The reclamation of The Villa to create two stunning catering settings is only the beginning of Le Méridien St Julian's Hotel & Spa's plans this year.
After being leased out for ten years, Le Méridien St Julian's Hotel & Spa has recently reclaimed the management of its iconic The Villa Restaurant.
Having re-opened this summer, the new concept divides the eatery into two; inside offering a discreetly elegant culinary experience at Taro at The Villa, while the outside terrace offers a more casual, social approach to dining with an Asian street-food and cocktails concept at Nori at The Villa.
The 32-seater indoor area is an evolution of Taro Restaurant, which had been functioning within the hotel since 2016. Taro at The Villa offers a distinctly private setting, which makes for the ideal location, whether on a date, a business meeting or anything in between. The food menu includes innovative approaches to Mediterranean cuisine, specialising in fresh fish, aged meats and a selection of dishes for vegetarians.
Special features, such as plates by the ceramist Sue Mifsud, were commissioned to strike the perfect mood and bring that extra refined edge to the restaurant, setting it apart from the rest.
Under the guidance of Executive Chef Adrian Buttigieg, Taro Restaurant's kitchen brigade won 28 medals at this year's Malta Kulinarja championships, which included 300 other local and international competing chefs. And it’s hardly surprising – after sampling a degustation from the restaurant’s à la carte menu during a special event last week, our taste buds were left wanting more!
In contrast to the interior, the atmospheric outside terrace set amongst the picturesque Balluta Bay offers a more open, social concept with Nori at The Villa. The set-up focuses on the beverage experience through eclectic cocktails and premium drinks which we also had the priveledge of sampling and can whole-heartedly recommend, while a mouth-watering variety of Asian street-food designed to be shared is served.
It's an exciting year for Le Méridien St Julian's Hotel & Spa! The hotel will close its doors at the end of September to be renovated and rebranded into the world-renowned Marriott Hotels chain and will open as the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa in summer 2019. The renovation will include the addition of two new floors and 50 new suites, along with the entire hotel interior, including all 276 existing rooms, to be refurbished.