The Waffle

Alcohol consumption in Malta is low compared to the rest of Europe. In fact, this study from the World Advertising Research Centre shows that alcohol consumption per capita is only one third of that of Luxemburg, the Czech Republic and Hungary.  Only the Swedes seem to drink less than the Maltese. The Malta government’s own figures show that 36 % of the adult population drinks alcohol at least once a week.
This goes up to 60.2 per cent for people aged between 18 to 24. Beer accounts for around half of the total alcohol consumption, whilst wine accounts for a third.

The beer market is controlled mostly by Simonds Farsons Cisk, which was founded in 1928.  Cisk is the flagship brand, with two spin-offs, the Cisk Export and the Cisk Excel.  Farsons also offers the Blue Label, the Hopleaf, the Lacto, and the Strong Ale.  They also have a Traditionnal Shandy, and they brew under license Skol and Carlsberg.  They are also in charge of most Imports and also control the soft drink market.

THIS AIN’T A CISK KEBAB

Here is the first drink we bought upon our arrival in Malta.  We had to go with the “National” beer, a Cisk.  A lager, it is fresh, crisp, rewarding.   It was selected as the World’s Best Standard Lager in 2007 by Beers of the World. It quickly became Melissa’s beer of choice in Malta, while I was a little more adventurous.  Our first Cisk was enjoyed in the Upper Barracca Gardens on our first full day in Valetta.

MALTA’S GOT NO SOUR GRAPES

Most Maltese Wines are quite young, especially if the grapes are grown in Malta. (They import a lot from Sicily and other parts of Italy.)  A few vineyards are trying hard however to establish some quality products, 100% Maltese wine, but it is a challenge. Since the vines are still young, the quality varies a lot  and even locals tend to prefer Italian wines.

Our first lunch at Cocopazzo was chased down with a bottle of white from Medina Vineyard.  The ancient walled capital of Mdina passed from a vibrant, lively place to a sleepy “city of silence” when Valletta was founded by the Knights.  The Medina Vineyards collection of wines is produced from grapes grown all over the island but predominately from those grown in the surrounding area beneath the majestic silent city. The wine was fresh and fruity, and was not too bad with our fish dishes.  It

was, however, too weak for the ravioli.

WHEN POP GOES LOCAL

We had our first - and only - Kinnie while waiting for the Marsamxett Harbour Ferry.  Farsons developed Kinnie as an alternative to the American Cola giants and other soft drinks who were building huge market shares in Europe after WWII, and it became Malta’s “National” soft drink.  Kinnie’s colour is a dark amber orange.  It is made from bitter oranges and a blend of herbs.  It’s taste, in my opinion, is not very good.  Think Jägermeister without alcohol.

A BEER UNDER THE SUN

After another day under the baking sun, we decided to stop for a refreshment at a cafe on the Piazza Regina, at the corner of Republic and St.Lucia’s Steet.  Melissa decided to stick with Cisk, but I decided to go for the Blue Label, which is a stronger ale. It was one of the first beers launched by Farsons, back in 1928. The Blue Label has a nutty flavour, with a nice mild bitter finish. The drinkability level is not as high as Cisk, in fact, most locals consider this a “dark” beer, although by all standards it is only of a  slightly amber, light bronze colour.

PLEASE DON’T STOUT ME!

In the Grotto Tavern,  I was able to sample Farsons’ Stout, the Lacto. A Milk Stout, it has the usual touch of sweetness you expect in that style of beer. A nice dark chocolaty brown body, with a light chocolate milk-like head on top. It has a silky smooth texture and next to no carbonation. Smoky roasted grain is the main aroma coming through, and you can taste it too.

I had a couple with my meal, and since it was fairly low in alcohol, I didn’t feel guitly at all. (3.8% abv)  It was, however, not easy to find elsewhere and this was the first time I had seen it available.

C’EST LA LUTTE FINALE!  GROUPONS-NOUS, ET DEMAIN…

I have got to admit that I had not seen such a concept before, and do not know why we haven’t thought of it here.  Party offices with a bar where activists, supporters and members can quench their thirst while supporting Social Justice.  Genius! The Partit Laburista has a few establishments across the country, and in Valletta (above, left ) they proudly invite tourists to come in!

The MLP lost the 2008 General Election to the Christian Democratic Nationalist Party by one seat, 34 seats vs 35. The Nationalists also have some establishments.

So we walked in the Malta Labour Party headquarters, a prime location on Republic Street. Pictures of the workers’ struggle in Malta greeted us, along with portraits of the leaders over the years. This was no ordinary tourist trap. The menu, for one, was not particularly appealing:

But they had a fully stocked bar, and we took the opportunity to try the Cisk Excel. The place was not very busy - this was the end of the afternoon, and a few blue collars were occupying the tables at the back of the bar. The tv was loud, folks were watching what is no doubt a popular soap opera in Malta. Not the same atmosphere this guy faced. Maltese is a tough language, near-impossible to learn, so I quickly lost interest in the TV and decided to focus on my beer - and on the extraordinary stuff on the wall, from paper clippings to plaques to pictures.

