Perfume and delicious fare at Quadro, Westin Dragonara Resort

The Terrace of Quadro with its sweeping views of the Mediterranean is certainly a place to eat in the summer months. The Westin Dragonara Resort and Franks synergized so that the launch of the summer menu at Quadro and DSquared new fragrances for men and women were celebrated on one evening. After an aperitif was served and we were greeted by GM Michael Kamsky and his marketing team, we sat down in a state of expectancy. One has come to associate the Westin with good food. They open six restaurants during the summer months and Quadro, which is open all the year round and is their signature eaterie, goes al fresco in the inferno months.

We were lucky that evening as there was a breeze on that terrace and we all enjoyed the evening and the gorgeous tasting menu. I loved the Sesame rolled salmon loin, ricotta and spinach ravioli – quite unlike the huge, clumsy ones which some consider a local delicacy. I don’t like these at all as more often than not they are a clump of pastry with a little ricotta filling. These were delicate ravioli which did not sit on your stomach for a decade.

For me the treat of the evening were the lobster & prawn bisque and the oysters. These are hardly my usual fare. There was a choice of six starters but these were my favourite although I must say that the Mozzarella di Buffala was so beautifully prepared with mustard and thyme I could not resist a helping or two. It made a change from the usual tomato, mozzarella and basil salad or Insalata Caprese of which I am now somewhat tired.

There were four main dishes on the menu: steam sea bass fillets, fish and shellfish bouillabaisse, pepper crusted breast of Barbary duck and grilled fillet of fresh beef. My favourites of which I had two helpings, were the steamed sea bass fillets and the bouillabaisse, which is traditionally associated with the Provence region, especially Marseilles. It was originally cooked on the beach by fishermen. I eat sea bass regularly as one of my sisters keeps on forwarding emails of Dr Briffa’s newsletter instructing me to eat more fish as fish oils are so good for us and perhaps will ensure that we will live beyond 100 years (God, if he is there, forbid!). But chef Jonathan Vella did not simply steam the sea bass. He prepared it with fennel, grapefruit, mint and a clam ceviche. I may try this out in my tiny kitchen for friends or family when the summer inferno abates.

The bouillabaisse was truly a luxury with langoustines, prawns, mussels, clams and fresh fish cooked in a rich broth and flavoured with pastis. How very creative and very French. I loved it.

When it came to the desserts I put away the thought of my statins on the back burner and out of the assortment presented I chose the exquisite chocolate whatever with a soft centre. It was the soft centre that was the attraction as it came as a surprise. This dessert reminded me of my years in Mauritius where Gateau la boue – or Mud cake, very similar to the ones we were served at Quadro, were popular at dinner parties. There dinner parties were frequent as apart from gorgeous beaches and the occasional concert or play at the theatre we had to entertain each other. One was always in search of some new recipe which no one had served before. A student of mine by the name of Anne had given me the recipe for Gateau la Boue and I still have it in my recipe folder and whenever I open it I wonder what has happened to the colleagues and students at the University of Mauritius whose recipes I still treasure and occasionally cook.

The Franks team placed bottles of the DSquared fragrances on the table for us to try out. It was an enjoyable evening throughout and I did not have to breathe the same air as a very small group of people I don’t like and who don’t like me and think I’m a serial killer because I vote Labour, as they were not invited. Bravo!

If I go on eating like this I shall have to go and purchase some billowing flowered dress to cover my Michelin tyres and my Nutella-shaped frame. It’s diet next Monday and another go at self-improvement.

A colleague told me afterwards how much he had enjoyed the evening but passed a fair comment which I endorse. One thing was missing on that lovely terrace: a few plants. They would improve the ambience a hundredfold as plants always do. But otherwise a big Bravo to both teams.

I went home and swallowed my statin. Apparently they work at night. I picked up one of the newspapers loitering in my living room and read that Bill Clinton loved to relax by treating himself to burgers, barbecue chicken or a McDonald’s. However, Clinton, 65, had undergone a quadruple bypass in 2004 and was forced to adjust his diet and lower his cholesterol intake. Last year he had two stents implanted to open one of the veins from that surgery. And now he is forced to adjust his diet and lower his cholesterol intake further. He doesn’t eat dairy or meat or even fish, which I find rather strange, but he isn’t around for me to question him on this, nor is Monica Lewisky. Who was it that said: ‘we dig our grave with our teeth.’ It is a frightening thought. I really must mend my ways.

The Schwarzenburg Trio

There was no occasion to say how much I enjoyed the concert of this gifted trio at the Manoel Theatre last month. The Friends of the Manoel in collaboration with the Austrian Embassy and Teatru Manoel had invited them. They came a year ago and performed at the Isouard Hall but I was abroad at the time so I was very happy to have the opportunity of listening to them at the Manoel Theatre this time round. This is an ‘international’ trio, members of the Volksoper Orchestra with pianist Luca Monti, violinist Vesna Stankovic and ‘cellist Roland Lindenthal who gave us flawless playing. During this chamber concert which should have been far better attended, they played Schubert, Schostakowitsch and my favourite, The Four Seasons by Astor Piazzolla. I love his tangos best. Piazzolla (1921-1992), a native of Buenos Aires, was the signal influence in the modern development of the tango I read somewhere. One interesting thing about his life is that he was torn between his devotion to the music in his soul – that is the tango – and his commitment to classical composers. In 1953 he entered his Buenos Aires symphony in a composition contest and won a grant from the French government to study under the tutelage of the renowned French composer, Nadia Boulanger, in Paris. Piazzolla’s life was to change in a day. When he met her he showed her his kilos of symphonies and sonatas. She started to read them and suddenly came out with: ‘It’s very well written,’ and stopped. Then she said: ‘Here you are like Stravinsky, Bartok, like Ravel, but you know what happens? I can’t find Piazzolla in this.’ After she asked about his life ‘like an FBI agent’ he admitted that he was a tango musician and that he played in night clubs. And she answered: ‘Night clubs, mais oui, but that is a cabaret isn’t it?’ Piazzolla answered: ‘Yes,’ and thought ‘I’ll hit this woman in the head with a radio…’ She kept on asking: ‘You say that you are not a pianist. What instrument do you play, then?’ But Piazzolla did not want to tell her that he was a bandoneon player but finally confessed and he played some bars of one of the tangos he had composed. She suddenly opened her eyes, took his hand and told him: ‘You idiot, that’s Piazzolla!’ So thanks to Nadia Boulanger he started listening to the stirrings in his own heart and not to try and imitate other composers in his compositions. The world was enriched because Piazzolla finally listened to himself and don’t we just love his compositions. When can we have an entire evening of Piazzolla tangos? Please do consider it for the coming season.