21 - 27 December 2000

Two new restaurant guides in the shops

The eagerly awaited arrival of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo sponsored by Vodafone gives a choice of two markedly different guides in the shops.
The Definitive(ly) Good Guide is based on a survey of over 600 regular “eaters out” who chose over 450 restaurants to rate and comment on out of the 1,000 odd restaurants on the islands. The 600 plus ate out on average over twice a week or over 60,000 times in a year and rated restaurants for food, service and ambience.
Since the purpose of the guide is “to guide the lovers of good food to the restaurants dedicated to providing it” the guide includes the 140 restaurants that were rated good or better by a sufficiently large number of people. The top-rated restaurants are listed in four different price categories as well as the most romantic, the best for business, good views, good wine lists and favourites.
The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants includes the Maltese Tourist Authority Calendar of Events for 2001, sections on entertainment, Maltese food and wine and maps. There is a very comprehensive indexing system classifying restaurants into 17 listings. These include: area, cuisine, late places, outdoor dining, non-smoking areas, wheelchair access, children and views.
Each restaurant has a page which describes the restaurant details – address and telephone numbers, opening and closing times, seating, credit cards, cuisine and so on. The restaurant is then described followed by typical examples from the menu and then comments from the survey. Lastly their restaurant facilities and policies are described, for example, air-conditioning, baby chairs, non-smoking areas, wheelchair access, vegetarian dishes, dress code and so on.
There will be a launch in January to present awards to the 35 top rated restaurants in different categories. Prices will also be given to the top contributors to the survey.
Buyers of the book will be encouraged to join the “club” of 600 reviewers by registering for the next survey and sending in their ratings and comments. Members have the opportunity to win prizes, benefit from special offers and go to wine tastings and gourmet meals at top restaurants as and when arranged.
The 320-page Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo sponsored by Vodafone is pocket sized and therefore can conveniently be kept in the car glove box, a lady’s (or gentleman’s for that matter) handbag or indeed even a pocket. It is an excellent and comprehensive guide to Malta and Gozo’s favourite and most highly rated restaurants.
In contrast, the other Malta and Gozo Restaurant and Entertainment Guide is a 160 page booklet listing all the restaurants licensed by the Hotel’s and Catering Establishments Board. It does not give a
formal assessment of the food and service offered, instead, each owner was given a series of options ranging from a free advert/entry of just name and address, to extra lines of narrative to describe their restaurant, small colour photographs or a full page colour advertisement.