Sourdough

i took a break from living my after office-life in the vivid and oh-so-wonderful world of call of duty 4
and together with some friends i attended a seminar on bread and pizza dough making

organised at palazzo santa rosa
by claude camilleri
the one of margo's
showcasing the exploits of his new pizzaiolo giovanni

didnt actually learn to make the dough nor the pizza hands on
but probably that was a good thing seeing as it was a friday evening

we did get to experience even better things probably

a lot of passionate talking about bread and pizza

and a lot of tasting

overall the outing as an experience in itself
was even more so vivid than call of duty 4
heheh

we got to taste everything
from their house-made doughs to their house-smoked pork

cooked pizzas
and also
this buffalo mozzarella acquired from some obscure village in italy
giovanni's lifetime experience has brought him to boldly claim that there is no better mozzarella than this one
.
.
.
wait for it...

"...in the whole world!"

this was one of the few times i heard this cliché phrase uttered so genuinely

i forgot what the name of the village or the mozzarella brand was

so far as i could tell it was the best mozzarella i ever tasted

anywhat

when we got there they immediately started talking about bread

they skipped the how-to's and the step-by-stepping

instead they made us taste everything
even the raw pastry

some from the audience including myself at different points tried to venture a question as to the flour to the water ratios...

all we got were cryptic:

"it depends on the weather...
...the humidity...
...the water..."
...

luckily the world we live in has a google backbone
and since i really wanted to make and bake my own sourdough bread...
i m now using these guidelines

they seem pretty easy to follow
and i hope that one day i will get to the level where i can gauge what ratios to use by acquiring a tiny bit of the experiential knack that giovanni seems to have

margo's pizza!
better than before
that's for sure

the other times i went
there was no qualm as to the truthfulness of the ingredients
and it definitely was a superb pizza
however those two times the base wasn't consistent

the first time it was fluffy and light
second time it was crunchier and fuller

this time the base was a wholesome crunchy piece of cereal perfection

both the wholemeal base (a new addition) and the mostly white-flour base allowed for the toppings to shine even more than the other two times

maybe it is the lack of yeast in the whole process
maybe its the loving care that giovanni gives to the doughs and to the actual pizza making

claude said that some italians told him that the best pizza in italy was to be found in malta at his margo's

i m not going to dispute or agree with anything
all i know is that claude's vision of bringing out the best out of the pizza
is surely happening down there in mistra bay

in addition to the office, the pool, and sniping terrorists
i am now also adding sourdough making to my eventful life
using the guidelines from that link and the inspiration from giovanni and claude

i sure like the idea of having a 'pet' in the fridge that i have to feed every know and again

of course enzymes are not as cuddly or friendly as dogs...
but i'll see where this goes

i m going to be expermenting with sourdough wholemeal bread making

claude and giovanni want to push the wholemeal stuff more
as they believe that this is the only way to get back to tradition and to healthier bread eating
and they have eliminated yeast completely from the process

i hate sounding like a marketeering fuckhead
but if you go to margo's you can now order wholemeal pizzas
which are not simply there for those healthy and conscious diners
going through some carb-concious fad
but is part of an improved artisan menu
and is closest to how people ate pizzas and breads before hitler failed miserably at conquering the world

sourdough yeast-free making and baking is a lengthier process
than the usual bread making with white flours and packaged yeast

it takes days to get good dough
and apparently although we know the maltese loaf as sourdough
it appears that along the way
the tradition of culturing a starter has been dropped in favor of using yeast as a separate ingredient

at the seminar they gave us 20 day old bread to taste
and although hard as rock
the original tastes where still present
it would be perfect for making bread puddings, maltese arioli, or pappa sauce

i used to think that the fact that bread stales and rots after a few days was a good thing
(as opposed to factory produced sliced bread that sometimes lasts weeks)
was completely wrong
the added yeast makes bread keep on fermenting at a faster rate
spoiling it within hours or days

off to teach my new pet some tricks

the end

Lindt Sprungli - Excellence 99%

i tried this 99% pure chocolate
from lindt

the short story is that i now think that any other dark chocolate with less percentage is exclusively for pussies

long story is that an earthquake of pleasure erupted in my mouth unleashing a dark magma of joyful bitterness that took over and fucked my taste-buds senseless

at least that was the first time i tasted it

now i eat it because not to eat doesn't feel right

me and lindt's 99% excellence
had love at first melt

chances are you won't like it

i ve evangalised around a bit
about it
some have liked it and most have not

it might be an acquired taste for some
for me it was a case of seeing the light and becoming an instant believer

