Balluta Bay’s Premiere New Dining Spot Knows How To Throw A Launch Party
They’ve been sitting on this for a while, ramping up the excitement for the big launch. It’s now official – Le Méridien St. Julians Hotel and Spa has now opened The Villa, featuring two stellar dining experiences.
Set to the gorgeous backdrop of Balluta in its festa best, The Villa threw a lavish grand do to celebrate the reopening and renovation of the majestic 19th century premises, and we were there to experience every step of the star-studded party.
The Villa’s historical grandeur is apparent right before you set foot inside, still holding onto the opulence that only the finest of Malta’s old architecture can give off. The 19th century palazzo stands out despite the towering shifting landscape of Balluta Bay, something we couldn’t help but notice as we walked the grand stone double-staircase to the exclusive launch party.
Prosecco and tasty nibbles led the way up to the wide sprawl of The Villa’s verandah and portico, bedazzled beneath new lit-up livery and imagery. Of course, a brand new logo isn’t the only thing The Villa had to shout about that day – it now brings together two of the islands’ finest dining experiences, backed with world-class culinary teams: Taro and Nori. A fusion of carefully-crafted Mediterranean dishes and the wild extravagance of oriental street food respectively now reside within the regality of old-school St. Julian’s living, with the added bonus of some of the most brilliant seaside views in the islands.
We got comfortable really quickly, roaming the terraces and eyeing every tray of food. Taro’s vast selection of amuse-bouches quickly caught our eye, with everything from ricotta gnocchi, to mouthwatering veal wellingtons & pulled beef agnolotti, and scallop & chorizo risotto.
The Villa also relished the opportunity to showcase their impressive cocktail skills (we’re looking at you Nori). With names like Rose Blossom, the Godfather and Infused G&T, we couldn’t choose, so we asked our Instagram audience to help us pick between them. In the end we settled for a deliciously fruity Nori’s, a perfect blend of elderflower, lime juice, ginger ale and apple; and a lip-smacking almondy Godfather, a smoked whisky with amaretto and ginger bits.
Of course, The Villa crew were at hand every step of the way, including happily announcing future plans for Le Méridien overall. “This is part of our team’s journey to becoming the first Marriott hotel on the island,” said Alex Incorvaja, Le Méridiens’s general manager. “For us, The Villa is a destination within a destination and taking over its operations has been a crucial undertaking for the hotel.” The Villa’s rebirth is just a part of the hotel’s overhaul, with plans to become the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa in summer 2019.
Speeches, done, the crew dished out some of Nori’s and Taro’s finest, and in no time at all we had tucked into their beautiful displays of food. Piles and piles of savoury duck and chicken spring rolls, steamed buns, and curried rice… enough to keep us going through the night.
Two plates, a G&T and several half-finished conversations later, we scurried up the winding stairs inside the heart of The Villa to check out the sparkling terrace overlooking the garden. With our vantage point, we enjoyed a final cocktail to the blaring hubbub of the crowd beneath us and sound of the Balluta festa beyond along the seaside. All in all, a truly perfect end to the start of a brand new life for The Villa, Taro and Nori.
So PS. The Villa, if you need us to sample more food, drop us a line.