The life of a hackette is rarely glamorous. Even if you are not pursuing laptops or poor Chris Cardona but writing features it is still quite lonely to be confronted with an empty page which has to be filled. But on occasions if not glamorous at least it is very pleasant. I am a foodie as my statins will bear witness but can I refuse an invitation to a new resto, or indeed, an old one? However, even such an invitation has its dangers. What happens when the meal turns out to be well below expectations? In my case I simply do not write about it, hoping my hosts would not take offence. I am hardly going to give readers the full jeremiad. However, when the resto turns out to be even more than expected you breathe a sigh of relief.
Charlene Abela Le Gall is French and recently married her Maltese love. I first met her some years ago when she was marketing manager at the Intercontinental in Paceville. She has always impressed me with her geniality and efficiency. She once told me her father was an officer in the French army and a man of great discipline which he instilled in his children. Charlene has an aunt who married a Mauritian and has lived there for many years where they have a thriving business. So, if nothing else, we have the Mauritian connection in common.
A graphic designer, she is the founder of Brandsketch, a boutique agency, which creates marketing campaigns and communication services with energy and flair, using an integrated approach. I met her a couple of months ago and she invited me to Noni's a restaurant in Valletta. Charlene assured me that there is adequate parking space near Noni's which is on the periphery of Valletta. So, encouraged, I slid into a pair of not-too-high heels and off I went. What is more attractive than the prospect of good food?
Noni happens to be the name of the Chef de Cuisine and founder, Jonathan Brincat who is co-owner. Jonathan gained experience in Malta before going to London to work at the Corinthia London under the guidance of Michelin star chef Garry Hollihead. He subsequently returned to Malta at the Waterbiscuit, Intercontinental. The success of Waterbiscuit did not stop him from exploring opportunities to further his career in Australia. But Jonathan had set his heart on opening his own restaurant in Valletta. So he waited until 211 Republic street became available. Many years ago it was a bakery and subsequently a bar. But Jonathan resuscitated it as Noni. He is a perfectionist. The whole place on two floors was given a facelift but as you will see from the photo, character features were retained.
Anything, food included, which appeared on those tables had to be as perfect as possible. So it's fine crockery and crystal glasses for patrons so that their dining experience is pure pleasure. In case you are asking, there are no chandeliers to swing from if you get too drunk. It is not that sort of place even if they have an excellent winelist. And no tables in dark corners where adulterers might wish to lurk I might as well warn you.
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Jonathan has a sister, Ritienne , who is restaurant manager. She too has had long experience in the food and wine trade. She greeted us warmly and led us to our table downstairs. This is not a big restaurant, which in my view is a blessing. Each patron receives personalized attention, not very common these days. Ritienne told us that her passion is "doing things right - the first time round - both in the kitchen and front of house." With so many restaurants all over Valletta what does Noni hope to give to its patrons, that is new? "Well," says Ritienne, for a start our food is very different. In Valletta there are many options but ours is a discreet and friendly service without being overly intrusive."
Eating out is a serious business and there is nothing much worse than a meal which one has anticipated since the morning perhaps, foregoing lunch, only to be faced with mediocre fare. Here Charlene and myself were anything but disappointed.
An added bonus is that there is no music so one can converse with ease without damaging one's vocal chords.
The amuse guele was a small glass of something quite delicious which gave us a glimpse of the chef's approach to cuisine. We sipped it while considering the menu, well designed by Charlene and with a clean and readable look.
She is a devotee of carpaccio and tells me that in Paris she had sourced out some good places to go when she is there. So she ordered carpaccio. After a few mouthfuls she pronounced her starter a success.
I ordered rabbit liver parfait, with fig chutney, compressed strawberries and toasted bread.
The parfait was silky rich and skillfully blended in with the more earthy flavour of the fig chutney. I'd go there again for that alone.
After such a successful starter we anticipated the main dish with some excitement. Our mouths were watering as we consulted the menu. It was not an easy choice. Fish of the day is served. There is a slow cooked octopus tagine served with Israel couscous and Marjoram oil. I forgot to ask about the Israel couscous. How is it different from any other couscous? I'll have to consult Wikipedia.
The menu yielded a choice of some nine dishes, one of them an asparagus salad which vegetarians, too, would enjoy. I had it at a friend's home recently, with ful. Delicious. I must try making it at home one of these days. The rest of the dishes were meat: seared sirloin, saddle of rabbit, côte de boeuf... with trimmings. Charlene ordered the smoked pork belly, braised pig's cheeks, creamed cabbage and bacon. I remember it being enjoyed by a friend at Waterbiscuit, cooked by Noni himself. Charlene ate every morsel. Always a good sign.
I went for the roasted rump of lamb, moussaka, crumbled feta and lamb jus. I love it. Refined and delicious cuisine. The garnishes enhanced these dishes. Sometimes there are too many garnishes and the main flavour can be lost or rather subsumed in a cacophony of other flavours. Not so in both dishes.
As to dessert, there was a choice of four and a cheese plate. They all sounded mouthwatering. Charlene ordered what she had enjoyed on a previous occasion, served in a glass, which looked very tempting. Many French women skip dessert or share one which helps them to keep slim, like Madame Macron. Too thin in my view.
I opted for the chocolate and orange mousse, chocolate soil and orange sorbert. A big, big Yum.
These two desserts rewarded gluttony and made a change from insipid blobs of icecream or crème caramel one often gets at restaurants. They were imaginative and delicious. Noni is truly a creator.
We shared a pot of tea and lingered on talking. A young couple in the next table were celebrating her birthday. She gave me a smile and said she recognized me. It was the same for me. I knew her somewhere but we left them alone. Thank goodness their celebration was not a large gathering of noisy people trying to draw attention to themselves. It happens.
Noni, a family business, deserves to thrive. I am sure once discovered, it will pull in the punters and fast make a name for itself. It is trendy to a certain extent but also retains some ancien régime features in the excellent service. No grumpy waiters here. All Maltese so we did not have to repeat our order a dozen times to someone who neither understands English or Maltese, which is becoming so tiring.
As we bid our goodbyes, having enjoyed a very good meal in excellent company the evening was further blessed as I did not arrive home to find a large mound of dirty crockery waiting for attention.
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