General Review Details:

• Reviewed Restaurant: TemptAsian
• Review Date: Tuesday 24th March 2009
• Current Weather: Chilly Clear Evening (13 Degrees)

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Piccante Restaurants Web Awards:

The Piccante Ratings:

Restaurant Ratings:

Restaurant Ambience: 9/10

Restaurant Hygiene & Layout: 10/10

Restrooms Hygiene & Layout: 9/10

Overall Service: 9/10

Value For Money: 8/10

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Food Ratings:

Timing & Followup: 8/10

Presentation: 10/10

Food Taste: 9/10

Menu Variety: 9/10

Wine List Variety: 8/10

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Overall Piccante Rating

10/10

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In-Depth Review:

Getting There:

TemptAsian is one of the restaurants located inside The Sliema Palace Hotel premises. The Sliema Palace Hotel is situated just around the block of The Victoria Hotel, which sits adjacently to the Saint James Hospital in Sliema.  The restaurant itself is located on the 9th Floor if the building so forget about taking the stairs for sure!

Parking is available on the ground of The Sliema Palace Hotel; however we did not make use of it since we were lucky enough to find a parking space just a few steps from the Main Entrance. However we do not suggest that you try your luck, especially on weekends and during the summer season.

(After 9 Floors Up, We Are Close!)
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(TemptAsian Located On The 9th Floor)

(The Welcoming Entrance Of The Restaurant)
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The Restaurant:

The Temptasian restaurant is a very elegant restaurant. Once you enter this restaurant you will immediately notice the class and elegance of this restaurant. Temptasian boasts of a very relaxing waiting area which is near the bar. Then there is the main restaurant area. In this area tables are well apart so that everyone would have a little privacy. But if you want total privacy, there are plenty of private rooms available. Moreover, rooms are not only available for one table, there is also a room which holds three tables and therefore if you are a group of three couple you can still dine in a private room. Rooms are closed by curtains and the table inside the room is very well decorated. These rooms would be ideal for a romantic dinner.

The restaurant is all equipped with dark wood furniture. Also the floor is made up of dark wood. One would find a candle on every table at this restaurant. The light is warm and not very bright. Temperature at this restaurant is very comfortable. Decorations such as wall paintings, plants and ornaments (such as a Buddha) can be found all over the restaurant. Moreover, the staff at this restaurant is dressed in an Asian style to further enhance the atmosphere. This relaxing atmosphere is further boosted by the soft background music played. The overall atmosphere is very cosy and relaxing, leaving you wondering whether you are still in Malta or in Asia.

During the summer period we highly suggest that you request to be seated outside. It might be a little windy outside, since the restaurant is located on the 9th Floor however we are positively sure that you will enjoy the view.

WiFi Connection: A Connection Point was available, however on our Mobile Device it was a little bit weak and we could not fully tests it’s connectivity.

(The Waiting Areas)
.(The Private Dining Rooms)
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(Inside The Restaurant)
.(Some Asian Style Decorations)
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(Inside The Restaurant)
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(Inside The Restaurant)
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The Service:

When we entered this restaurant we were welcomed by a waiter and asked if we would like to stay a little by the bar for an aperitif or go directly to a table. After that we stayed a little by the bar, waiter showed us to our table. The menus were given to us and after that we ordered, the drinks were served immediately. Then a delicious appetizer was served and after some time the sushi platter and the starters were served. Once ready, the empty plates were removed immediately and after some reasonable time the main course was served. Once again, when we were ready the empty plates were removed gently by one of the staff and then a dessert menu was given to us.

Overall the service at the Temptasian was very good. The friendly and professional staff were always with a smile and ready to help out when asked, making every second at the restaurant worthwhile.

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

Menu: The TemptAsian menu is very rich, filled with several different cuisines from all around the Asian continent which include Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Singaporean, Indian and Malaysian.

The Menu itself is a very presentable one, printed inside a hard cover with a soft material and Asian Style drawings on it. All the menu entries have a written English Description, however most of them are listed in their original local name, so one might find it a little tricky when trying to pronounce dishes such as “Thai Tom Yam Koon” . Nevertheless this fact, personally, was a very desirable one and we have found that it complimented even further the Overall Asian Theme.  Another interesting fact with regards to the menu was that of a phrase told by Mahatma Ghandi, printed in both English and Gujarati (Mahatma Ghandi’s Native Language) on the inside cover page.

Moving on to the food available at TemptAsian, as previously said it has a very rich and vast selection of dishes from several countries across the Asian continent.  The first entries to be listed on the menu, probably the most anticipated and new to the majority, are Sushi (Click Here To View The Sushi Menu).

The TemptAsian menu has a very immense selection of Sushi which includes, 5 different Sashimi (which is primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood), 8 different Nigiri (also known as hand-formed sushi), 9 different Makimono (Roll Sushi), 6 different Tempura (deep fried battered vegetables or seafood), and 7 different Temaki (Hand Rolled Sushi). From this Sushi range, 5 entries are marked as suitable for Vegetarian. 2 Sushi Platters are also available for pick, and these are quite a suitable selection especially if this is your first time Sushi Experience or you would like to try a variety of all.  Keep in mind that Sushi is actually considered as “Fast Food” at Sushi Bars, so they can be taken as prior to starters, as starters or maybe even complimentary dish to a Main Course.

Listed on the end of list is a notice that “All items may contain traces of nuts, sesame seeds, eggs, mustard seeds & celery” and that “No Monosodium Gluten Is Used.”

