Facebook is full of comments describing some people as 'beautiful, inside and out'. I yawn when I see them. So hackneyed, so utterly boring, such a cliché. And half the time, although the person in question may very well be beautiful on the inside however, the outside sometimes leaves much to be desired so best to say nothing. Not so with the 17th century legendary Xara Palace in Mdina which is the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in Malta. It needs no introduction. In the words of Mr Justin Zammit Tabona Managing Director of Infinitely Xara: "It is a great honour to be a Relais and Chateaux member, and we believe that we embody 'the vision' as well as the 'family spirit' upon which the Relais and Chateaux bases its foundation.'
Having admired it from the outside many times over the years, from the moment you step into the hotel with its friendly but discreet staff, its elegant interiors, the lovely glass ceilinged central court yard - a haven - you know that this is no ordinary hotel.
I was invited together with a group of hacks and hackettes from the printing and virtual worlds to lunch at Le Mondion, to celebrate the launch of the new Relais & Chateaux Guide Book 2016. There, I said to myself. My diet has to be left outside Mdina, with the car, indeed, inside the car so it will not escape and come and plague me. It is impossible to diet in this country. We are assaulted with food. It is coming from every direction. But I know, from past experience, that the food of Le Mondion is very special.
The Relais & Chateaux organization is all about l'Art de Vivre and who can do it better than the French. Embracing diversity is a key identity to Relais & Chateaux. Placing prime importance on two timeless traditions, cuisine and hospitality, they have single-handedly contributed to the happiness and fellowship and the art of living well. Relais & Chateaux embraces the world of course and not just France.
Nicola Paris, Justin's sister and one of the Directors of Infinitely Xara and David Spiteri, Group General Manager said a few words and gave us a brief powerpoint presentation.
The 5c's are what lead the Relais & Chateaux, which allows them to strengthen their ambitions on a global scale. Charm, Courtesy, Character, Cuisine, Calme are reflective of what Relais & Chateaux Properties express to the individual experiences of their guests, suppliers, staff and local partners, were were told.
It must be pointed out that Infinitely Xara is made up of the Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux, Palazzo de Piro and the Xara Lodge. The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux was voted one of the world's top 10 castle hotels by Fox News in 2012, underlining the leap that this Mediterranean hospitality icon has made as a must-visit destination. The hotel has been featured in the world's leading style and glamour magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. It is also the recipient of numerous dining awards including an unprecedented performance in the Salon Culinaire competition, winning a sixth title for gastronomy. Mrs Nicky Paris said: "Our brand character is energetic, warm, thoughtful and contemporary. These values are the inspiration of how we approach every part of our operation, and have led to us being recognized with numerous international awards, as well as the loyalty of our guests and customers."
The highlight of the morning was of course, the privilege of enjoying a meal at the award winning Le Mondion restaurant. I last went there some three years ago, invited by the then French ambassador Daniel Rondeau and his wife Noelle, who are greatly missed. That was a memorable meal indeed.
At luncheon I had the pleasure of sitting next to Susan Zammit Tabona. She spoke to me a little about the time her husband Joe was High Commissioner in London and the dinners she organized - networking dinners in order to promote Malta and business between the two countries. I told her how I remembered her at the Convent of the Sacred Heart where, she told me, she stayed for only six months. The rest of her schooling was done at St Dorothy's. The lasting impression of her - Susan Lee Watson is her maiden surname - her father came from a distinguished military family and was American- is that she was 'naughty' and I can still hear the voice of one of the nuns saying: 'Susan Lee Watson, would you please leave the class," and Susan standing outside some classroom not the least bit perturbed.
Mrs Zammit Tabona is straight talking and her asides are witty and possibly even more significant than her conversation. She is full of anecdotes, is sharp and misses nothing. She is refreshing in a world where people almost don't dare to be themselves and are always on guard, weighing every word they utter.
I told her I also remembered coming to tea at the Xara Palace with a sister or two and a couple of school friends after a long walk around the byways of Rabat, all those moons ago. Tea at the Xara was a way of rewarding ourselves. The hotel then belonged to the Stricklands as far as I know and I remember Jackie Arrigo being in charge. I should go back to walking and rewarding myself afterwards. Nowadays I reward myself constantly without the walking.
And so to the yummy food: Lightly Peppered Beef Carpaccio with delicate bits and pieces such as vegetable ribbons. The main course was Sous Vide Sea Bass with Scallop Mousseline and Red Prawn Centre, Asparagus Spears, Compressed Turnips and Lemon Verbena Veloute, a heavely combination of tastes. Each dish is so beautifully plated that it seems a pity to disturb it at all but disturb it we did. I enjoyed this main course very much but the most original dish of the luncheon was surely the Orange and Grand Marnier Souffle. Imagine having to make over a dozen soufflés and getting them all right. In my long life I have as yet to produce a decent soufflé and now I stopped trying. We had to inject the Grand Marnier into the soufflé. Now I have eaten many a soufflé but I had never injected anything into any of them. It was absolutely delicious and for once in my life I skipped the Petits fours which came with the coffee.
One of the twenty commitments of Relais & Chateaux is "Associate the finest tastes with nutrition and health to show our guests how fine "cuisine" and well-being go hand in hand." The luncheon certainly fulfilled this and other commitments.
That evening I sprawled on my bed, tummy down, my favourite reading position and browsed through the copy of the Relais & Chateaux Guidebook 2016 which had been given to each of us. It is designed so beautifully, illustrated lavishly and is full of well-organised information including a good index.
I have been to one restaurant which is listed in this Guidebook: The Waterside Inn in the idyllic village of Bray the patron-chef being Alain Roux. The river Thames flows by this restaurant. I was taken by my young one and her husband and it was a surprise. It was only after we arrived by train from London that I was told what it was all about. We were lucky as it turned out to be a warm sunny day so we could have part of the meal indoors and later on moved on the terrace in the shade of the willow tree for coffee and petits fours. Once back in London my young one realized that she had left her cardigan behind at reception. We called them and received it by courier the following day. Yes, we were very impressed with the Waterside Inn with the food and the service. That's Relais & Chateaux for you.