Zest | East meets west
Zest is located on the first floor of the boutique design hotel, Hotel Juliani. With a separate entrance on the front of the renovated townhouse in Spinola Bay, Zest offers a unique design experience as well as a dining one.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
East meets west in design, with a focus on comfort in the form of bench seating and sink-into sofas in soothing and striking shades. Charcoal greys, creams and bright colours, decorative chairs and good cutlery and glassware and bright paintings adorning, the restaurant seems to be more like a trendy London eatery than one in Malta.
The bar area is the perfect place to relax and unwind after a long week at work to prepare yourself for a delightful meal to come.
The menu is fantastic fusion of Eastern and Western dishes split into tastes of the East and tastes of West.
Eastern dishes are not limited to just sushi, though the sushi on the menu is some of the best on the island, with nigiri, maki and sashimi, all of the freshest on the market. Patrons can sit around and the chef and watch the art of sushi making.
Dim Sum is growing in popularity in the West and Zest makes some of the best dim sum available on the island, Japanese prawn gyoza, Thai chicken dumplings and steamed bread buns stuffed with pork.
Western dishes include some of the Mediterranean favourites as well as some other dishes for the more adventurous like a caramelised plum filled with minced, marinated duck served with a horseradish cream.
For a more exciting night out, try the shabu shabu menu, a dish typically served in Asia. This is a meal made for sharing and ideal for groups, a pot of boiling broth is served in the centre of the table and diners can then cook their own pieces of raw beef, fish, prawns, vegetables and bean thread noodles. The meat can then be dipped into one of three highly seasoned sauces.
The name shabu shabu is said to come from the sound the meat makes when it is gently swished through the broth.
Try something from the noodle bar, Indonesian fried egg noodles with chicken and prawn crackers or Phad Thai noodles with prawns, peanuts, egg and spring onions. Noodles can be served as a main or as a side if you just want a little taste.
The desserts are no less exciting that the meal that comes before it. Crème brulee cheesecake, banana and ginger tarte tatin or a passion platter consisting of passion fruit and vodka jelly, sweet rice supli and a mango financier.
If you like the idea of eastern cuisine thrown in with western delights but find it takes too much to get dressed up to go out, Zest also do take-aways with free delivery to the surrounding areas.
Address: Hotel Juliani, 12, St George's Road, St Julian's
Opening hours: Daily 19:00 - 23:00
Contact: 21387600
Web: www.zestflavours.com
