Paceville 20 | Brand new restaurant on the block
On a street where there are plenty of restaurants, it can be hard to stand out…well, not when the restaurant’s named after its own address. Yes, Paceville 20 has just opened its doors in the heart Paceville, and you can find it at 20, Paceville street, St. Julian’s
Philippa Zammit
Open from early afternoon to the night, Paceville 20 offers a fantastic selection of seasonal dishes. Meat is their headliner, but there are plenty of other choices too.
The red and grey colour scheme on the inside gives the restaurant an urban gleam, but its sleek interior is no mask for what we’re really there for; the food.
Just as much attention is given to the starters as is given to the main courses. The appetisers happily hold their own, keeping out of the shadow of such juicy meat dishes which my guest and I devoured later on.
We started off with the soup of the day which included a mix of seasonal vegetables and guinea and fowl. It indeed did give me that warm fuzzy feeling, making me immediately feel soothed and energised… and ready for my next dish. The wild boar meatballs followed. These, in particular, were delicious; meatballs with tomato tartare on parmesan cream.
When it came to choosing our pasta, we were spoilt for choice between fresh homemade gnocchi, tagliatelle, and ravioli. I opted for the gnocchi, a simple yet oh-so-tricky food dish which swanked impeccable taste. They were silky soft with a zesty bacon, zucchini, and mint sauce. It was as fresh a flavor as one can taste. Oh, and did I mention the gnocchi were homemade? Oops, yes I did.
Were there other tempting starter options? Of course, but I had to leave room for the steak. What arrived next was 1100gr of Tomahawk cooked to medium-rare perfection, with a sizzled outside and a juicy red interior. It comes readily sliced, with a choice of sauces – aubergine and bell pepper - and of course potatoes by the side. A steak, in my opinion, needs a good potato – and these were just perfect. The T-bone, weighing in at 600gr, also seemed to be a good idea, especially if sharing wasn’t an option.
We also got to try the guinea fowl, straight from the restaurant’s wood burning skewer and the quail from the grill, seasoned with rosemary and orange on a bed of herbed potato cream. No tricks, just fireworks.
Then came the dessert… a trio of desserts actually. We tried the dark chocolate mousse first. The consistency was great, very light and airy. This was followed by a chocolate tart which was rich and had just enough bitter sweetness to balance out the flavours with hazelnut cream and just enough coffee. We closed off with the crème brule. Under the crisp burnt-sugar crust of creme brulee lurked silky warm custard. The perfect dessert to soothe your stomach and call it a night.
The waitstaff, who couldn’t be more helpful, serve meals with a sense of pride and are delighted when customers enjoy it. Boasting beaming service, and seriously good cooking, Paceville 20 is definitely a restaurant well worth a visit.
Paceville 20
20, Paceville street,
St. Julian's
2137 6021