The Cisk Excel is a Low carbohydrate beer. A very pale yellow color with a very clean, white foam. Quite creamy. The Excel is lighter than the Cisk. Balanced and boring is how I would characterize it. The low carbonation make this beer easy to drink, no aftertaste, no nuisance. But I’d rather stick with the real stuff.

We left, wondering when the New Democratic Party will open its own bar in downtown Ottawa.

BEER, BEER, BEER!

To complete this review, let me point out to a few other beers we enjoyed.  The Lander Bräu is imported from Italy, although it originates from Holland and is meant to be a Czech pilsner.  A pale yellow colour, small white head. Some awkward sweetness, with malt and hop hints. Boring and quite unbalanced.   The Hopleaf Pale Ale, like the Blue Label, is one of Farsons’ classic brew from 1928.  A slightly dark copper colour under a finger white head with and decent retention.  A sweet hop nose, with a subtle tangy flavour.  A bit heavy in carbonation, it tasted very nice, with ample fruits (apricot?) and not a lot of bitterness. Enticing beer, again harder to find in corner stores. A nice brew though.  We also enjoyed some Skol, brewed here under license by Farson’s.  I had first enjoyed Skol in Guinea.

IT’S A GOOD THING ITALY IS NOT FAR

When it comes to wine, even though we did find a few good local Maltese wines here and there, but they could not compete with their Italian counterparts.  Not that the local bottles were offensive, but Malta does not have yet the conditions to produce top-of-the-line wine.  Prices were reasonable, although not as cheap as France or Belgium. Some South African wines were also easily accessible, but it was much harder to find French wines, let alone South American or Australian wines.

But, by all accounts, local vineyards are improving, and have made significant steps in the past decade.  You can taste the youth and impetuosity in the products of the most ambitious producers, but most of the local winemakers are gambling on drinkability, avoiding complexity in order to distribute their merchandise now.

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One of the great things about our trip to Malta was our apartment.  Located in Valletta on Old Theatre Lane, it had a great view of the Marsamxett harbour and a well equipped kitchen.  So we were able to save money while having romantic dinners, relaxing and enjoying the views that were offered to us.

Mel loves pasta, and I was happy to oblige. Here, I made Spaghetti with a very simple tomato-basil sauce. On the side, bread with a cheddar gratin. To accompany our meal, we had a bottle of Corvo Vendemmia 2006, a very nice wine from Sicily, smooth and light in tanin.

In the background, Manoel Island and its Fort, which was built in the XVIII century and was a strong defensive position all the way to World War II, when anti-aircraft guns were deployed in and around the fort.

Another Spaghetti dish, this time I decided to be more creative. I first roasted some garlic in olive oil, then added some lardon. When everything was nicely golden, I tossed in some oregano and bits of Ġbejniet. Ġbejniet is a cheese, originating from Gozo. When you buy it, it looks like a ball of Mozzarella. Made from sheep milk, but originally from goat milk, it has a smooth texture and a subtle, creamy flavour. I was hoping it would melt a little like Mozzarella, but it remained much firmer. A bottle of Medina Sangiovese was the wine du jour. Very soft tannins, but a little acidic. It did worked with the dish, however.

Malta is a very Catholic country, and they take their Saints very seriously. Our stay began a few days before the Feast of St. Julian. So every night in the leadup to the feast, there were fireworks, from two, sometimes three different locations. Every night. And on the Saturday before the feast, the spectacle lasted for well over two hours.

For this meal, even though I decided to stick with pasta, I mixed it up a bit, going for penne this time.  The sauce is a tomato-chili base, with garlic and oregano.  I topped the dish with lardons and fresh green peppers.  Vegetables were easy to find in Valletta, and all kinds of little outlets were offering them in fairly wide varieties.

We enjoyed our penne with a bottle of Cape Quarter, a Shiraz Pinotage from South Africa, as the sun was setting on the islands and numerous boats were coming back to  the harbour. I had never had a South African wine before, and this one was quite pleasant, lots of dark berry flavours including blackcurrant.

Right in front of the Grand Master’s Palace is Valletta’s covered market, the Is-Suq, which has various stands and stalls where you will find fresh vegetables, fish, groceries, meat, herbs and spices.  It is quite busy in the morning, as is the rest of merchant street.  However, the longer you wait, the less merchants there are .  We wandered there a few times, especially when we were craving meat. We got two huge steaks - the Suq’s butcher basically had half a cow on the counter, and asked us how thick.

