So, tonight I decided to go back to one of the places I have been to before and I love the food…

Not quite a 100% night for me, but significantly better than last week, so here’s how it went…

Service

We arrived spot on time, though having previously been to the restaurant I did know how to get straight to it.  The place itself is sign-posted if you know to go to the lower levels of the Portomaso car park.  Upon arrival we were greeted with a smile a quick check of the reservations list and the traditional Thai greeting.  We were asked if we would like to dine inside or out, and we chose inside as the air-temperature was ‘cool’.  We were shown to a table for two already set for two courses with wine and water glasses. Upon seating we were asked if we would like water.. sparkling or still and given a small drinks (apéritif) menu, a short while later the water arrived and we placed an apéritif order.

All staff were well dressed in a standardised uniform, which was both appropriate dress and subtle.  Our waitress for most of the night was ‘Rachael’ and her badge said, “in training”  She was extremely well spoken, knowledgable, polite, and attentive.

Ordering of all items did not result in any refusals or changes.

Drinks

Cocktails to start, I ordered a Mai Thai, and Gabie ordered a Pomegranate Cosmopolitan.  Both cocktails were well presented and exactly as described.

The wine ordered was Moscato d’Asti ‘Zagara’ Marchesi di Barolo (Piedmont ~ Italy) a sweet/desert wine, it arrived at a temperature of between 6C and 8C, cool, but not cold (basically perfect temperature).  Standard wine glasses were replaced with flutes and Rachael with the exception of a slight hic-cup opened the bottle as a professional, however she made the slight mistake of filling my glass for ‘tasting’ (I ignored this as it is was totally trivial.)

Throughout the service Rachael was attentive and ensured that our water and wine glasses never needed filling ourselves, but at no point did we feel we were being ‘fussed over’.

Appetisers

The appetisers, ordered were the Chicken Satay and Spring Rolls Laab Ped.  Both arrived at the same time, promptly, and very well presented.

The sauce supplied with Chicken Satay, did not appear to be from a bottle/jar and had an element of ‘home recipe’ to it.

The Spring rolls were not as much of a roll as a flat parcel, however they were absolutely delicious and I suspect prepared in house.

Main course

For main course I chose one of my favourites, and as such something I know how it should be, ‘Gang Dang Ped’ (Red Curry Duck) and suggested to my partner that she should try the Massaman Curry (lamb and nut curry) we chose plain steamed rice with as an accompaniment.  First the Massaman Curry, what can I say, but spot on, what I have had in Thailand, and Australia.  The flavours and texture were absolutely identical to my memory I cannot fault it.  However, the Red Curry Duck unfortunately was not what I was expecting or hoping for, it’s colour was a very dark brown colour which gave me the distinct impression it was over cooked, the duck pieces were very tough and completely cooked through suggesting ‘well done’ again.  The ‘spiciness’  was about right, but the sweetness of the leaves in the sauces were muted and again I felt ‘over cooking’ was the problem as the flavour was more akin to “British boiled Cabbage” (“Oh, it still has flavour?”… “sorry let me boil it for another hour, that’ll surely remove the flavour!”) The pineapple had lost any and all sharpness and indeed had a lower than expected sweetness as a whole…  Basically as a dish, it was over cooked, and to the point it was spoilt.  We made no complaint.

Dessert

For dessert we chose the Thai Flavoured Cheesecake and Coconut Custard.  Both were rich and delicious, no complaints what so ever.

Price

The total price charged including wine €124.70 and was around what I was expecting, the food itself was slightly more than half of the total bill at €68.15 and is in the expected range for a 3 course meal consisting of good food and atmosphere.  It is however, just slightly over priced for many Maltese as €25-€30 is the expected price per head., but being that it is situated in the Hilton Hotel the extra cost is not unexpected or unwelcome.

Summary/Score

Most notable thoughts:  (9/10) The massaman curry was exactly as I had previously in Thailand and it was unfortunate that the Red Curry Duck was not good as I had previously had good experience.

Quality of Food: (8/10) With the exception of the Duck, the food was perfect, flavours as expected and  well presented.

Price: (8.5/10) Not cheap, not expensive, though slightly on the higher side.

Staff/Service: (9/10) Rachael as a trainee, was a polished professional and a complete credit to the Hilton.

Atmosphere/Ambience/Decor: (10/10) Excellent

Overall: I can’t really fault it, it’s a shame about the Red Curry Duck, and I am just hoping that the experience was a mistake and is not the norm, as I have had Red Curry Duck at the Blue Elephant in the past that has been perfect.  However, as the review is the review, and I cannot take on previous experience, the score is: 8.9/10

Additional Thoughts:  All other customers seemed very happy and were receiving similar service.  Writing a ‘good’ review is a damn site harder than a bad review!