lindt suggest that you don't eat it alone
that it should be an accompaniment to other tastes

i accompany it with more of itself to be honest

cos my taste buds are hardy that way

i also don't mind eating spoonfuls of marmite/vegemite and can eat the most horrible of foods
but then i can't stand wasabi and i can't inhale tobacco smoke for a long time
(despite my efforts to kick start the vice at the tender age of ten)
i'm also not a big fan of red hot chili peppers
(the capsicum, i quite like some of the band's stuff)

taste-buds can be a bitch of a thing

comment when or if you've tried it

Glen's Top 100 Food Experiences

this will exist in a process of flux, revision and update

the number one food item at the bottom of the list is the one food item i would choose if i was held at gunpoint and asked to pick just one favorite

second place goes to another food item which if i was held at gunpoint i would put as a second place and so on up to the hundredth mark

i tried to put the items in their order of preference as much as possible
but of course a lot of the work was instinctive

a lot will be revised eventually

feel free to fire away with all your qualms and disagreements

the countdown starts here

100 Chewing on broken pieces of cinnamon stick

99 Bebbux (snails) in broth or in stew

98 Master's milkshake with cold milk, flavours: strawberry, sensation, and banana.

97 Frutie Blue Ice Lolly

96 Ftira fresh from the baker, spread with butter and processed sliced cheese that melts from the residual heat of the baker's oven

95 Eggs benedict with a perfect poached egg

94 Tomato jam as eaten in barcelona

93 Corned beef and squeezed lemon on maltese bread wih kunserva and olive oil, eaten in a field under the hot sun during the 10 o clock tea break on a grape picking August day followed with some tea from Nanna's Thermos consumed with family members this meal is at its simplest and poorest but is of great nostalgic importance to me.

92 Mixed bean salad, with garlic etc a la George Mateljan from whfoods.com

91 Cappellini with butter and powdered pepper (Tarja)

90 Cold orzata (almond drink) on a hot summer's day from a valetta stall

89 Fresh lampuki coated in flour and fried, sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil

88 Margo's smoked Amalfi Sausage

87 French Onion Soup with toasted Gruyere on a large floating crouton on top

86 Carribean Goat Curry

85 Kimchee (a korean cabbage spicy pickle) with warm steamed rice. A true acquired taste. This thing is foul tasting to the unitiated.

84 Pumpkin and Orange Soup

83 Fried chicken with maple syrup. (Or as i experienced it Canteen Japanese Karage with Maple Syrup from Quebec as suggested by a French Canadian friend.)

82 Soggy Corn Flakes, after they are left to sit for a few minutes in lukewarm milk

81 Crepe with crushed biscuits, MnMs and nutella, yes i am a a pig!

80 King prawns esp. crushing their heads under my teeth and sucking the goodness

79 Cinnamon Grahams, and Golden Grahams with milk.

78 Stilton with cranberries

77 Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese

76 Cold latte di mandorla

75 Skittles

74 Wild Boar Ham

73 Frozen black grapes (esp Merlot as those
are the one i have most access to, eaten frozen)

72 Kukicha green tea, after a meal

71 Kwarezimal from Martin il-Furnar San
gwann, they get them from someone else but they're the best kwarezimal i've ever tasted, no real sacrifice if you're eating this. 2nd best so far is Sapori Siciliani's

70 Two or Three McDonalds Burgers (plain) eaten consecutively. I feel all you anti-McDonalds boycotters stirring in your chairs. This is the burger that made McDonalds the Empire that it is today, i love this recipe, soft small bun, pickle in the middle .... I eat three, i buy no fries, no coke, and savour them one after the other knowing that if there is a food-Hell i m going to it for sure.

69 Pumpkin and Sage soup

68 A good earl grey

67 The whole ordeal of smuggling up Ftajjar biz-zejt on Ryan Air flights (or other low cost airlines where food isn't served). For me and for those traveling with me, prepared from fresh bread with a good mix of fresh herbs, kunserva, feta cheese, tuna, onions...in other words fragrant as fuck. This is awesome because you get the other passengers and the flight crew jealous, especially once that smell hits the air and stays there for quite a while.

66 Grill closed toast, made from Maltese bread with a filling of olives, onions and cheddar, then buttered from the outside.

65 Apple Pie a la Mode with Ice cream on top, this depends on the greatness of the pie and it usually is better if the ice cream is an unusual flavour eg. Creme caramel/Whiskey

64 A good Zeppolla, deep fried chou pastry filled with a ricotta cream and drizzled with honey. I d suggest Sapori Siciliani, San Gwann.

63 Toasted maltese bread with kerrygold butter

62 Sliced fresh peaches in a lettuce based salad

61 Baba Ganoush

60 Emperor of India' s, (St. Julians) chicken korma

59 Muscat Pastizzeria's plain pizza

58 Home made summer iced drink made from pressed prickly pear juice, kukicha green tea and lime.

57 Pizza Marinara after snorkeling and free diving. That's when my taste buds have been marinating in sea water for a good hour, and i m semi-high on deep breathing and excercise-endorphins. Prepared with decent seafood ingredients and WITH mozzarella, no matter what the rest of the world advise and say, i will send the motherfucking cheese-less pizza back if i get no mozzarella on it, no matter what your scrupulous pizzaiolo thinks!

56 Leftover refrigerated Minestra, eaten chilled esp. for breakfast in summer. Dont ask just try it if you're curious.

55 Skittles, Sour (green packet

54 A good old commercially bought, red
frankfurter. Don't know why but they're good.

53 Pumpkin and bacon soup

52 Cool black grapes snatched from a vine in the early morning before harvest, and eaten by direct biting into the bunch as if it was some chicken drumstick or something. What's special about this is that it beats any breakfast.Though it is summer and even the morning is warm, the grapes have endured the coldness of the night and are watery clean from the night's dew. That coupled with the knowledge that the rest of the day is going to be a load of hard-ass, sun-toiling, grape-picking hell makesthat very first cold bunch a special one.

51 Sliced Lamb Heart, shallow fried, then cooked in a quick reduction of Nero d'Avola

50 Nanna's Arioli recipe

49 Lobster liver

48 Victorian Date, Banana and Whiskey Chutney

47 Fire roasted sweet-potato, wrapped in foil, buttered

46 Extra virgin olive oil, locally pressed bought or somehow begotten from local farmers, so rich it verges on the pungent

45 Rabbit and Leek Pie, as eaten in some pub in Lewes

44 Suckling Pig, spit-roasted over Vine Twig cuttings for many hours.

43 Kinder Cereali (and an equal standing to Bueno and those fingers with the kid on the front)

42 Chocolate cheesecake made with Bourbon or Ovaltine biscuit base)

41 Nesquik Wafer... ahh that milky interior.

40 Belgian chocolate and orange cake as served at Xlukkajr (rest of the meal was unimpressive at most but this item was beautiful)

39 Lavender Ice cream

38 Fiorino d Oro's original owners' Cozze Pepate, (peppered mussels)

37 Maria Bonnici's Figolla, the plainest and simplest figolla i have ever seen, whenit comes to decor, some years have passed since i tasted that and i am sure its the best one i've tasted ever.

36 Fresh Figs wrapped in bacon and cooked slightly

35 Lamb back strap, cured with salt and pepper and roasted medium rare.

34 Coffee sweet gateaux

33 Macha (Green Tea) Ice Cream

32 Chicken Liver reduced in pomegranate sauce as made by Hani of Ali Baba fame.

31 Boiled Maltese Sausage or grilled

30 Good Miso soup used to wash down steamed Japanese rice

29 Averna on ice

28 Toasted bread (french loaf slice) with butter, ham and cheese, accompanied with English breakfast tea (Lion tea, Te tal-iljun) one sugar and with canned evaporated milk), with the occasional dipping. Usually this, I will do at Xufi's Mosta or Titu's San Gwann. I get a lot of stares when i do this.I hate you fuckin food snobs whatever social strata you come from!

27 Ravioli with butter and sage

26 Margo's Smoked Pancetta Whole-Meal
Sourdough Pizza as of March 2010

25 Fried or stewed rabbit, the best so far is between Sunny's in Mgarr, Gambin in Fleur de Lys (Kazin PN) or Ta' Fotti, Rabat(Bar is called Golded Lion)

24 University's and Tattinger's Sandro's Hot dogs, nobody nails a hot dog like Sandro, i don't know where he can be found nowadays. Disclaimer: i dont go to tattingers to party, though if im close to the area i check if Sandro is around

23 Raw peach parfait, made with raw almonds, pecans, and peaches

22 Hobz biz-zejt after a swim eaten by the sea, under the hot sun, with fresh tomatoes and herbs, rock salt and other stuff.

