GozoNews.Com

Two restaurants have been rated “top overall” for Malta on the basis of food, service and ambience this year in the annual survey conducted by the Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants supported by HSBC and Marsovin.

More than 800 regular diners took part in the survey, voting for their favourite restaurants on the islands. As respondents eat out at least twice a week on average, this is the equivalent of more than 80,000 individual dining experiences.

The Blue Elephant at Hilton Malta and Essence at Radisson SAS Golden Sands scored highest in the overall category, Essence at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort & Spa scored highest in the Food category and the Hilton’s Blue Elephant scored highest for Service and Ambience.

The results were revealed on Monday, when the Hon Dr Francis Zammit Dimech, Minister for Tourism and Culture, presented awards produced by Villeroy & Boch at the Guide’s Gala Dinner - which has established itself over the last eight years as the most prestigious food event in Malta - at the Hilton Malta.

The Guide lists the 150 most highly rated of Malta’s 1,000-plus dining venues based on food, service and ambience, the number of satisfied customers responding, and their comments. For the 2008 edition, launched last night, the new Guide sees 23 new restaurants entering the Guide.

Commemorative plates supplied by Villeroy & Boch were presented to the highest rated among the 150 that were listed.

The It-Tmun Victoria wine list was rated for a total of three awards including “The People’s Choice” wine list rated from the survey, best “Overall” wine list and best “Presentation and Accessibility”. Ta’Frenc wine list was voted best for fine wines and The Arches had the best list of Maltese wines. The wine awards were supported by Marsovin, who, with HSBC, support the Guide.

The restaurants that received awards based on food, service, ambience and overall ratings in the Fine Dining Category were:

Blue Elephant; Essence; Gazebo; Ta’ Frenc; Rebekah’s; Zest; Bottega del Vino; de Mondion; Quadro; Fumia; Phoenix; Hibiki.

The restaurants that received Malta & Gozo Restaurant Awards included:

Giannini Ristorante; Corinthia Room; Oceana; Tarragon; It-Tmun Victoria; The Medina; The Arches; Le Bistro; Maji; Rickshaw; Barracuda; Fusion 4; Zeri’s; Kon Tiki; The Lord Nelson; Lulu; Pegasus Brasserie; The Playwright at the Dubliner; Can Thai; The Carriage; Fra Martino; Eastern Breeze; Flavours; Bacchus; Taste; Shiva’s; China House; Rogantino’s

Additional Restaurant Awards

Additional presentations were made to Ta’Marija - best Maltese Food Restaurant (sponsored by the Ministry for Tourism & Culture); Blue Elephant - top rated for Romantic Dining (sponsored by Aplan Ltd), best Restaurant Restroom & Cloakroom (sponsored by Satariano Ltd) and best for Business Entertaining (sponsored by Michael Attard Ltd); Mamma Mia - rated Best Value for Money Restaurant (sponsored by Atlas Insurance), Best Vegetarian Options sponsored by Good Earth and was also voted Most Children-Friendly Restaurant sponsored by Malta Baby & Kids Directory.

The results of the Restaurant Survey can be found in the 2008 edition of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo now available in shops and online at www.restaurantsmalta.com.