General Review Details:

• Reviewed Restaurant: Ciappetti
• Review Date: Sunday 8th February 2009
• Current Weather: Clear Windy Afternoon (16 Degrees)

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Piccante Restaurants Web Awards:

The Piccante Ratings:

Restaurant Ratings:

Restaurant Ambience: 6/10

Restaurant Hygiene & Layout: 9/10

Restrooms Hygiene & Layout: 9/10

Overall Service: 8/10

Value For Money: 6/10

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Food Ratings:

Timing & Followup: 7/10

Presentation: 6/10

Food Taste: 6/10

Menu Variety: 6/10

Wine List Variety: 8/10

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Overall Piccante Rating

7/10

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In-Depth Review:

Getting There:

Ciappetti is located in the heart of Mdina and it might take a few turns every now and then to bump into this restaurant, since it is located in one of the many alleys all over the city (there are some small, yet indicative signs placed on some of the walls to pinpoint its location). Ciappetti’s locati0n gives it the traditional look and feel right from the start; a traditional maltese themed restaurant, offering a highly traditional cuisine and situated in a traditional picturesque alley located in the most traditional looking city in Malta. Stepping inside Ciappetti is like riding onto time-machine and going way back to the old days of Malta.

Just before entering Ciappetti keep an eye out for the notice regarding unattended children (try not to miss it!).

(Ciappetti Is Situated Nicely At The Heart Of Mdina)
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(Traditional Maltese Building Style)

(Every Detail Has Been Taken Into Account)

.(Is It? Keep Reading)
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The Restaurant:

When stepping in this restaurant, we found ourselves in an open air garden. The garden is nicely decorated with plants and also some ornaments. In between the plants, one could find some tables were to have an open air meal. Going through the garden, we went on the inside of this restaurant. The interior is a typical antique style, complementing the overall style of Mdina. Wooden beams and stone slabs (xorok) construct the ceiling, and the wall is left also on an antique style.

The walls are decorated with many paintings, well distributed. Moreover, up lighters are fitted to the wall to show the detail of the antique walls and ceiling. Although a heater was on, a slightly higher temperature would be better. Tables are well spaced from each other, with everyone having enough leg room.

WiFi Connection: Not Available.

(Inside The Restaurant)
.(Inside The Restaurant)
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(The Original Interior Design)
.(Some Modern Art)
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The Service:

When we stepped inside the restaurant, we were welcomed by a waitress, who after greeting us showed us to our reserved table (two tourists preferred this seating and we decided to choose another one and leave our reserved seating to them) . She gave us the menus and told us what the Soup of the Day was. The drinks were first ordered and served immediately with some Fresh Sliced Baguette and Butter. Waiting time was reasonable (20 minutes between the starters and the Main Course), considering that the restaurant was almost full (except outside seating since it was a bit chilly and another area which was closed down). Our empty dishes were removed immediately (within less than 2 minutes) from our tables and the total flow, overall timing and service was quite good.

(David Going Through The Menu)
.(Our Selected Table)
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The Food:

Menu: The menu of Ciappetti is highly a Traditional Maltese one! The Menu consists of 17 Main Course Dishes & Starters, which at a slight additional fee of 2.20 Euros that latter can also be taken as a Main Course meal. A lunch-time menu is also available and it varies slightly by containing some lighter dishes. We were also informed that both menus change slight every 3 or 4 weeks by including some exciting new dishes and thus giving frequent attenders a sense of change.

Something which really struck is from the whole menu where the Desserts! Offering 8 different desserts which is generally a higher amount then most restaurant offer, the true boasting about is how traditional these desserts really are.  The desserts contain some of Malta’s most Traditional Sweets including the famous home made Honey Rings and the Date Pastries (Imqaret), which are surely something that most of us are not used to seeing on a Dessert’s Menu. Apart from that Desserts also included a selection of Cakes plus some delicious Fruits creations such as a Caramelized Apple.

Overall there was no indication as to whether any of these dishes are suitable for vegetarians or not.

Wine List: The wine list of this menu is very well constructed. Wines present in the wine list come from all over the world, Maltese, Italian, French, Spanish, Californian, Chilean, Argentinean, South African, Australian and also a red wine from Lebanon. The wine list consists of mainly five sections which are white wine, red wine, sparkling, dessert wine and champagne. Each wine on the list is very well explained. Moreover, each wine has the region from where it comes, for example Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sardegna or Piemonte. The prices are reasonable, not expensive considering the quality of wine.

