A young friend of mine, upon returning from a meal at Risette, remarked with obvious delight, 'Wow, now that was a meal.' I had already had the pleasure of enjoying an evening there and I thought 'Wow' was very apt and I felt 'cool' repeating it.
You must have gathered by now that Risette is the restaurant of Casa Ellul, which sits in all its splendour in front of the Carmelite church in Valletta. This boutique hotel, the first of its kind in Malta I believe, is steeped in history and those who choose to stay there will enjoy the ultimate cultural experience of living in an authentic Victorian-period house but which enjoys all the trappings of modern life.
As soon as I wandered in for an appointment with Dr Maxilene Ellul, who is married to Matthew, one of the two Ellul brothers who own this boutique hotel, there was a feeling of warmth and intimacy about the place.
She soon turned up - smiling and vibrant and we were shown to a table in the restaurant by the Maître D' Alessandro Mazzola, whose every movement is elegant. The third guest was the discreet (and I gather erudite) lawyer, Dr Vincent Galea.
Alessandro immediately endeared himself to us with his attentiveness. He must have been trained in Italy in some posh hotel or two (or three or more).
We were soon enjoying a pre-prandial drink while deciding what we were going to eat.
The menu is written in plain language. None of this 'symphonie de something caressed with this and nestling in that.' You get on your plate exactly what is written in the menu and beautifully displayed too.
I love everything except pink meat. I even want my lamb almost charred if possible. I set out to enjoy the meal and the amuse bouche - Pecorino and fermented cabbage fritters - augured well. They really are something special. Crispy on the outside and soft inside.
Then onto the starter. It was foie gras and rabbit liver parfait for me, accompanied with mango and pickled kohirabi and the classic ravigote sauce. A work of art. I tried not to remind myself of Cocteau's phrase: 'Each day in the mirror I watch death at work' but instead sang in my head, Piaf's encouraging ballad: 'Non, je ne regrette rien.'
I absolved myself in my head from my sin of greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. After all I do not often get a chance to eat foie gras. One has to seize such an opportunity.
As main course I settled for milk fed lamb with barley and chanterelles, and a vin jaune sauce. I told Alessandro to please ask the chef not to give me pink meat. Directions were followed and I ate every delicious scrap.
We left the wine in the hands of Max whose husband Matthew and his brother Andrew still run the wine and spirits business set up by their grandfather, in Valletta. She knows a thing or two about wine. And so does Vincent Galea who was enjoying the veal fillet with hazelnuts, gem lettuce, broad beans and parmesan fondue.
White wine, red wine. Good wine. This was no time for serious conversation about the state of the world. Max and Vincent are comrades-in-arms at the law courts and it is obvious that they help one another when possible. I am inclined to think that friendship among lawyers is not that common.
And soon enough it was time for dessert. There was a selection of French cheeses but I like something sweet and Max recommended a strawberry mille-feuilles with pistachio ice cream. I could have had a white asparagus and orange tart with goat cheese ice cream or a slow roasted peach and sorbet with a miso cake thrown in.
While waiting for my dessert I made a trip to the bathroom, through the small cortile which has a fireplace and plants. Ideal place to settle with a good book, I thought. There I was confronted by a man-sized statue of Heracles, the ancient Greek divine hero, sheltered in a finely executed shrine. (Where have all the Greek heroes gone?) I wished him well and in the bathroom his beautiful 'behind' looked me in the face. I wasn't going to object. I could not help wondering what the three Ellul spinsters had thought of this. One of them was called Risette, hence the name of the restaurant.
The strawberry mille-feuilles arrived in all its glory, with a flourish from Alessandro. It looked fragile but enough for two people. I announced that it was impossible for me to eat it all, perfect in every way that it was. Max said: 'Eat what you can and take the rest home', which I did.
The following morning, the thought of a substantial piece of a strawberry mille-feuilles waiting to be consumed, encouraged me to get out of bed with no lingering, sit on my back balcony, overlooking half finished flats, cranes and garages and enjoy it, vowing that I would diet for at least the rest of the week.
This mille feuilles was a really voluptuous treat to be remembered when life gets gloomy.
Apicius, whose 500 recipes are collected in ten books, committed suicide when he discovered that he would have to moderate his diet. I moderate it for one week and indulge for two. As a result I am far from being beach-ready which is no surprise. After all, when was I ever beach-ready except in my early years?
Forgive my crowing and inordinate display of gluttony, but this really was an excellent meal. (The menu is changed weekly, sometimes even daily Max told me.) This is not nouvelle cuisine - 'nothing on the plate, lots on the bill', as a friend of mine likes to say. It is a fusion, a creative cuisine and unique in its own way.
Soon, we met the meal-maker and creative mind behind these dishes which had given us so much pleasure. Andrew Borg was chef-patron of the Black Pig where he had a following and was head-hunted by the Elluls. He is an artisan who loves his craft. He told me how he had travelled Europe to learn various methods of cooking.
The Elluls have gathered round them a team of the best they could find, hence the success of Risette. This is a place to which you Go Out to, a restaurant which induces an instant good mood but at the same time it is quite informal though you cannot turn up as if you have just come out of a haystack.
Of course it has to be kept in mind that I was in excellent company, which matters too.
Risette also has a lunch special: A three course meal which could be made up of white onion soup, pappardelle with chanterelles and truffle butter or pork cheeks with haricot beans and mustard, Financier cake with banana cream and Dulcey ice cream, coffee, tea and petits fours would set you back Euros 30. I doubt, when all is considered - ambience, service, good looking and tasty dishes, whether you would get a better deal in town.
And I must not forget to mention the homemade focaccia and sourdough bread. Very yummy.
All praise to everyone, the statue of Heracles included.
I am glad I restrained myself and did not have a single macaroon.
There's will power for you.
[email protected]