad is something we should all be expecting. However what sets this one apart from the rest is the way the in- gredients are handled. The tuna is perfect- ly cooked – seared on the outside and raw in the middle – the egg yolks are runny and the vegetables are hand cut rather than the packet salads that are occupying most res- taurant plates nowadays. This is a Nicoise with love. And when you're done with lunch, (you don't really want to spend your entire day at the table when the sun is shining), you can move to a bed by the pool, and con- tinue your afternoon sipping on cocktails, or wine or just snoozing in the sun. So does a day like this cost you an arm and a leg? I thought that was going to be the case until the bill came. The food and wine are reasonably priced. Renting sun- beds are a little on the expensive side at €25 a bed, but when this comes with wait- ing staff that anticipate your needs almost even before you are aware of them then it's totally worth your while. Is this place for everyone? Probably not, but then again that is the point! PEARL BEACH BY CHARLES GRECH QUI-SI-SANA SEAFRONT, SLIEMA. TEL: 21338341 WEB: WWW.CHARLESGRECH.COM FACEBOOK: PEARLCHARLESGRECH Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK The pearl of the Mediterranean PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD