Pub style food and craft beer! The 6th event of FromOurSea was fully booked in just 6 hours!

fish4tomorrow went for something rather different this time and chose a charming city pub as a place for their 6th edition of FromOurSea events. Intriguing, isn’t it? It is going to be the first event hosted at the pub and serving pub style food. However, the main focus remains the same – it’s all about the celebration of sustainable and seasonal fish sourced locally and in environmentally friendly manner. The aim is to show you that you can truly enjoy the sustainable fish recommended by their Quick Fish Guide in various delicious ways. And I must say I am very looking forward to try it out!

Joining up with Think Catering, fish4tomorrow team will be offering a three-course menu followed by a dessert. Each course will be paired with a local craft beer from brewers: the visitors will be offered to start their gastronomical experience with Lord Chambray’s beer, followed by the medium-strength Stretta Craft Beer, finishing off with the dark beer from Phoenix Raw brand. The event is going to take place at Il-Pup, Valletta, which is the latest food concept by Think Catering Group that has successfully introduced Rocksalt in Sliema. By the way, this is where one of the FromOurSea events took place at, which represented 11 tapas menu items paired with wine.

As you can guess, the 6^th edition is going to be casual – beer and fish. As Steve de Domenico, the co-owner of Think Catering Group I had a pleasure of having a conversation with yesterday, told me it’s going to be a socializing event. Instead of an ordinary “sit-down” gastronomical experience, Il-Pup is going to open its doors for the people willing to chat and get to know new interesting people, while eating something really good and tasting a selection of local beers. Basically, the guests will be offered some nibbles and tapas items at the bar, which will later be followed by the rest of the courses at the allocated tables.

It’s still a secret though what the menu going to like exactly. What I got to know that at the moment there are 15 types of sustainable fish in Malta waters, 3 of which are being out of the season. The event hosts are going to come up with the dishes according to the fish availability. But if you want a little teaser: the dishes are going to be inspired by British, Indian and Maltese cuisines.

I strongly support the sustainability movement in general, especially when it comes to Malta. I encourage everyone to try new fish and taste new flavours: one shouldn’t be misled by the ordinary. In conclusion, I would like to say big thanks for fish4tomorrow and Think Catering for bringing up this amazing opportunity of getting people together for such a unique food experience. I will certainly be waiting for new events to come. Keep tuned and don’t miss the next one out, people!

Huge thanks to Aygul Yunusova for help.

Photo credit Alan Carville

The word “tea” is almost synonymous with “warmth”. Especially in winter time, when you want to hide from the humid cold and piercing wind, a hot cup of aromatic tea promises comfort and serenity.

Many of you would agree if I said that it can be challenging to find a real whole leaf tea in Malta. There are only few worthy places serving afternoon tea, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find one more. To be honest, I stumbled upon it by accident- a very happy accident I must admit!

Locanda La Gelsomina is a Boutique Hotel set within one of Birgu’s oldest buildings, dating from the early 16th century. It features 4 well-appointed suites, a charming boutique and (best of all) a teahouse.

As soon as you step into this house, which has been carefully restored to its former glory, you feel immersed in a truly unique atmosphere. An interesting mixture of traditional Maltese architectural features with a collection of exotic Asian antiquities reflects the intriguing story of the family behind the La Gelsomina. Although the family is Maltese – Italian in origin, they have been travelling in Asia for the past 20 years, finally returning to the island to establish this splendid boutique hotel.

I like this concept very much. You feel like you’ve been invited as a guest into the house, where each item has a story all its own and a cordial host is waiting with a cup of aromatic tea and warm welcome.

Rossella and her mother serve a good selection of teas by BELLOCQ, an award-winning tea company known for their superlative teas and handcrafted blends. At La Gelsomina you can taste the Hibiscus, Siam Basil Lemongrass, Queen’s Guard, Yunan Green, Majorelle Mint and Little Dickens blends. I’m sure you’ll find something to satisfy your personal tastes.

As a delicious accompaniment to the teas, they have a variety of home-made jams. The preserves are made with organic local fruits, including peaches, oranges and strawberries, which are picked from their very own rooftop terrace! We tried peach jam and it was absolutely divine, conjuring up memories of the jams my grandmother used to make. Very delicate, not too sweet, and exceptionally flavourful. In short- the type of jams that taste of real fruit, not sugar.

Apart from jams, there is a small, yet sumptuous, selection of sweets which changes every weekend. You’ll be able to choose from artisanal sweet crisps from Italy, available in dark chocolate, dark chocolate with a hint of chili, pistachio, almond and hazelnut, as well as artisanally baked raisins and candied fruit cake. We absolutely loved the cake, which was quite similar to a Panettone, with a very fresh, light texture and a rich, robust taste.

Also on offer in the display is a selection of fine, artisanal Belgian chocolates made by Mary, along with fancy handcrafted confetti from Italy. Personally I believe it’s more than enough to enjoy a small piece with cup of tea.
It was a wonderful experience! A warm atmosphere and friendly hosts, a cup of hot tea, a piece of chocolate… what a great way to finish a week!

Thank you, Rossella!

Tea afternoons at Locanda La Gelsomina take place every Sunday between 3.30pm and 5.30pm by reservation only, for the price of €12 per person.

3 Triq il-Kunsill Popolari, Birgu 1131, Malta

(+356) 2180 7897 info@locandalagelsomina.com

Photo credit Alan Carville