A few weeks ago, I talked about my favourite apps and mentioned that I would once again be visiting establishments available on The Entertainer’s app. One of my top picks was immediately Rubino. Rubino is one of the oldest culinary establishments in Valletta and is of course. one of the children of the famed Diacono chef family.
Being somewhat of a restaurant frequenter, I am quite honestly surprised as to why this was my first visit to the establishment. It should have been like my tenth or something. So along I went, hubby in tow. The decor is rustic and inviting, not overly presumptuous but neither too casual. The menu is a hanging chalkboard – whatever is in season and creations the chef might have whipped up as a daily special.
Although it isn’t a large menu, the selection was varied and should cater for most tastebuds. The focus is mainly on Maltese-style cooking. The wine menu was delightful, listing many Maltese wines.
So the idea of The Entertainer App is that you can visit this restaurant and receive 2 for 1 on main courses. There is no need to advise the restaurant when booking – this last part is really great as sometimes it can feel a bit embarrassing otherwise.
To start with, we were given some lovely bread and dips – baba ganoush, hummus and a sundried tomato concoction
Then came the famous goat cheese sfinec which have an unexpected mix of sweet and salty flavours that work unexpectedly well together.
For starters, I decided to choose the burrata with grilled aubergines. In general, I’m not a cheese fan, I actually dislike most cheeses but I discovered burrata a few years ago in Rome and I’ve been a follower ever since. Something about the way it melts in your mouth…this was the first time I had it with aubergines, it works pretty nicely.
The hubby went for the Maltese antipasto mix and I stole his caponata – incredible, I swear they really need to start bottling the stuff up and selling it – it’s too good.
The portions are large, truth be told, by this time I was ready to burst but there were still mains and deserts to get through. For my main course, I was in the mood for fish so I went for the seabreem involtini with pine nuts and mint, it sounded like something I had never had before so I thought it was a great idea. Kurt chose the lamb fillets that he describe as flavourful, tender and perfectly cooked. I also really liked mine , a very interesting dish.
I’ve often been tempted to ask restaurants for a main course of roast potatoes but felt a bit embarrassed – these are perfectly fluffy inside with just a bit of crisp skin on the outside and the right amount of seasoning.
Desert time can be either a highlight or a downer for me. Being a monogamous chocolate desert lover means I often have to opt for no desert. At Rubino it was a huge highlight – not only do they have a chocolate heaven that is OMG…it’s normally served with vanilla ice cream but they allowed me to change that to homemade Valhrona icecream. I also found their secret ice cream ingredient – a dash of brandy. Kurt opted for their renowned Cassata Siciliana that he said had excellent quality ricotta and a great consistency without being overly sweet.
All Photos by Kurt Paris
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