I cooked the meat in olive oil, adding just a few spices as I wanted to maximize the pure meat flavour.  Then, I reserved it, and caramalized some shallots and garlic in the jus. When that was done, I deglazed with some red wine.  The meat was not the most tender I have ever eaten, but the meat was oh! so fresh.  Obviously, they had not aged it 30 days here, and the taste was very powerful.  On the side, we have yellow courgettes, baked with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and finished with a blend of fresh cheese.

The view at night was spectacular.  The lights from the more modern buildings and hotels from Sliema were reflecting on the water, making our dinner even more enjoyable.  The wine, a Bacchus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, was bold enough to go well with our meat, but again, this Maltese Winery can only improve with time.

One could think we would have gotten tired of pasta, but the atmosphere just was right for more and more.  With cheese bread on the side, it was simple enough not to take too much time, but I could find a twist everyday to make every meal very different.   This time, I picked three fresh maltese sausages.  Maltese sausage are made from minced pork, mixed with spices and herbs. They are air cured and are often served and eaten raw. Melissa was unpleasantly surprised when she was served some with a platter of Maltese Antipasto at Giannni - but I personally didn’t mind it, though the texture is somewhat strange. So I fried them slowly, sliced them, and served them with penne and a spicy tomato sauce.  Fried like that, they were quite tasty, but gone was the mushy raw meat texture.  And Mel was happy, so much so that she didn’t realize they were the same.  In fact she stated that this was the best pasta meal I made in Malta, and thankfully I made them before our escapade to Sicily.

We had a bottle of Rosso di Puglia with this meal, a solid, full bodied Italian wine. We finished it under one of the most spectacular sunsets yet, where pink and red colours were brought out by the clouds, which were present more than normal. Just spectacular.

We usually had lunch away from home, but from time to time we would have a light lunch at the appartment. Or sometimes, we would come back early from an afternoon of touristing, and we would put together a nice snack platter.  Cured meats and cheese are easily available in Malta, lots of varieties, some local made, some imported, but everything very fresh.  Add to that a fresh bunch of grapes, a cool bottle of white wine, (and, quite frankly, very cool AC!!) and there you have it! A Maltese snack at its best. We would eat slowly, enjoying the different flavours, the spices, the aromas, the textures, while looking at the ferry go back and forth in the harbour…

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She decided that we would have lunch at the Métropolitain Brasserie because she is quite a fancy girl.    

Located at 700 Sussex, The Met is a relatively new favourite for politicos, journos and lobbyists of all types. They claim it is at the corner of Les Champs Élysées for marketing purposes, but you are soon reminded of where you are when you look down Rideau Street. The place was opened in 2005 by the owners of The Empire Grill, and has been trying to attract Hillites with specials such as The Hill Hour, from 4pm to 7pm on weekdays, where oysters, jumbo shrimp, mussels and othere appetizers are offered at decent price.  Oysters for instance can be had at 1$ a piece during the HH. 

I was craving a bloody ceasar, and ever since I tried it, I enjoy horseradish in them, so I got them to make me one with some in it.  It was simply great.

To start, we ordered two dozen oysters.  To be precise, we ordered 21 as Kevin only wanted one. The Métropolitain claims to have the largest raw bar in Ottawa.  We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, I suppose. Today, the Met was offering Malpèques oysters. 

10 millions Malpèques oysters are harvested in P.E.I. every year.  They are certainly one of the finest oysters you can find.  They have a pleaseing appearance, are fairly easy to manipulate and therefore, to enjoy.

The Met serves their oysters with an offering of four different garnishes: a traditional seafood sauce, a lemon mayo, a classic mignonette and horseradish. There is also plenty of lemon served on the platter. If they do not offer, feel free to ask for tabasco if that’s what you like, they always have a bottle handy. 
The oysters were fresh, quite tasty and I could have had more but refrained.

I followed that with their Crispy Duck Confit, served with cranberry chutney, roasted potatoes and greens.  Duck Confit is defintely a french specialiy, from Gascony in fact. It is made with the leg of the bird.  You usually rub the meat with salt, let it cure for 24 to 48 hours, and then you poach it in its own fat.  Yummy!  But yeah, fatty.

I won’t feel too guilty as it was a small leg, and it was very tasty.  The skin was nicely crispy, the roasted potatoes were not extraordinary but firm and well seasoned, the greens were fresh and crispy.  I wasn`t too crazy about the cranberry chutney, though.  I felt it was too acidic and something more earthy would have been a better side to the duck, perhaps apricot or fig chutney.

To accompany our meals, I selected a bottle of Pinot Blanc, a white wine from Alsace.  Contrary to some other alsacian wines, the Pinot Blanc is a softer, less aromatic and not very sweet wine. It is a nice wine, fresh and well balanced. 

Brad picked up Gaby’s meal and the oysters, I picked up the wine, and after tax and tip, I coughed out
90$.  A tad bit pricy for what I had - but I can’t say I’m unhappy about anything I had.

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