General Review Details:

• Reviewed Restaurant: Assaggio Ristorante
• Review Date: Thursday 27th August 2009
• Current Weather: Hot Evening (27 Degrees)

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Piccante Restaurants Web Awards:

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The Piccante Ratings:

Restaurant Ratings:

Restaurant Ambience: 7/10

Restaurant Hygiene & Layout: 8/10

Restrooms Hygiene & Layout: 7/10

Overall Service: 9/10

Value For Money: 8/10

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Food Ratings:

Timing & Followup: 9/10

Presentation: 8/10

Food Taste: 10/10

Menu Variety: 10/10

Wine List Variety: 8/10

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Overall Piccante Rating

8/10

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In-Depth Review:

Getting There:

Getting to Assaggio Ristorante should prove to be no challenge at all. The restaurant is nicely situated along the road, just before entering the first roundabout to Ghadira Bay. One should note that the premises of this restaurant itself are located below street level.  However you should not worry at all because the management has taken notice of this fact, and ensured that you will simply not miss the bright red Assaggio Ristorante signs located along both sides of the road.

Parking should also be of no concern at all, as you will surely find a spot, even during the summer periods.

(Confused? No Problem!)
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(Plenty Of Parking Space Available)
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(The Bright Red Assaggio Ristorante Sign)
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(Nicely Situated Below Street Level)

The Restaurant:

This restaurant is set in a semi-basement, but as said before, it can be clearly seen from the signs outside the restaurant. Once you go down the stairs into the restaurant, you will find some tables position outside on the terrace, surrounded by some nice plants. These tables are ideal if you would like to enjoy some fresh air, however please do note that this is a smoking area. A few inches away, just before entering inside the restaurant you will also find the fresh fish display.

From the inside, the restaurant is a nicely decorated. Most of the decorations are related to the sea. A waiting area with some sofas is also available. Here you can have a drink while waiting for someone else to arrive, or just have an aperitif and chat a little before continuing to the dinner table. Tables in this restaurant are well separated and not congested. This leads to a more comfortable and relaxing stay, and also gives some privacy to the diners. The light in this restaurant and the relaxing background music further enhances the cosines of your stay.

WiFi Connection: No W-Fi connection is available.

(It’s Always Nice To Know What To Expect)
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(Tables Available On The Terrace – Smoking Area )
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(Greeted By A Wonderful Display Of Fish)
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(Inside The Restaurant)
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The Service:

Once arrived at the restaurant, we were welcomed by the owner and manager of this restaurant. After greeting us, he led us to our table, and after a little chat he brought us the menus. Attentively, he explained to us every item on the menu, and gave us his recommendations. While looking at the menu, we were offered to order the drinks, which were served immediately.

After some time since we ordered, the starter was served. When we finished the starter the empty plates were removed immediately and after some more time, the main course was served. Since one of the main courses contained shellfish, some bowls were to put the empty shells were brought to us. Once in a while, a waitress comes to check if everything is ok and if we need something else. Overall the service was good, the staff is very friendly and professional and always ready to help you when needed.

(Our Selected Table)
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(Well Themed Interior Design)
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The Food:

Menu: The menu at Assaggio Ristorante is a very interesting one. First of all it is good to know that the “Official” Menu items are all listed in Italian Language. However one should not worry at all if they do not have a good grasp of Italian. All listing are well explained in English (as well as numbered) and furthermore the Menu is also available in Danish and German Languages.

Moving further on inside the menu, one will note that it is sub-divided into 15 categories. The first category is called “Instalata” which basically means Salads and it consists of 3 different dishes to choose from, 2 of which are suitable for vegetarians.

The second category is called “Antipasti” which means Appetizers. However this seemed more of a Starters section to us.  With 6 different Starter dishes to choose from one may opt to go for seafood, poultry, bread, or even a pasta / rice dish. (The starter menu is extended to another 6 selections when you take into consideration the “Paste E Riso” category).

The third category on the menu consists of “Zuppe”, which includes the Soup of the Day and the popular Brodetto di Pesce, commonly known as Mediterranean Fish Soup or “Aljotta”.

The fourth category, called “Pasta E Riso”, includes 6 interesting pasta and rice dishes to choose from (A supplement of 3 Euros is added if a pasta/rice dishes is taken as a main course). The pasta selection is quite varied, consisting of Spaghetti, Fusilli, Penne, Tagliatelle and Ravioletti however a disappointment for David was the fact that Tortellini was not on the list. It would have been nice to see this popular pasta dish included on Assaggio Ristorante’s Menu, especially when considering the high number of Italian dishes available.

The next section of the menu is called “Piatti Principali” also known as Main Courses. This section is sub-divided into 3 different categories, starting with 7 Meat & Poultry dishes, 2 Maltese Dishes and other 5 fish dishes, amounting to a total of 14 Main Course dishes to choose from. The Meat & Poultry category consists of some interesting dishes such as the Vitello (Wienerschitzel). Overall the main course dishes contain an excellent variety of meat ranging from; Beef, Pork, Steak, Lamb, Veal, Chicken, the Traditional Maltese Rabbit and a wonderful choice of Fish. All the Main Course dishes include potatoes and you have the option to choose from 4 Side Vegetables and Salads to further enhance your meal.

