Yesterday we tried out the new restaurant in Pieta', La Vecchia Dogana. We had a table outside on the water's edge, and I didn't go inside so I can't comment on the inside decor, but it looks very well renovated. The outside tables were very well laid out, and the atmosphere was quiet and lovely.
The menu relied quite heavily on seafood, especially squid, but there was a good selection of meats and pasta dishes as well. The food itself was excellent. I had the mussels to start, and the calamari stuffed with fresh crab meat (or so I was told when I enquired if the crab was fresh). The squid came with a side of roast potatoes (very nice) and spiced cauliflower (alas, you can't improve much on the taste of a cauliflower in my opinion unless you smother it in cream and cheese, which would have been a bit out of place here anyway). Both starter and main were amazingly good. My husband had the fritto misto to start, which consisted of some battered and deep fried calamari rings and shrimp. The dish was supposed to have whitebait as well, according to the menu, but there were none on the plate. Nevertheless, it tasted good. For mains he had the linguine with squid and tuna roe. It had quite a strong taste, I'm not sure what was in it, but my husband enjoyed it. For dessert, we had profiteroles and a slice of choco-nut cake, or so it's called. The profiteroles were very nice but the choco-nut cake was superior. Definitely a better choice.
All that with a bottle of Chianti and a bottle of still water came to the pricey sum of EUR91, so it's on the steep side.
Service was okay throughout. It started off better than it ended. The food came out a bit too quickly, so my husband was a bit miffed, but being hungry, I was very grateful. After we finished the mains, we had our tables cleared and were left alone for a good half an hour. Not sure what happened there. The place was not overly busy so you don't expect mistakes when there's no pressure on the waiters.
All in all, we had a very good time. Recommended. The place is quite spacious but space outside is limited. I would recommend you make a booking.
reviews (2)
La Vecchia Dogana
moiraheath, September 26, 2009
I would like to change the rating I originally gave to this restaurant. That night we were lucky enough to have had a lovely experience at this restaurant. We haven't returned though because ever since that night, and this review, all I've heard were horrible things about this place - food and service, and some of the things my friends have told me about their experience there were atrocious. I don't recommend it anymore.
mrmars, June 6, 2009
I don't know but I have the feeling that the Traditional Maltese Loaf is being faced out from most Restaurants, it is being substituted by pre cooked bread and warmed in an oven and sometimes it is rubbery and seems to be warmed in a Bang Bang oven(Microwave Oven).
What can we do about it? We should ask when we make reservations in restaurants to make available Maltese Bread. We have the right to get what we order as we pay for it.
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