It is the end of summer and I was at last able to accept an invitation which came at the beginning of the season, an invitation to go and sample the summer menu at the Villa Brasserie at Le Méridien St Julians. Of course very soon they will be introducing the winter menu. There will be changes but the spirit and ambience of the place will be the same I am certain. This is Michelin-starred Chef Michel Rostang country. Together with his team he came to these islands to propose this menu which is executed by Head Chef Andy Gaskin and his team.
I recall having lunch with Michel Rostang and his team before this hotel opened some two years ago, at the then Le Méridien Phoenicia, a lunch hosted by Ben Sington, who after ten years there, has now left us for pastures new.
The menu at the Villa Brasserie offers modern improvements on cuisine bourgeoise and Mediterranean cuisine. The emphasis is on fish but there are other tantalising dishes.
My companion and myself were treated regally and given a table smack at the top of the grand staircase, isolated from other diners. There we could sample not only the menu but also the lovely view of Balluta Bay and on the right Galizia's church and also Balluta Buildings, which, like me, when dimly lit, look far better than in harsh daylight.
Very soon a glass of Prosecco and a delicious looking non-alcoholic cocktail arrived to put us in the right mood before an onslaught of gastronomic delights were gradually brought to our table. One glance at the menu and it became quickly evident that this was not going to be anything like my everyday rations.
Once we had settled down the waiter brought us tiny containers in delicate china with onion soup and another with a delicious concotion of tagliatelle and calamari, I think it was. We both ordered Lobster bisque which I had not had for years followed by Seabass which had a thick crust of pepper and some other ingredient.
It was then time to order my dessert fix. I turned coy as I had also eaten, almost without noticing, a roll of brown bread and a pat of butter. But Michael who served us so well, started to roll off the names of the delicious desserts. I almost opted for the Trio of Crème Brulée – a recipe I have never quite mastered and I love it. Then Michael said what about the Lemon posset with Passion fruit. I thought that sounded more the sort of thing a fat Franciscan nun would opt for. Lemon is not as fattening as the cream or full fat milk in the Crème Brulée. I don't think my choice was any less fattening. It was served in an elegant flute and I almost asked if Andy would give me the recipe but didn't for fear of embarrassing my companion who did not eat dessert. Coffee was served with beautifully presented petits fours of which I had more than my share. Perhaps my companion was a little exhausted from watching me dispatch this repast, but I did not ask. I felt like the Galloping Gourmet on a major expedition.
Everything was prepared with a sure hand and a distinct flair. But not only. The service was pampering and discreet which made the onslaught of gastronomic delights taste even better.
The table on which we sat, bathed in romantic fantasy, is to be coveted and if you are at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a romance – which unhappily I am not – then book it weeks ahead and pray that there will be just a gentle breeze on the day you choose to dine there. I have a feeling the Terrace is probably closed on winter evenings but you will have to enquire. A meal at a Michel Rostang brasserie would without a shadow of a doubt cost three times as much as it does here elsewhere in Europe. I felt very lucky and my very well travelled dining companion was impressed.
They have a private dining area too for a special celebration or a business meal. I loved the lighting of this and the vast windows with coloured glass. I'll take small parties of friends and family there – when I shall finally write my bestseller!
And now, as ever, a stream of unrelated thoughts are fermenting in my mind and I have to release at least a couple of them before my week screeches to a halt, for tomorrow I have the day off and will be enjoying our Harry James.
You cannot get away from politics in this country no matter how many delightful dinners with cultivated companions you share them with; no matter how hard you try, you cannot dodge the fact that everything is immersed in politics on these islands.
This morning, feeling relieved that the summer heat is almost over and that I shall soon be myself again and not have to live continually in air-conditioned surroundings, I listened to the paperscan on Campus as is my habit. I have my favourites – Carmen Sammut and Simon Micallef Stafrace, so this morning it was Carmen. One item struck me. The Leader of the Opposition, some professional Blue alarmist commented in a Nationalist newspaper, had to take an oath but did not kiss the cross. The journalist made it sound as if taking an oath and kissing the cross is some kind of benchmark for integrity and honesty and since Dr Sant did not kiss the cross he must therefore lack integrity and may not be saying the truth. Carmen commented on this. I will not quote her for fear of not remembering her exact words. Instead I shall say that this business of trying to make Dr Sant look like some Demon from the netherworld posing to be a politician is moonshine and we are tired of it. How many rascals kiss the cross at the Law Courts and elsewhere, while lying through their teeth, often, in the process, destroying other people's lives, receiving goods which are not theirs by right or by law? How many sit in the front pews in church while pretending they are good Catholics when in their heart of hearts they know they are criminals who are getting away with a great many things? We have said it again and again: as if Catholicism is the only way to save our souls; as if those of us whose life's journey is leading them to the truth, whatever that is, in a different direction, have no morality or integrity. As if only Catholics who kiss the cross when they take an oath will have a decent shot at being accepted by God. The shaking of fingers by those behind the controls at the rest of us goes on and we don't care. The place is full of self-righteous hypocrites and this includes the journalist who wrote that piece of moonshine.
It's no accident that Jesus' own biggest enemies 2000 years ago were precisely those same self-righteous hypocrites. When he turned up they were terrified of losing their cushy jobs and political clout and so they murdered him for exposing their racket. This story of not kissing the cross about Dr Sant is just another story which is being used to gain leverage. The Church is still very strong here and the Nationalists have always used it to gain power. Look at the ten new schools named after saints. Many agree with Alternattiva's Edward Fenech that this is mixing the business of church and state to the advantage of both.
And one comment about Dr Mario Spiteri who was unceremoniously removed from being director of the Health Promotion Unit. I recall reading Roamer in The Sunday Times, who has at least on two occasions in a subtle manner, advocated that since Dr Spiteri would not base the Aids campaign on abstinence alone then he should be chucked out and replaced. I have no idea who Roamer is but I disagree with this anonymous writing. It is so easy to hide behind some pen name or another and write what the devil you like. Of course abstinence from sex in the young is the ideal which we should make them strive for but we also know that in many cases when they are constantly bombarded by sex in every medium it is totally unrealistic. Of course we would much rather not have unmarried mothers at all, let alone 15-year-olds who are almost babies themselves. But since this is far from being an ideal world let us at least try to save their lives and those of their children by educating them in the use of contraceptives and hopefully from save them from Aids and HIV.
Dr Mario Spiteri likes to have his feet in reality. His campaign was based on reality and not in some cloud cuckoo-land. This together with not introducing divorce are another piece of local hypocrisy. I hope it will not be long before the tide will turn against this sort of moonshine.