Another interesting category on Assaggio Ristorante’s menu is the “Set Menu” Section. For the price of 19.95 Euros you have the option to choose between 2 different starter dishes (pasta or soup) and 2 different main course dishes (beef or fish), including Vegetables and Potatoes plus a Mixed Ice-Cream to conclude your meal.

Kids will also have their say at Assaggio Ristorante. A Kids Corner is offered with 5 diverse kids’ meals to choose from, all of which are priced at just 5.50 Euros. With pasta, chicken, fish and meat dishes available, your children will surely find something to please their taste buds.

A Special category is also available on the Menu and this is updated daily. On our visit, a special starter dish and special main course dishes were available.

To conclude the Menu (and your meal), the last section consists of 3 different categories. With 7 Desserts, 6 Special Liqueurs Coffees and 5 Hot Beverages, you can rest assured that you will finish your meal in an appropriate manner.

Wine List: A well varied wine list is available at this restaurant. Wines on the wine list come from all over the world including: Maltese, French, Italian, Spanish, Australian, Chilean, and German. A large selection of Italian and French wine is available. Obviously, the wines available come from different types such as Red, White, Rose, Dessert Wine and Sparkling. If one is searching for a typical region, he could find it in this wine list, because, wines from the major regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Piemonte and many others are all present in this list. All wines available on the list have a brief description to help you choose the right wine for your food. The wine prices at Assaggio are very good, definitely on the cheap side when compared to other restaurants  obviously varying with the quality of the wine you choose. Our choice was a fruity Libfraumilch.

Our Selection: To kick start our Meals at Assaggio Ristorante we opted for Polipetti Affogati (Hot) and Tagliatelle all’Assaggio as Starters. The Polipetti Affogati consisted of braised octopus with tomatoes, capers and olives which can be served either hot or cold. The Octopus was perfectly blended with a mix of herbs and other ingredients, which together made up a very nice taste.

The octopus was very tender, which makes it more pleasurable to eat. Overall, the octopus starter was delicious. The Tagliatelle All’assaggio was nonetheless! An abundant dish of perfectly cooked Tagliatelle was served together with some fresh ricotta cheese, aubergine and tomatoes. Sprinkled with fresh herbs and small bits of parmesan cheese, the dish was an exceptional way to start David’s meal.

Moving on to the Main Course dishes, our next selection now consisted of Misto di Mollusco al aglio/vino bianco (Mixed shellfish in garlic and white wine) and the recommended Angello al Assaggio (Braised Lamb Shanks). The shellfish platter ordered by Neil, consisted of quite a good variety of different shellfish such as razor clams, prawns, black mussels, green mussels and some Langoustines. The taste of the shellfish was delicious. Overall all the seafood was cooked flawlessly, so that the taste and texture were well conserved.

As for David’s suggested dish, (making both starter and main course selection “All Assaggio”) the Lamb Shanks were simply fabulous both in taste, texture and presentation. The succulent Lamb Shanks were accompanied by some fine mashed potatoes and the entire dish was served in a brilliant Rosemary Sauce. Both dishes were also served with an additional dish of boiled vegetables and roast potatoes.

To conclude a fantastic dinner with a Dessert, we opted for a Blackberry Cheesecake and Apple Pie. David, as a (recently) huge fan of Cheesecakes was delighted by the superb taste of the ordered Blackberry Cheesecake.  Neil opted for the fresh Apple pie. The taste was delicious and very mouthwatering.

Our Food Experience: The food at Assaggio Ristorante was very enjoyable and delicious. The taste of the food was simply fantastic and you can feel the genuineness of the recipes and freshness of the ingredients at every bite. The presentation of the food was also delightful and the desserts available are definitely worth a try (perhaps with a special liqueur coffee)! Overall, the food at Assaggio Ristorante will surely contribute to a pleasant evening at this restaurant.

(Appetizers Were Served – Bruschetta & Olives)
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(Tagliatelle All’Assaggio)
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(Tagliatelle All’Assaggio)
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(Polipetti Affogati)
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(Polipetti Affogati )
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(Misto di Mollusco al aglio/vino bianco)
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(Misto di Mollusco al aglio/vino bianco)
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(Angello al Assaggio)
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(Angello al Assaggio)
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The Bill:

Total: 60.00 Euros (Two Persons)

The average price range for dishes available at Assaggio Ristorante is at around 10~15 Euros. The restaurant prices fall into a Medium Low category and when taking both service as well as food quality into consideration one can easily conclude that this is a Value for Money restaurant. This statement can be justified even further more, when you take a look at the Set Menus offered. 19.95 Euros is quite price to beat for a complete meal with Starter, Main Course, Side Salad and Dessert!

Our Overall Opinion:

Overall, our experience at Assaggio Ristorante was a very good one. Under the view of the Mellieha church, this restaurant offers good food, a pleasant and quite environment (but unfortunately no view from the inside) and an excellent customer service that is worth mentioning! A well varied menu and a good wine list are also available.

Combining all of the above, with the great value-for-money prices that Assaggio Ristorante has to offer, we truly recommend this restaurant if you are looking to spend a quality evening by dining out.

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