21 Refrigerated Maltese honeycomb soaked in the oozing golden goo. Found by surprise at my grandparent's fridge, the stuff was from an uncle's beehive.

20 A fresh raw oyster with a squeeze of lemon eaten as breakfast

19 Rizzi (sea urchin) with pasta.(on equal standing with Uni Sushi (sea urchin sushi))

18 Gbejna friska with rock salt and fresh basil

17 Heston Blumenthal's Caviar on White Chocolate

16 Venison burger with cranberry sauce

15 Portobello mushroom cross-sectioned, briefly fried in olive oil and butter on its head then topped with a light Gorgonzola sauce, sandwiched with its top and oven-ed for several minutes.

14 Wood barbequed Gurbell(Meagre), with fresh peach pulp sauce

13 Cold kinnie on a hot summer day

12 Lindt's 99% excellence pure chocolate

11 Maxibon ice cream sandwich (du gust is meglio che one) but i m not too fond of the stracciatella part the other part is what put this item at number 11

10 Fork-Mashed Strawberries doused with evaporated milk, and a sprinkling of hand-crushed salty crackers. This is not only a nostalgic quick snack my Nanna used to make for me as a kid so it brings back fond memories, but also my first concious encounter of sweetness and saltiness put together in one food.

9 Sapori Siciliana's (San Gwann) Maltese blackberry granita (made from real fruit)

8 Algida Cucciolone Prezzemolo Ice cream sandwich of malt biscuit with 3 adjacent layers of Vanilla, chocolate and Zabaione(a cream made from eggs, sugar and wine)

7 Fiorentina T-bone steak, eaten Fiorino d' Oro a couple years ago

6 Xmas Roast Turkey Breast stuffed as a roll with a filling of Rabbit Liver (battered in flour and ground cumin, fried in butter) and Roasted Pecans. The roll is roasted and basted in a blood orange sauce and spring onions for several hours.The one creation i truly impressed myself with (along with a dozen other diners i hope)

5 Cordial's (Cyrille's, Valletta) Argentinian Angus Fillet, cooked a la Tournedos Rossini (foie gras on top big crouton on the bottom swimming in foie gras sauce), at least the one i ate in November of 2008, the one i ate a year later was not as great somehow or another.

4 A summer's first sweet-cold, blood-red watermelon after a winter of abstinence.

3 Iberico Ham, i dont know exatly what the name was but i ate it at a great restaurant called Sta. Catarina in Barcelona.

2 Sweet Maltese summer peaches esp. cold, the thinly haired ones as big as your fist

1 Frozen Nutella Packets, i don't know where i got this idea from but i was about 11 years old and it was my first creative breakthrough. Not saying i invented this, but it must be my favorite thing ever.



this compilation of items has been going on for several months
adding bits as i go
it is 1:15 in the morning on a thursday night and i have work in a few hours
it feels like i put myself through a foodie-exorcism

Margo's

some of you may or may not have heard of Palazzo Santa Rosa in Mistra Bay
i heard great things about the place and the chef Claude Camilleri

i had joined his mailing list and after a long silence i received this:

Dear friend,

First of all we have to apologise for the silence.

So many have written to us and we have never replied. It is not through lack of trying. Many times we get into the car to go home and fall asleep before we even put the key in the ignition. See, we haven’t been idle. We have been extremely busy creating something really special. So many people have called and we have been unable to answer the phone – it makes you wonder if we wer OK or not. We were just fine; just very busy. Besides apologising for not being in touch, we have to thank you for your thoughts and concern.

We have great news though . . .

We have given birth to a healthy and wonderful new baby called Margo’s.

Margo’s Authentic Neapolitan Pizza is more than just your average pizzeria. It is the only DOC (Denominazione d’Origine Controllota) pizzeria this side of the world. You know by now that we do not do things by half. So we went the whole hog and created what can be described as a Little Naples in Mistra Bay. Not so much the decor, but the food, the pizza is as authentic as it can be, so much so that we have been granted the DOC certification through the authorities in Naples.

It would be quite accurate to say that we believe we have exceeded the standards required by the the Council to be granted the certification. Let me explain why.

We use a wood fired oven built by Mario Acunto. This is standard practice. A wood fired oven is the most basic of requirements. Acunto is one of the oldest people to build such ovens and his family have been building them for generation. It is a superb oven in that it is rudimentary and very effective.

We use Caputo flour. With the demands put on us to choose a flour with very specific characteristics, we opted to use the finest flour that is specifically milled for pizza. It does make a difference. The result is a light, fluffy, delicate and beautiful taste.

