
	Assaggi Food and Wine Overview Assaggi is a restaurant truly worth discovering. Tucked away in a side street detached from the chaos of the St. Julian’s main road (click on the pic above for a map and directions), Assaggi is a chic and welcoming diner, dishing out delicious Italian Mediterranean cuisine. The restaurant is run by an amiable couple – Ivan, master of the kitchen, and Amanda, your friendly host. Both have a noteworthy background in the dining scene, including a stint at Gordon Ramsey’s MAZE in London, and they have brought all their passion and knowledge of food and wine together to create a genuine dining experience at Assaggi. ‘Assaggi’ is the Italian word for ‘tasters’...and this is exactly one of the things that the restaurant excels at. Sharing the appetising starter and main courses between the dining party is encouraged, so that each one can get a ‘taste’ of the different seasonal flavours presented. The focus is on creating genuine and simple dishes but with a difference. A ‘regular’ menu is also available at Assaggi and a quick read through immediately shows off the earnestness with which Ivan treats his food. The homemade pasta, the month-long dry aged rib-eye of prime beef, the 24hr slow cooked pork belly and the oven-baked Meagre fish coated in rock-salt, are all very good examples of this. As for desserts, the baton is handed over to Amanda, whose infatuation with anything sweet is evident from the sinfully tasty desserts – the Cassatta Siciliana with a modern twist comes highly recommended (we will leave the details of the twist for you to discover). Inspired by fine Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, it is needless to say that a well-stocked wine list to complement the various dishes is available. Assaggi also has a detached dining lounge that seats 4 to 8 people – ideal for a private dining experience, be it for business or for a special occasion. Free private parking (a rarity in the St. Julian’s area) is just outside the restaurant, so don’t forget to ask when reserving your table. Only one thing left to say here…and quoting their own motto: ‘Assaggi – Taste it’