Moving on deeper inside the menu the next entries are the actual Starters (Click Here To View The Starters Menu). One can find a selection of 5 Starters to choose from plus an additional 3 Home-Made Soups (one of which is marked as suitable for vegetarians).  Another two Home-Made soups are also available however they are marked as a Main Course, which are the next entries on the TemptAsian Menu. The Main Course Menu (Click Here To View The Main Course Menu) is sub-divided into three additional categories which consist of 11 dishes “From The Land”, 5 Dishes “From The Sea” and 8 Dishes “From The Fields” which include Vegetables, Rice and Noodles (4 of which are marked as suitable for vegetarians).   To end up your meal a selection of several interesting beverages (it was nice to see Sake on the menu) and sweets are also available.

Overall throughout the whole menu items are marked according to three classifications; Spicy, Vegetarian and Wasabi.

Wine List: In the wine list, one could find wines coming from Malta, Italy, France, Spain, New Zealand, Lebanon, Chile, Greece, Portugal, North America, South Africa and Australia. Obviously, the wines available come from different types such as Red, White, Rose, Sweet, Sparkling and Champagne. The wines have a brief description which helps you choose the right wine for you. The prices are very reasonable, obviously varying with the quality of the wine you choose. Our choice was a White 1919 from Marsovin, year 2007.

Our Selection: To Kick off our Meal a small appetizer was presented to us, which consisted of a small portion of Sweet And Sour Tuna. Moving on, one should definitely not miss the Sushi at TemptAsian, so our first obvious choice was to go for a selection of Sushi and thus we opted for The Palace Royal Platter. To start with the dish was very nicely presented, with nice decorations and colorful ingredients such as Roe and Nori. To our amazement, TemptAsian truly is a unique and magnificent choice when it comes to eating professionally prepared Sushi in Malta. In Japan, back in the old days and still widely practiced in order to become a professional Sushi Chef, at least ten years of training is required.  We of course could not verify any of this at TemptAsian however the way the Sushi was prepare was impeccable.

The Platter consisted of Salmon Sashimi, Tamago Sashimi, Tuna Sushi, Suzuki Sushi, Prawn Sushi, California Maki and Puto Maki. Everything last bit of these Sushi were perfectly prepared and well presented, all accompanied by what one should expect from a Professional Sushi Bar, that is; Light Soy Sauce, Wasabi (mostly probably powered since it extremely rare and expensive to find these outside of Japan) and Gari (sweet, thinly sliced young ginger. Gari is usually eaten between dishes of sushi, as it is said to help cleanse the palate). The Lime however was new addition to the dish for us.

After tasting such delightful Sushi we moved on to the Starters. The ordered Indonesian Napi Sapi was delicious. The large beef balls were very crispy and tasty. The strong taste of the beef was very well accompanied by the selection of spices and sauce. The beef balls were served on a bed of fresh vegetables. The Chinese Boa Zi dish was also ordered as a starter (not listed on the menu provided online). These steamed filled buns were just delightful and well accompanied by sauces and a bed of Rice Paper.

As for the main course, Neil decided to go for the Frog Legs. The meat of the frog legs was very tender and also the taste was good. The only drawback Neil had was that this dish was extremely hot due to the strong presence of  green curry sauce (actually he thought he was hosting a devil party in his mouth!). On another note, some vegetables and pineapple were served with this dish.

The ‘Gu Lao’ Xi Lie ordered by David, consisted of Sweet And Sour Pork served with Fresh Pineapple and oriental vegetables. This dish was extremely tasteful. The tender pork in the thick sweet and sour sauce made up a very tasty dish to have and it served in a very original way; in a half pineapple. To accompany both these dishes we also ordered some Japanese Fried Rice and Singaporean Style Noodles. Both of these have proven to be a very good complimentary side dish to our Main Course dishes.

For Dessert a selection of Fresh Fruit served with Ice Cream and Stir Fried Fruit where ordered.

Our Food Experience: The menu at the Temptasion offers a variety of dishes which come from different parts of Asia. The offered dishes are all prepared with fine and traditional ingredients. This was clearly noticed by the food we had, which overall was delicious in taste. Timing was also excellent between the dishes. The food served combined with the atmosphere adds up to a very cosy, warm, relaxing and romantic evening. One last thing to note is that as previously mentioned Sushi was very well and professionally prepared, which is definitely a plus for this restaurant.

(The Palace Royal Platter)
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(The Palace Royal Platter)
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(Indonesian Napi Sapi )
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(Chinese Boazi)
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(Frog Legs)
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(Frog Legs)
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(‘Gu Lao’ Xi Lie)
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(‘Gu Lao’ Xi Lie)
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(Presentation Was Simply Wonderful!)
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(Singaporean Style Noodles)
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(Far End: Japanese Fried Rice)
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The Bill:

Average Total: 70.00 Euros (Two Persons)

The prices on the Menu of TemptAsian are at an average of 12 Euros per dish. Considering the detail and how every dish is professional prepared, the prices are fantastically value for money. This is even truer when you take into consideration the fact that you are dining in a 5 Star Hotel and the restaurant offers an exceptional service in such an elegant and stylish ambience.

Also keep in mind that this extremely low average price of 70 Euros (Per Two Person) includes 9 different dishes, covering a wonderful and complete meal that includes a Starter, Main Course plus Desert as well as a Sushi Platter, that many will consider to be more than enough to kick start your meal with.

Our Overall Opinion:

The restaurant’s ambience is of high class and elegance and offers some exceptionally interesting Waiting Area and Private Dining Rooms. The service was also impeccable and professional, not to mention that the staff where extremely polite and helpful. The available immensely is very vast, offering some interesting and new dishes for the majority, plus this restaurant should be well admired and renowned for its professionally and properly prepared selection of Sushi. The prices of all the dishes are also immensely reasonable and fantastically value for money and summing this all up, TemptAsian is definitely a wonderful experience of what the Asian Cuisine has to offer right here in Malta.

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