Rosamí Tasting Experience

Anything Xara Collection is approached with a certain finesse. Rosamí is no exception. She is in her experimental phase though; you know the expressive era where great things tend to happen. Chef Davide Marcon is the mastermind behind the highly conceptual and thought provoking journey in gastronomy. Heavily supported by the lush setting; the quaint streets of Balluta, the gorgeous furnishings and of course the perfectly poised; but personality-pumped Front of House; an evening at Rosamí feels intentional. 

Our night of experiential dining began with a kind welcome back from Nicole and Giorgi; who throughout the night shared their charisma, knowledge and passion — as well as their dedication to making sure every diner is having a good night. 

The trademark welcome drink trolley rolled its way towards us, Giorgi grinning as I eyed-down the barrel of cherry wood smoked Negroni. He suggested I switch it up this time, since I’ve already had that velvety, ice-cold, smoky, bitter beauty a good 4 times already. His suggestion was my gain. 

A Champagne described as “complex but not complicated” that will play in my mind from bouquet to mouthfeel; the heavy MLF, Chardonnay-forward aroma followed by the full-flavoured palate of sweet yet crisp, sharp and bright, slightly saline and all throughout velvety. None other than Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut – my new all-time favourite champagne to date; it also packs a pretty neat story that I’ll let Giorgi explain on your next visit. 

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Even though we fought over the last sip of the Piper Heidsieck, the accompanying Florence Duchêne Réserve Brut Champagne was palate opening; marzipan on the nose and apple on the tastebuds for a sweet-saline start to the meal. 

Snacks descend onto our immaculately white tablecloth; a mushroom tart featuring turnip and amaranth as well as what I am calling fig roe. This one-bite wonder of crisp, pickle, earthy freshness; was the first indication that this meal was going to be a wild ride of acidity and bitterness (in all the best ways). If Chef Davide Marcon had a superpower; it would be his manipulation of bitterness. One of my favourite ‘tastes’; but you need to know how to approach it. 

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The next snack was equally delicious, a nori cone, filled with amberjack crudo that carried a sweet-aged note and palatable texture contrasted with the creamy dairy whip and fresh salty pop of the trout roe. Accompanying the snacks; a smoky and creamy pop of scaramoza beignet, chewy, light and soft as a pillow; finished with tamarind to brighten the palate. And last but by no means least… the coffee grissini. I LOVE GRISSINI. The obsession started on a family skiing trip to the Dolomites; we’d wait what seemed ages in my teenage brain for our food; but alas, grissini were at the table; ready to curb my melodramatics. I LOVE GRISSINI. 

These grissini were beyond compare, not only are they extra long and thin and prepared with coffee grounds for that brave hit of bitterness, they are perfectly browned, slightly nipped with what you may think is too much cooking time… but no. That nuttiness is what makes a grissina make me say… I LOVE GRISSINI. 

Before we go on further, let’s understand bitterness. 

Biologically, the bitter note signifies poison in nature. When something was bitter, our ancient ancestors probably omitted that food source and chose something more palatable like a sweet fruit. But not all bitter foods are poisonous. Safe bitter foods simply have harmless bioactive compounds that with regular exposure can become palatable. Bitterness in food makes me excited; so many Chefs avoid it, or tamper with bitterness so subtly. Chef Davide champions it and unapologetically makes you experience pure bitterness. But he gives you umami, and earthy, and sweet, and fresh, and nutty, and most importantly new and exciting. 

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Concept number 1: What came first, the chicken or the egg? By chicken I mean a chicken skin cracker sandwiching some insane cured egg yolk cream and a barley, mushroom, cocoa and leek ‘egg’ that represents the chicken’s habitat. 

Verdict: the egg came first; its earthy, umami, salty, acidic, briney, layered texture of crunch and foam. But only because the idea of a shmultz-flavoured cracker and (in my opinion) the ultimate luxury ingredient: egg yolk… be still my beating heart; a cured egg yolk; should be left for last. All I can say is “mamma mia” 🤌. 

Paired with the equally experimental Markus Divinus 2024 Zafrana, a blend of Girgentina, Voigner and Sauvignon Blanc; fermented at 16°C for a fresh and crisp finish. Peach and nectarine notes play with the mushroom soil while the lemon aromas sharpen the skin cracker.

What a clever pairing. 

Zafrana kept us well-attended with the prawn dish that followed also. Said prawn dish was different from most prawn dishes I have tried (and you know I love a prawn dish). It featured a passion fruit gel that brought so much contrast to the expected flavour-angle of a prawn dish. This was exciting.

I have to be honest though, and say the texture of the prawn disc itself was not in my fantasy; it served textural contrast to the crunchy puffed grain and sharp pickled daikon, for sure, but the flavour element of this prawn dish came from the prawn bisque mayo and prawn bisque powder - each carrying an accurate prawn bisque taste. 

The mayo can be served in bucketloads; in fact the lightly tempura-fried prawn head featured in this course was filled to the brim with extra mayo; a noteworthy tactile insert… but alas an inedible prawn head. Why? Make it edible. Make me eat it. I’m here… I will. I thought this was a missed opportunity that I would have been delighted to experience. 

