Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/788859
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2017 34 Food The pretty little village of Mar- saxlokk is a great outing on a Sunday morning, even if it is a little hot for market shopping right now – a visit to the bustling market followed by a fishy feast washed down with some crisp white wine. I seem to remember a time when a trip down to Marsaxlokk for a fish feast was always a sure ticket to the freshest selections of what Maltese waters have to of- fer. Today, however, you are most likely to get there to find the fish is fresh but everything else a little less, with many of the restaurants taking advantage of the tourists checking out the market without much attention going into the food they serve. Tartarun is most definitely not one such restaurant. As soon as you walk through the door you can tell this is going to be differ- ent – blue linen tablecloths, large tables with people sitting around every single one, as they clink large glasses filled with wine and laugh and chatter while they wait for their food to arrive. Though there is a menu with a few dishes that are almost always on offer, the most enticing part are the specials, fresh from the fisherman's catch. Any good restaurant is run by a dedicated team who are passion- ate about what they do. Passion oozes from the staff at Tartarun. Before you decide on what to eat, take a walk to the display table where a sample of what's on sale is available for you to see. Wheth- er it is wild sea bream, the small, bony red mullet or great big bar- racuda, there is someone to tell you what each and every fish is and how it should be cooked – in cartoccio, in sale. Your waiter will also tell you about some tantalising dishes that are not on the menu. We went for calamaretti, deep fried in a delicate batter, on a bed of buttery leeks and topped with some fresh radish, and a warm octopus salad that was tender and full of flavour, with fresh tomatoes and warm kalamata olives. If you're really hungry then the go for a one of the pasta dishes. My favourite has definitely got to be the tagliatelle 'Astice' – pasta with a rich creamy lobster sauce with bits of fresh lobster and a great big lobster claw that needs digging into. It's not only the fish that is cooked spectacularly well, but all the sides as well. Right from the bread they bring you while you wait – fresh and with a side of fla- voured butter – my guess would be with sun-dried tomatoes. The potatoes are also devilishly more- ish. Just as the Tartarun team are knowledgeable about their fish, so are they about their wines. The wine list is extensive with wines from all over the world. Their house wines – wines they import themselves from Sicily – are delicate and are paired fabu- lously with the fishy flavours of the dishes they serve. Tartarun is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 till 15:30 and for dinner from Tues- day to Saturday from 19:30 till 22:30. Resto of the week WINE OF THE WEEK Tartarun Xatt is-Sajjieda, Marsaxlokk. MXK1301 Tel: 21658089; 99177258 Email: info@tartarun.com Sangiovese 80%, Merlot 10%, Syrah 10%. The must obtained from grapes harvested when fully ripe is vinifi ed in vertical fermenting devices for about 20 days at a temperature of 28°C. (82°F.), followed by malolactic fermentation. Afterward, the wine is matured in 350-liter (92 gallons) French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by further fi ning of four months in the bottle. Rich and complex with up-front notes of ripe red fruit and wild berries accompanied by scents of spices and licorice. Full-bodied and encompassing, with a persistent and slightly spicy fi nish. Food pairing: This full-bodied wine combines superbly with dishes of the Tuscan tradition: pappardelle con sugo di cinghiale (wide noodles with wild boar sauce), bistecca fi orentina (grilled steak), roast game and hard savory cheeses. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 2014 Sassabruna – Rocca di Montemassi Maremma, Toscana Tagliatelle 'Astice' at Tartarun Right on the Marsaxlokk promenade, Tartarun makes a great stop for a Sunday lunch out Deep fried calamaretti at Tartarun Marsaxlokk madness at Tartarun