Tapea Restaurant provided us with 3 things – amazing food, ambiance and service!
It’s been quite a while since we wrote an article. We have kept posting, but it’s not the same when all you really want is to go to places, eat their food, then write about it. The long wait is over though, and so we’re back to doing what we enjoy. Tapea Restaurant, in Mensija Street, St Julians was just the place we needed to restart.
As soon as we entered Tapea Restaurant we immediately felt welcome and at ease. Located a few steps away from another of our favourite places, the place just demands that you relax and enjoy your time there. The kitchen is at the heart of the place. The busy chefs and staff around it are it’s beating soul. We sat on the rear part of the restaurant, a thinly covered open space decorated with light furniture, soft lighting and lots of plants. The environment at Tapea Restaurant felt like an intimate garden area. The atmosphere was relax, yet buoyant.
The ambiance at is relaxing, and highly pleasing
Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) is offered to all patrons, followed by freshly (in-house) made bread (ours was not warm, though). The staff at Tapea Restaurant were immensely professional, yet friendly. Each dish is not introduced in the menu until perfect, and each waiter/waitress tastes it so they know well what they are serving.
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We started with the Gazpacho. Tomato is the master ingredient here, with the soup thick, but pleasurably smooth. It also has the right balance of taste between tomato, garlic, peppers and olive oil. The small pieces of capsicum gave it a welcome bite. This was the perfect choice if like us, you miss your soups, but want something refreshing for summer.
Gazpacho
The Spider Crab Brioche consisted of three beautiful brioche buns filled with crab and drizzled with wakame, green mustard and siracha sauce. The buns were light, buttery and as soft as your dreamy pillow. What we liked the most was the taste of crab, which hit us just after we had started coming to terms with how tender and good the brioche was.
Spider Crab Brioche
The Baby Squid with onions and broad beans had a very nutty taste, soft texture, and a slightly overpowering taste of broad beans. It was probably the least of our favourites at Tapea Restaurant, but still a lovely dish!
Baby Squid with onions and broad beans
The Jamon presented to us from the staff at Tapea Restaurant was cured for 36 months and this was fully reflected in the exquisite aroma that engulfed our taste buds with each cut.
Jamon, cured for 36 months
The Hake Delicacies served in a sauce of parsley, garlic and white wine, with clams and mussels was a hearty portion, so much so we could have easily shared between us two. Those soft delicacies (a cross between fish cakes and meatballs) were light, and really delicious. Plus, we couldn’t get enough of that thick garlic sauce.
Hake Delicacies served in a sauce of parsley, garlic and white wine
It was a pleasure to try the Crema Catalana, that stalwart of Spanish cuisine with its rich and creamy texture. We had just enough caramel on top to get us excited once we broke through it. The star dessert though was the creamy Truffle Cake. What can we say? Amazing!
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A burst of truffle flavour captures your mouth with each spoon. The cake was really rich in flavour, almost heavy one could say, yet the texture was delicate on the palate, the mark of very good chocolate dessert. Easily one of the best desserts we have had this year.
Crema Catalana and Truffle Cake
We loved the attention to detail, and it is clear that the people behind Tapea Restaurant are really making an effort to give you an authentic Spanish experience, stylishly. Even the porcelain coffee cup comes from Girona. They have big plans for this place and we think you, the readers, should be part of those plans. You’ll thank us later.
Coffee, served in a porcelain coffee cup from Girona
OMGFoodMalta Rating: 8.5/10
Star Items: Spider Crab Brioche / Hake Delicacies / Truffle Cake
Website: www.tapea.com
Email: hello@tapea.com
Address: 55, Mensija Road, St Julians
Tel: +356 7979 7922