We only use San Marzano tomatoes. We are not allowed to use anything but San marzano tomatoes. Like Roma tomoatoes, San Marzano are slightly smaller and have little seeds. We grow our own of course, but for the lean days we import Solania tomatoes that are simply outstanding in taste and quality.

We use fresh water buffalo mozzarella. Garofalo have their own herd of water buffaloes and we wanted to bypass the scandal related to mozzarella that hit Naples earlier this year. So we found a producer with their own herd and on top of that, the production is organic, although the organic certification will not be officially in place until September.

We use Lurisia Pure Spring water for the impasto. Lurisia is the purest italian spring water. If you think that all water is the same, it means you have not tasted Lurisia. It is very very light.

We burn only oak. Of course we can burn other wood, but oak imparts such a wonderful taste to the final pizza.

We have a Neapolitan pizzaiolo. Meet Pasquale. He has San Marzano tomato juice running through his veins, he says. He comes from a family of pizzaioli and his work shows it. We are very lucky to have someone so passionate about pizza.

So this is just a small invitation to come and see Margo’s for yourself. It is in the back area of Palazzo Santa Rosa. The entrance is through our car park.

Of course Palazzo Santa Rosa is still going strong and we have had some amazing reviews over the last few months, from all over the world. But we are not ones to sit and settle for the status quo, so we will be getting back to presenting the Last Tuesday Clubs as of August. We have been planning the August LTC for months and we are sure it is going to be an amazing and exciting one.

Margo’s is open from Tuesday to Sunday in the evenings.

This is the soft opening. So you are the first to know about our new baby.

The manager Chantalle will be more than glad to welcome you for the pizza experience of your life.

Come and meet Pasquale and the rest of the staff and we really hope that you approve of our work.

Sincerely,

Claude

me and some friends headed down there to the idyllic setting of Mistra Bay
from the letter and the replaying of the wonderful trappings about Margo's pizza
great expectations were not absent

the restaurant is spacious and welcoming
you enter a hall acting as a lobby facing a cleverly designed wall that has been covered in framed paintings
the paintings themselves: meh!
but the wall idea is a good use of space and colour

the next room houses the pizza oven and makers
the hub of Margo's

this leads to the outside garden area which tables Margo's patrons

our table was exactly adjacent to the pizzaiolo and his DOC pizza workshop
this proved to be very hunger inducing
but was beneficial to Kari who acted as the night's photographer(see photos below)
being next to the pizza kitchen with nothing separating us but glass increased our appetites
i don't mean to exaggerate but
watching Pasquale work his magic into the night amplified that fucking void that was now beginning to swell like a big entrenching vacuum at the bottomless abyss of my viscera

and that carried on for about an hour after we ordered
the staff was friendly and helpful
maybe too friendly
or maybe that's just me being too anti-social
we were offered help by 3 different people
who got us drinks and starters
we were deprived of our food for what seemed like the longest hour or so
the food being pizza which is usually quick didn't bode so well

somewhere in between all of this
two of our party got smoked buffalo mozzarella starters
this tasted nothing short of divine
milky but fibrous
smoky
nice.

the menu layout was superb with only about 8 pizzas available or so
let's headcount

there was
the margerita - tomatoes and mozzarella

the marinara - tomatoes and garlic and no mozzarella

pizza cruda - with parma ham

pizza affumicata - with smoked ham

the pizza al pesce fresco - self explanatory

a calzone - with ricotta and cherry tomatoes i think

margo's pizza special - i doubt that was the name with seasonal ingredients

i think i m missing one
anyways

i chose the affumicata
when it came
the appearance of the pizza was different from what i am used to
the toppings where minimal
a bit too minimal on the mozzarella for my pizza
the others' looked just about right on the cheese
the dough had carbonized blisters
the overall taste was different
the crust had no crunch
it was light and fluffy
but thin
much like Indian nan bread

i've never been to Napoli
so i don't have a clue to what they do there
what i know is that i've tasted and loved pizza before
and i know what a good pizza should taste like
i like the crunchy thin and toasty pizzas which are rampant
in the good Maltese pizzerias
pizza is Italian and all that
but for me it could be as Maltese as the pastizz
it is the ever-present meal in the dominant culture of globalized earth
if i find myself in any strange foreign land in the world
i expect to eventually have to encounter two things
spoken English and pizza

upon my and the affumicata's initial encounter my general feeling was that i don't care how true to Italian standards this was
i love standards
but i have my own

