Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/768342
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2016 34 Food WINE OF THE WEEK Ornellaia 2013 - Bolgheri Superiore, Toscana (Italy) The desire to nurture the Estate's exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia's philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature. Ornellaia 2013, with its dense, vibrant colour, has a nose of splendid aromatic complexity built around a limpid and brilliant fruitiness, underscored by refined spicy and balsamic notes. The mouth develops vibrant and complex fruity nuances framed by a dense, slender structure with tannins that attain a rare harmony between firmness and fleshiness, concluding with a long balanced and fresh finish Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T:2144 4400 10 things that ruin a dining experience RACHEL ZAMMIT CUTAJAR 2016 really has seen many restau- rants getting things right, using better quality ingredients and really going out of their way to provide a stellar dining experience. Some things still fall short however and not just from the restaurants' side. Diners have become ever so par- ticular about what they expect and while expecting good food and service is not a bad thing, a little bit of re- spect goes a long way. Here are some things I would like to see remain in 2016 and not follow us into the future. Restaurateurs 1. Balsamic vinegar glaze If I wanted to see a work of art I would go to an art gal- lery. Please keep your doodles to your sketch pad and leave them out of my plate. Yes it adds flavour. So much flavour that it overpowers any other flavours of the other in- gredients in the plate. Caprese salad with balsamic glaze? It hurts just to type it. Balsamic vinegar comes in varying degrees of quality. The glaze is right at the bottom of the scale. 2. Salad leaves from a packet Salad leaves from a packet are washed and cut and symmetrical and flavourless. I get it that they are convenient but if I wanted to put something together quickly I would do it myself. If I'm going to pay someone money to put together a decent meal then I expect that you at least use raw materials that have a little flavour… even if this is just a side to the main meal. 3. Sugar syrups in cocktails So a cocktail menu is becoming quite the thing at any restaurant. And we're all for this. Some bars/ restaurants really go out of their way to cre- ate incredible cocktail men- us – Electro L o b s t e r P r o j e c t and The T h i r s t y Barber are two places that re- ally do a good job. Sadly this isn't the case for all places and all too often cocktails are simply a blend of alcohol and some inferior sugar syrup. If you are making your own syrups that's completely different. But those strawberry sugar syrups with a shelf life of a hundred years really have no place in any food es- tablishment. 4. Over eager waiters With most things the trend is to- wards improvement, however I'm not sure this is the case with this one. It is true that being neglected by your waiter is totally unaccepta- ble but having the waiter come to clear your plate before the rest of your party are finished (sometimes even before even you have taken that last mouthful) is not good ser- vice either. Whatever happened to the time when the waiters cleared the plates once everyone has fin- ished their meal? 5. Bad acoustics I know the modern trends in res- taurant décor are void of soft fur- nishings – curtains, cushions etc. This makes the restaurant look fresh while it's empty but add a few tables of conversations. Add a little bit of alcohol to that and you need to be yelling at your partner just to see if they want some more wine. The answer is yes. The answer is always yes. This is not to say that restaurants should come with old fashioned furnishings, it is just im- portant to take this into considera- tion while decorating and find a so- lution. Acoustic panels underneath the tables and chairs could be an easy option. 6. Complimentary drinks after you ask for the bill Everybody loves a complimentary drink at the end of the meal. And many restaurants will offer a com- plimentary drink at the end of the meal – especially if you have spent a lot of money on food and drink. However if I have already asked for the bill, this means I'm done. I don't really want another drink. Even if it's free. If you are going to offer complimentary drinks do it at the end of the meal before I order the bill. Otherwise it just seems like you're trying to gain points by of- fering a drink while expecting pa- trons to decline. 7. Tables too close together Getting as many covers out of the space you've got is vital to the survival of a restaurant. However packing in the patrons like bat- tery hens is unacceptable. If I can hear the conversation of the cou- ple at the table next to mine they are too close. Of course there are some styles of restaurants where this is not a bad thing. Communal tables exist in other parts of the world where diners squeeze in for a quick bite to eat, however if you are out for a long, lingering meal with friends you would really like the conversation to remain between your party only. Diners In the world of dining out, it is not only the restaurateurs who are at fault. Diners can be equally out of order when going out for a meal. Here are some of the worst offences. 8. Changing dishes on the menu Chefs spend a huge amount of time and effort to match ingredi- ents to create the best flavour com- bination they can come up with. If you take away one of the ingredi- ents you lose the balance in a dish. If you don't like one of the ingredi- ents that is in a dish, pick another one. It's kind of like saying I'll have the BMW without the rear wheels please. Don't expect to order it and have a good time. 9. Diners that don't tip – even when the service is bad When you apply for almost any job you can expect a salary, except, that is, if you are applying for a job waiting tables. Restaurateurs pay waiters very little expecting them to make up enough to survive on tips. When you don't tip properly you are docking someone's salary. If the service isn't top notch you still need to tip. It is not always the waiter's fault if your experience isn't perfect. And even if it is, does your salary get docked every time you make a mis- take at the office? 10% is standard. More if they do a stellar job. 10. Assuming a message on social media means you have a reservation Social media has been great for giving patrons information like opening hours and what sort of food to expect from any given res- taurant. It has also made reserving tables easier as you could do it with a simple message. However just because that facility exists doesn't meant that someone is watching the Facebook page 24/7 and is standing by to make your table ready. If you book via social media make sure you get a response from the restau- rant before you turn up expecting a table. Or better still, pick up the phone. Anything we missed out? Let us know.