Our Selection: The selected Starters consisted of Home Made Goat’s Cheese Ravioli Tossed In Salted Butter And Fresh Herbs and Spaghetti Octopus . The Home Made Goat’s Cheese Ravioli were simply perfect and their ingredients made this dish a pleasant new experience. Most of us are used to the normal Ricotta Cheese Filling in such Ravioli, however the Goat’s Cheese Filling take this dish up to an unexpected level to taste! The touch of olive oil, salted butter and Fresh Herbs sprinkled all over the dish made it simply a wonderful starter to begin with. The spaghetti octopus was delicious. The additional ingredients which were added to this dish such as dried fruits combined very well with the overall taste. The octopus was very tender, showing that it was very well prepared and cooked. Moreover, the spaghetti was Al dente, which makes the dish more pleasurable to eat.

The starters were then followed up by Main Course dishes around 20 Minutes later (the restaurant was quite filled up by that time). Our selection was Traditional Rabbit Stew and Bragioli. Unfortunately and to David’s surprise, considering such an excellent starters, the Traditional Rabbit Stew did not meet his expectations at all. He could taste quite an above then suitable heavy taste of wine and the Rabbit itself was not as meaty as expected. The Beef Olives (Bragioli) were fine. The filling was good and the creamy sauce complemented the rich taste of the Beef. The vegetables served with this dish were not overcooked, leaving them some crispness.

Not so highly impressed by the Main Dishes we were then asked if we would like any Desserts. From the provided menu our choice was Deep-Fried Date Pastry With Grand-Marnier Flavored Ice Cream and a Pear Stewed In Red Wine With Toffee Sauce both accompanied by a Cappuccino. The Desserts’ Menu had already left quite a good impression on us, however the taste and presentation of ordered desserts took this impression even more sky high! No words can describe how excellent the Deep-Fried Date Pastry Dessert was, especially if you are a good fan of it. Their taste (two were served) was simply fantastic, topped up with delicious toffee sauce and two scoops of excellent Grand Marnier Ice Cream, which provided a good contrast with warm fillings of the Date Pastry.  Nonetheless the Stewed Pear was extremely good as well. It was not over cooked and the marinade was perfect. The added toffee sauce added that extra taste that would leave anyone wishing that this dessert would not finish at time soon. Anyone who visits Ciappetti must try out these desserts!

Our Food Experience: Overall the food ordered was also enjoyable to taste. The starters were simply excellent and the traditional touches to most of the dishes at Ciappetti is something, that many, will surely find to be of a new and pleasant experience. Finally the desserts are definitely something to try out, if you want to make sure that you end your meal in a simply perfect way!

(Home Made Goat’s Cheese Ravioli)
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(Home Made Goat’s Cheese Ravioli
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(Spaghetti Octopus)
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(Spaghetti Octopus)
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(Traditional Rabbit Stew)
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(Traditional Rabbit Stew)
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(Beef Olives – Bragioli)
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(Beef Olives – Bragioli)
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(Small Dish Of Roast Potatoes Shared Between Us)
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(Deep-Fried Date Pastry Served With Grand-Marnier Ice Cream)
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(Pears Stewed In Red Wine And Toffee Sauce)
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The Bill:

Total: 49.32 Euros (Two Persons)

The prices on the Menu are at an average of  14 Euros per dish. With this medium high price at an approximate 25 Euros Per Person, one should expect to receive  a complete meal (excluding wine) accompanied by some of Ciappetti’s traditional and excellent desserts! (Service Not Included)

Our Overall Opinion:

Ciappetti is truly a wonderful and unique experience in Mdina, especially if are in the mood of taking a small cuisine trip through time, back to the old days of the Maltese Islands. The ambience is well suited for such a restaurant, it’s prices are reasonable, good service and a warm welcome, it boasts of an excellent Wine List consisting of wines from all over the globe and finally the Desserts are something not to miss at Ciappetti! Overall the food was also good and the traditional touches to the dishes is something, that many, will surely find to be of a new experience. “Probably The Best Restaurant On This Side Of The Island” ? Stay tuned for our Piccante Annual Awards!

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