then it happened
the great thing about great food is that
it can alter your reality
and topple your standards

although unusual i got to love the airy nature of that crust
the toppings were great and as expected nothing looked like it came out of a can or a freezer
we were a party of seven
most of us loved this novel pizza experience
some still have reservations
but we all want to return

for what is being served the prices are phenomenal
8.50 euro for this pizza compared to what some other bozos charge for sacrilege
is just right

desserts were great
i had the titled-with-overkill Orgasmic Valhrona Chocolate Delight
few chocolate desserts make it to this wonderful wonderful place

then there was the Rum baba
those who ate/drank this got very cheery by the end of it
it tastes beautiful and it makes you tipsy
all in one go
i think this is a good thing

when payment time came we weren't too pleased with the itemised bill listing everything as 'beer'
it was tricky to separate between the 3 course and main course and dessert only people

a couple who was eating there at another table later told me that when they asked for Neapolitan wine they didn't have any
what's that about!?

whatever the setbacks i recommend Margo's heartily

the thing is that there will be times when i want the usual crunchy pizza i love so much
and there will be times when i will pop back down there to Margo's for their DOC stuff

Tagine, Marokkin

Entrees:
(served with Grilled Pita bread triangles)

Couscous with lemon zest, coriander, spinach, peas and parsley accompanied by 2 dips:

Aubergine dip (with Aubergines, tomatoes, cumin, chili, paprika and kalamata olives)

Hummus dip (made with chickpeas, olive oil, cumin and lemon)


Main:

The right balance between sweet and savoury is the cornerstone of Moroccan Cuisine. The food is cooked slowly and it's almost essential to taste whilst preparing these dishes in order to get the right balance.

Beef and Pistacchio Meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce with dried apricots. A variation on the traditionally Maltese 'pulpetti'.

Couscous with lamb, onions, honey and raisins. The lamb is first grilled and then cooked for a long time with the rest of the ingredients until it becomes deliciously tender. The end result is exquisite.

Chicken Thighs with caramelized baby onions, honey and pears. This was reduced at the end to a sensationally rich and caramelized sauce, and finally topped with sliced almonds.

Pork Ragu with tomatoes, carrots onions, raisins, cumin, cinnamon and coriander. Exquisitely offensive, Sahibi :)

Boiled potatoes with garlic, onions and parsley.

For dessert we had Oranges with orange blossom water (ilma zahar), cinnamon and mint, and sipped on a traditional Moroccan Green tea prepared with lots of sugar and fresh mint.

Моё судно на воздушной подушке полно угрей: Russian Themed Night

Cocktail : Black Russian made with Vodka mixed with Kahlua and ice.

As an appetizer we had toasted bread with mascarpone, and black and red beluga caviar.

Entree

Red lentil soup made with red lentils, tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried apricots, thyme, cumin and a splash of honey. The soup was served with a dressing of sour cream, natural yogurt and fresh mint.

Main
Cold pasta with smoked salmon and asparagus tossed with a lemon-vodka-mustard-tarragon vinaigrette.

Sauteed mushrooms and spring onions in sour cream, double cream and cheese.

Meat and Cabbage pie prepared with minced beef, sausage, bacon, cabbage, onion, paprika and pepper.

A potato salad prepared with turkey sausage, pickles, green onions, peas, eggs, and mayonnaise.

Potato dumplings served on a bed of cabbages with a garlic sauce.

For dessert we had Khalva, a syrupy walnut and cinnamon dessert.

Don't worry about a thing, everything's gonna be alrite with rum and a joint : Jamican-Themed Night

Cocktail: Jamaican Fizz made with dark rum, pineapple juice, soda water and sugar.

We started with barbequed bread (bruschetta-style) with a topping of tomatoes, garlic, lemon, cumin and cinnamon for a very satisfying aromatic finish.

The highlight of the night arrived in the form of pork and pineapple kebab skewers. The pork was dry-rubbed with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice (allspice with peppers) that combines harmoniously with the sweetness of the pineapple. Excellent.

The side dishes

Rice and red kidney beans cooked in coconut milk.

Shrimp in a curry sauce

Plantain barbequed in a cinnamon and coconut juice. Plantain is a versatile fruit very popular in the Caribbean. People who are not familiar with it could easily mistake it for a banana. It looks and smells like a banana,however it's much bigger, harder to peel and is not eaten raw.

For dessert we had a cheesecake formed of a topping made with cream, cinnamon and nuts upon a base made from biscuit.