Oro Lounge
When you're abroad, don't people tell you, "Avoid a restaurant if it is full of tourists"? I have to admit that I am one who plays by that rule. I look for the places frequented by locals. Back on home turf, the rule changes and becomes, "Be careful if a place is empty". My dinner companion uses another rule which I now have adopted, which is, "Do not eat at places with pictures of the food on the menu" (there are few places I allow to break this rule, as recently reported).
And so one evening, a couple of weeks ago, out we went to Oro Lounge at The Point. I had heard wonderful things and I was looking forward to a visit. Since I had heard so many people mention it, and since we were going on the weekend, I thought it best to book ahead. Now let me explain, I am the sort of person who calls to book. I don't do online booking - I find it unpredictable. Maybe it betrays my age, but I do enjoy calling as it sets the tone for the visit. I went against my nature and used the website to book a table at Oro Lounge. After two days without receiving a reply I decided to go back to my usual routine, and gave them a call. After being bounced around a bit, I got to place my table reservation, without having my excitement dampened at the prospects of trying Oro Lounge.
This being my first visit to the establishment, we were more than a little surprised to find the place empty bar one table with two young ladies sitting frantically discussing wedding preparations. Warning signals of the "Be careful if the place is empty" kind flashed before my eyes, but the friendly staff quickly had us seated and distracted by the menu and the promises of goodness it contained.
The menu is varied yet not too long - the creation of set menus takes up approximately half of the menu itself, and feels a little bit tacky: who does set menus in this day and age? Having said that, the items on the set menu are the same as those featured a la carte, so it is more of a "meal deal", again the idea itself verges on the tacky.
The food is definitely NOT tacky. After much deliberation and negotiation - "If you take this, I will order that" - we finally decided. This being a cold winter in Malta, I did not want to go for a purely sushi based meal, as I wanted something warm. But we couldn't resist the sushi, and asked whether it can be served between the starter and main course. "Of course" was the affirmative reply from our server. Excellent. We ordered our food, and amused our server with the name of the wine chosen: a Gewurztraminer that pairs itself oh so well with spicy food. "Oh that's a difficult name" the server exclaimed. Giggles ensued. As excellent and attentive as the server was, this illustrates what I mean in that Malta seriously lacks properly wine trained servers in restaurants.
The amuse bouche arrived: a sliver of tuna tartare, which was on the chewy/dry side for both of us.
As we settled down with a glass of wine, we noticed that the sushi chef had already prepared our sushi and it was waiting for us on the counter of the sushi bar. This was a time management issue. Was it because the place was practically empty? Our server came along to clear the amuse bouche plates and to deliver freshly baked bread, and we asked that our sushi be brought to us before the starter arrives. We had ordered a rainbow sushi roll, which was excellent in its preparation and balance. The accompanying wasabi was just right, and thankfully the chop sticks were not the disposable kind.
Our starters of spicy pork ramen, and a light foie gras and chicken liver parfait served with fragrant toasted brioche (this is what all toasted brioche should be like), were followed by an Indonesian chicken curry and pork belly served on a puree of potatoes and truffle. Everything is meticulously presented. The flavours burst with every bite. The pork belly was served with breaded balls of what I believe to be more pork, and were the stars of the dish. But the winner is certainly the Indonesian curry - I can't wait to go back and order one for myself.
The dessert is imaginative yet not too unknown as to be scary for the unadventurous eater. I had the tart key lime tartlet, and loved the flamed meringue emblazoned on the plate that went with it.
While the meal, much like the wine list, is on the pricey side, it lives up to expectations, and left us extremely satisfied with this new find. I am only worried that it is not as busy as it should be on a Friday night, and the consequences that this may have. The place surely deserves to be bustling and popular, as long as it has no negative repercussions on quality. Perhaps it is because this is winter, and the Maltese stay indoors at the first sign of rain. But any person should brave the weather to go to eat here - it is central, has easy parking (for which you get a coupon with the bill), and the food is the most interestingly paired and presented we have seen in a while in Malta. Very good indeed.
