A truly luxurious stay at Rosselli AX Privilege and an amazing Under Grain dinner.
Strategically located in the heart of Valletta, Rosselli is, to date, the newest AX hotels and is currently (and proudly) the only 5-star boutique in Malta’s capital city. We were lucky enough to enjoy a two-night stay, plus dinner at their Michelin Star restaurant Under Grain.
It was spectacular from the start. We opted for the taxi pick-up service, which took away the hassle of finding a parking spot in a city where finding parking is hard. The taxi picked us up right from our home and took us straight there (or rather, as close as it could get to it).
If, like us, you find parking a hassle, and you don’t fancy walking long distances with your baggage (who does?), we recommend speaking to the Rosselli staff and organising this.
Upon walking in, you cannot help but take note of the exquisite design of the interior. Rosselli AX Privilege is hosted by a 17th-century palazzo, originally owned by a Knight of St John. The interior fabric gracefully complements the Baroque architecture.
Blissfully greeted by the receptionist on duty, we were given our hotel room cards and information regarding our stay. It all looked very promising. One couldn’t help but notice the beautiful decor of Grain Street, which we had previously reviewed and which you can read here.
Our room was spacious. The bed is even more so. The room’s balcony overlooked St Christopher Street, and the lovely fruit assortment we found prepared for us was very appreciated. The bathroom was large, though we were not too fond of the transparent glass separator between the shower and the rest of the room.
We started our evening with a few cocktails in the lobby before heading down for dinner at Under Grain. This was definitely the highlight of our visit. During our stay at Rosselli AX Privilege, we also enjoyed chatting with Under Grain's head chef, Victor Borg.
Chef Borg told us about the concept behind the restaurant and his favourite dishes and emphasised the importance of the whole team behind Under Grain. We previously had the pleasure of getting a full interview with Chef Borg, which you can read here.
Exiting the lift, we were welcomed at the restaurant entrance and carefully guided to our table. When you visit, please take some time to appreciate the place. Those first few minutes of surveying the ambience, the staff and the people. This is even before the food comes into the equation. The entire design concept is based on the tailoring profession.
The decor is dark, simple, and to the point. We appreciated the several displays typically found in a tailor shop – kitted mannequins, clothing displays, various fabrics and lovely old sewing machines. This, along with the dark ambience and black marble decorating the basement restaurant, sets the scene for a very relaxing dinner, but one with a feeling of luxury.
Soon after, we were given a brief description of the concept behind the menu at Under Grain, which is designed as tailor measurement sheets (a copy of which can be found on their website). Something extra for the men was that a buttonhole was provided with the menu to keep the napkin in place on their shirts. The food selection is European at its core, with modern and inventive dishes offering quite the selection.
Soon after ordering, we started our experience at Under Grain with a generous selection of appetizers to whet our appetite. These were not your ordinary appetizers. Each item is unique and elegant, accurately reflecting the restaurant's elegance. Our favourite was the breaded anchovies. The breadcrumbs and mozzarella delightfully balanced the saltiness of the anchovies. Honourable mention goes to some very light and fluffy cheese puffs.
For our starters, we decided to go for the Papiri ‘gentile selection’ (pasta bits that look like paper scrolls, hence the name), with crispy chicken wings, 24-month aged Parmesan, yeast and a raw mushroom, as well as the Saint-Maure and Vin jaune custard, with salt-baked celeriac, pickled wild mushroom and raw beef on toast. Both sound very posh. Both were delicious.
The crispy chicken wings dish was an interesting choice. The rolled nature of the ‘papiri’, is great for containing the spices and sauces within. Admittedly, we had never experienced a pasta dish with chicken wings before, so we were unsure what to expect.
To our delight, it was lovely and bursting with flavour. The pasta was well-cooked, and the boneless chicken wings were very tender. The Parmesan cheese was a very welcome addition and complemented the dish nicely.
The Saint-Maure and Vin Jaune custard, salt-baked celeriac, pickled wild mushroom and raw beef on toast was just about as posh and fancy as it sounded. Described more simply, it is a custard made from cheese and wine. Amazing stuff. The presentation of this starter dish was marvellous, and the beef on toast, although a nice portion, was light and delicious. We would definitely recommend this starter dish.
After experiencing those delicious starters, you would forgive us for getting excited about the mains. The ‘Fish du jour’ (fish of the day) was Stone Fish (Dott), with mussel Kiev, red wine bagna cauda, and ‘Rosemary porridge’. It was an excellent choice. The fish was cooked so well it easily fell off the fish bones. It sat on a bed of rosemary porridge, which was so smooth it melted in our mouths. It was full of flavour and very well seasoned.
One of the night's best dishes at Under Grain was the second main course. Slow-cooked veal with local langoustines, cocoa beans, squash and coffee is an elegant take on surf and turf. You will love this dish if you are fond of both veal and coffee, of course.
Tender pieces of veal sitting over a not-too-strong-on-the-palate coffee sauce is a marriage of flavours made in heaven (or, in this case, in the Under Grain kitchen), which takes the dish to the next level.
After cleaning our palate with some soothing sorbet, we went for the recommended baked white chocolate cheesecake dessert, the chef’s signature dessert dish. The recipe has been passed on for generations in his family, and since then, Chef Borg has been working on perfecting it for over 20 years.
The cheesecake lived up to the expectations, with a light and creamy texture, nicely accompanied by a passion fruit and marjoram sorbet, which gave the dish that extra sweet kick. It was one of the best desserts we have had in a long time.
By the end of the evening, we were absolutely stuffed, but satisfyingly so. Under Grain had been all we had hoped for. Each portion was perfectly sized, and the quality of the fowas was amply reflected in the taste. Little did we know we were not done just yet as a selection of truffle chocolate, imqaret, and biscuits were brought to us on the house.
We thought we could not eat anymore, but there we were soon after, enjoying these little delights over some liquor, before we somehow dragged ourselves back to our rooms for the night, feeling heavy but happy.
So, to conclude. What more can we say? If you are looking for a luxury stay, Rosselli AX Privilege is somewhere you should seriously consider. The staff professionally looks after you as soon as you check in, the place is beautiful, and the service is excellent. As for Under Grain, we have been to many places on the islands, but this was our first 10/10 experience.
As they say, the best thing about memories is making them. Whatever happens, this weekend will be one of the best memories we’ll have from 2020 and a reminder that life is worth living.
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