Paranga Restaurant St Julians Malta - Eat Fish On The Beach

MenStyleFashion visited Malta for one week as part to review three 5 star hotels. The Paranga restaurant is part of the Intercontinental Malta hotel in St Julian’s and it is located 100 meters away from the hotel right on the beach of St Georges Bay. It is the perfect place to smell, see and hear the sea whilst eating amazing seafood. If you don’t like seafood there are also some good meat dishes available. The Paranga restaurant has a large teak-wood terrace which in summer is completely opened up to eat outside. It is also a great place for a drink or having a cocktail. It is one of the very few restaurants in Malta where you can wine and dine right on the sea front. Make sure you book in advanced.

We came here with our family with two young girls who are a huge fan of pasta. Malta, is a perfect destination for families and this restaurant caters very well for families. They have a dedicated section on the menu for children. The restaurant has a fish counter where you order your fish and you pay for the preparation by the weight of the fish. The staff guide you in catering for your needs, so don’t panic if you’re not a fish expert. Whilst in Malta you must taste the fish for obvious reasons. It is always fresh, nothing frozen here. There is also a huge glass window to kitchen where you can see the chefs in action. I could see how the lobster got prepared.

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Drinks

We tried to stay local with the wine and we ordered the Marsovin Antonin chardonnay 2014 from Gozo Malta. This white wine was perfect for the fish dishes and had a fine balance of acidity, oak and soft buttery flavour with a hint of pear. The children had a Cinderella mocktail, no alcohol yet. The Gozo wine, is a must try a very distinct taste. Always go for the local wine, it is not everyday you’re in Malta.

Starters

For starters we decided to opt for an anti pasta and a soup. Gracie Opulanza, comes from an Italian background and she loved the soup. She is a huge fan of seafood and being Australian she is very fussy about her choices. She just loved this restaurant.

Black meagre and salmon carpaccio, baby cucumber, radish, red vinegar gel.

Soup with prawn bisque with clams, mussels, prawns and squid

Mains

For the mains we went for the fish from the fish counter. I chose the sea bass and the preparation was very unique. It was covered in lots of salt and then cooked in the oven, it takes about 25 minutes but it is well worth the wait. I never had fish this way but the waitress convinced me that I should try it and I am so glad she did. The fish just melted in my mouth, and the way it is served was amazing. Again this was a unique way of serving fish and it is a must try. Once the salt was removed, by the waitress breaking it into pieces. The fish appeared and you could smell the beautiful flavour.

Fish coming out of the oven with huge layers of salt

: Salt removed and the fish gets filleted

: The end result

Gracie Opulanza, chose the lobster and it was perfectly cooked and sweet. She stopped talking, which is a rare thing for Gracie and that said it all. The presentation was amazing and one for all those shell lovers, Gracie highly recommends.

It tasted amazing #crayfish @InterConHotels #malta #shellfish pic.twitter.com/ePZtxve2kW
— Gracie Opulanza (@gracieopulanza) May 14, 2016

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The children where happy having a spaghetti bolognese. Nothing left on the plate, so we know it was a great pasta.

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Desserts

The Paranga restaurant also does amazing desserts as can been seen below. So make sure you leave some space for you to enjoy. Gracie Opulanza is a huge fan of unique desserts and she added some amaretto liqueur, to the white chocolate souffle, this was just divine. The Almond and orange blossom water, peanut tart with caramel Anglaise and stracciatella ice-cream was so fresh and tasty.

White chocolate souffle

Almond and orange blossom water, peanut tart with caramel Anglaise and stracciatella ice-cream

Conclusion

If you want to eat seafood by the beach in the busy area of St Julians than the Paranga is an excellent choice. The fish is fresh and cooked to perfection and there is an extensive wine list to match the dishes. The staff are just so sweet too and they don’t mind the children being a tad loud too. One of the best experiences we have had on the island so far. What a great way to clean your hands, watch this.