This is why I am putting up this review before my self-imposed rule of mainly posting about places I have been to more than once.
Oro Lounge
Piazza Tigné, Tigné Point, Sliema
+3562133 6607
And so one evening, a couple of weeks ago, out we went to Oro Lounge at The Point. I had heard wonderful things and I was looking forward to a visit. Since I had heard so many people mention it, and since we were going on the weekend, I thought it best to book ahead. Now let me explain, I am the sort of person who calls to book. I don't do online booking - I find it unpredictable. Maybe it betrays my age, but I do enjoy calling as it sets the tone for the visit. I went against my nature and used the website to book a table at Oro Lounge. After two days without receiving a reply I decided to go back to my usual routine, and gave them a call. After being bounced around a bit, I got to place my table reservation, without having my excitement dampened at the prospects of trying Oro Lounge.
This being my first visit to the establishment, we were more than a little surprised to find the place empty bar one table with two young ladies sitting frantically discussing wedding preparations. Warning signals of the "Be careful if the place is empty" kind flashed before my eyes, but the friendly staff quickly had us seated and distracted by the menu and the promises of goodness it contained.
The menu is varied yet not too long - the creation of set menus takes up approximately half of the menu itself, and feels a little bit tacky: who does set menus in this day and age? Having said that, the items on the set menu are the same as those featured a la carte, so it is more of a "meal deal", again the idea itself verges on the tacky.
The food is definitely NOT tacky. After much deliberation and negotiation - "If you take this, I will order that" - we finally decided. This being a cold winter in Malta, I did not want to go for a purely sushi based meal, as I wanted something warm. But we couldn't resist the sushi, and asked whether it can be served between the starter and main course. "Of course" was the affirmative reply from our server. Excellent. We ordered our food, and amused our server with the name of the wine chosen: a Gewurztraminer that pairs itself oh so well with spicy food. "Oh that's a difficult name" the server exclaimed. Giggles ensued. As excellent and attentive as the server was, this illustrates what I mean in that Malta seriously lacks properly wine trained servers in restaurants.
The amuse bouche arrived: a sliver of tuna tartare, which was on the chewy/dry side for both of us.
As we settled down with a glass of wine, we noticed that the sushi chef had already prepared our sushi and it was waiting for us on the counter of the sushi bar. This was a time management issue. Was it because the place was practically empty? Our server came along to clear the amuse bouche plates and to deliver freshly baked bread, and we asked that our sushi be brought to us before the starter arrives. We had ordered a rainbow sushi roll, which was excellent in its preparation and balance. The accompanying wasabi was just right, and thankfully the chop sticks were not the disposable kind.
Our starters of spicy pork ramen, and a light foie gras and chicken liver parfait served with fragrant toasted brioche (this is what all toasted brioche should be like), were followed by an Indonesian chicken curry and pork belly served on a puree of potatoes and truffle. Everything is meticulously presented. The flavours burst with every bite. The pork belly was served with breaded balls of what I believe to be more pork, and were the stars of the dish. But the winner is certainly the Indonesian curry - I can't wait to go back and order one for myself.
The dessert is imaginative yet not too unknown as to be scary for the unadventurous eater. I had the tart key lime tartlet, and loved the flamed meringue emblazoned on the plate that went with it.
While the meal, much like the wine list, is on the pricey side, it lives up to expectations, and left us extremely satisfied with this new find. I am only worried that it is not as busy as it should be on a Friday night, and the consequences that this may have. The place surely deserves to be bustling and popular, as long as it has no negative repercussions on quality. Perhaps it is because this is winter, and the Maltese stay indoors at the first sign of rain. But any person should brave the weather to go to eat here - it is central, has easy parking (for which you get a coupon with the bill), and the food is the most interestingly paired and presented we have seen in a while in Malta. Very good indeed.
This is why I am putting up this review before my self-imposed rule of mainly posting about places I have been to more than once.
Oro Lounge
Piazza Tigné, Tigné Point, Sliema
+3562133 6607
Comments
Post a Comment