The next course; a revisited dish that always makes me smile. The soy chawanmushi. 

Here we were told not to mix the dish, to scoop when you reach the bottom, close your eyes… and enjoy. I added the ‘close your eyes part’ because; really… this dish deserves a moment. 

This dish is grounded. The custard is rich, dense and full of salt and umami, the fresh chives lift the earthiness of the dish to a level of savoury perfection and mouthfeel. A scallion oil makes the aromatics even bolder and the puffed quinoa adds depth in texture and playfulness. Close to my favourite of the night; you’ll find out which it was soon.

The chawanmushi was paired with a delicious rose; Isabella Guasconi, Ta’ Betta, 2025. If you know you know… if you don’t: here’s your homework (and next outing). Isabella’s ripe melon, blood orange and strawberry sensation carried us through for the next almost favourite of the night: the porcini, oyster and burnt leek risotto. 

Each ingredient mentioned equally because each element on this dish played an important role. Chef Davide is Italian, hence the magnificent grissini, and the magnificent risotto. I wish I could insert a stunning Italian one liner here; but all I have for you again is: “mamma mia” 🤌.

And I mean it. Think of what a perfectly creamy, lusciously Parmigiano-y, deeply mushroomy and texturally-accurate risotto tastes like. Now double your umami. 

Now add a deep saline earthiness from the oyster emulsion swirls adorning its black canvas with a merroir of nuttiness, minerality and even amplified mushroom flavour. But wait… there’s more… 

Remember that bitter note Chef plays with so bravely. This dish of pure balance: sweetness, saltiness and umami; in Chef’s eyes, needed bitterness. So he added burnt leek ash. And it worked magnificently. This should have been my favourite of the night. It will live in my memory forever. Thank you Chef. 

As we played a game of “guess my favourite painting”, our eyes bounced from one stunning artwork in the Xara Collection to another, yet another work of art was placed before us. 

Chef, you’d be happy to know that your reference was received. But how did you know that Rothko was my favourite artist? Knowing Rothko’s repertoire, and your vast array of choices in colour palate; I applaud your selection and manipulation of his lapis blue though a spirulina mayo; his choice of golden yellow; your chickpea hummus. 

Chef takes this one step further conceptually and props a tuile of the Valletta skyline between the limestone-representing hummus and the blue mayo that signifies the Mediterranean sea; a delicious portion of meagre minimalistically plated with intent. To the side, a broad bean bigilla, with Girgentina and wild local fennel that I thought was the star of this dish, and an equally moreish soda bread. 

The fish course was paired with a glass of Jean Parisot, another Ta’ Betta icon. My personal favourite; and a great pairing that rounded off the dish with its glittery buttery tones. 

Every element on the dish was delicious. But did concept take us too far? I think this is a personal question. These sorts of dishes excite me, but they also need to deliver on flavour (achieved), experience (achieved) and substantiality (not sure if this was achieved). I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

We moved onto the red portion of the meal. A delicious Ġellewża-Shiraz Primus; its imqadded (sundried) grapes concentrating its black fruit flavours into a jammy, velvety wine with a “slow, persistent finish”. This was paired with the beef course. Beef tongue to be precise. 

It was delicious. 

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A skewer, a taco and a sorbet-broth land at my table. Mmmm. Sound of Music’s Favourite Things starts to play in my head. All from beef tongue, how innovative. The skewer; thinly sliced and grilled tongue paired with green apple. Magic. The taco combined with corn, pineapple and a thick pulled tongue meat. Delicious. The broth… sorcery. 

A wee scoop of apple sorbet sits in the broth bowl; Nicole instructs you to eat this last. You listen. She pours the broth. You get distracted by the taco and skewer… and by the time you go back to your broth it’s the perfect sipping temperature and perfectly aromatic, with a touch of bitterness. 

The savoury portion is supposed to be over. But pre-dessert and even dessert merge into a realm of savouriness that I am all over. I’m buying the t-shirt, getting the subscription and willing to be a test dummy for. Savoury desserts are so much fun. Again, thank you Chef. 

Savoury desserts aren’t ‘not sweet’. They’re balanced. Chef Davide’s pre-dessert featured a celery sorbet paired with creamy peanut butter and candied peanut (classic combo) as well as grapefruit gel and segments.

I suggest you add a new cocktail to your repertoire Rosamí, because this celery sorbet needs to be immortalised in your legacy; I see it as a topper on a house Bloody Mary. Too good. 

But finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… my tax-xewk moment: the dessert. Another savoury insert: get this… lettuce ice cream, a salty fermented strawberry gel, pickled lettuce (in a dessert yeah…), almond cream paste and a Marsala infused sbrisolona. Almond. Lettuce. Strawberry. Genius. Mic drop. Caw-bye. 

Everyone needs lettuce ice cream. 

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As the restaurant cleared, and as usual we were the last fools keeping our fabulous hosts from their lives outside the restaurant; everyone gathered. Giorgi brought a macchiato, Nicole brought the petit fours and Chef gave us the run down: a herby financier, a calamansi-filled canelé, a curry-flavoured pâte de fruit, a cauliflower and passion fruit bomb and of course piggy face; because there’s always room for chocolate.