A Dejeuner Amicale at the Ta Frenc Restaurant Gozo on Sunday the 26th of October 2025
The Malta Bailliage hosted its fifth event of 2025, a Dejeuner Amicale, at the Ta Frenc restaurant in Gozo, on Sunday, 26th October 2025.
This is the Chancelier’s welcome speech:
‘Confrères, Consoeurs and Guests,
Good afternoon, and welcome to our yearly visit to Ta Frenc. This restaurant is the Chaȋne Premier Establishment of the Maltese Islands. It is so because senior members of the staff, namely Director Joseph Tabone and Executive Chef Joseph Brincat, are both Maȋtre Rôtisseurs and, before them, for many years, the late Maȋtre Ino Attard, the original proprietor.
It is always a pleasure dealing with this venue. In our Grand Chapitre in March, we included a tour of Gozo, which specified a mid-day stopover for a light lunch at Ta Frenc. It turned out to be a much grander affair than a light lunch as the restaurant served Chaȋne standard food and wines. Joseph, our Bailli, and Elsie attended the lunch and, together with the guests, lauded the unexpected treat.
As expected, the response for today`s event has been strong. We have a full house with 51 diners following cancellations and late additions. A waiting list of 3 guests had to be imposed.
A special welcome today goes to Officier Judith Wells and Alan Wells. Judy joined our bailliage 16 years ago and some 10 years later moved to the UK joining the Solent and then the Sussex bailliage. It seems that she missed us so much that she decided to return to Malta and is now a local member again.
The reception in the courtyard was, as usual, a great social experience, enjoying vintage Boizel Champagne and delicious canapés. It is something we look forward to at Ta Frenc.
The initial menu proposed for this lunch was rather heavy, with two more courses and some heavy ingredients. The Board considered it as having too much food, and the chef obliged by adjusting it for us.
Unlike most venues, Ta Frenc offers a package deal of food and beverages, which makes the event preparation task much easier for us.
Regarding today`s menu, I`m sure Chef Joseph will do us proud as usual. The wines were paired and supplied by the restaurant and I hope our Echanson will briefly illuminate us on what we are about to imbibe.
Just to remind you that our next dinner will be the Patronal Dinner at the Marriott Hotel, Balluta Bay, St. Julian`s. Some of you may recall that we had a Young Chef Competition Awards dinner at that hotel in 2016. The new management is very keen to reconnect with us and we look forward to an enjoyable pre-Xmas dinner there on Saturday 6th December. Details of the event will be released shortly.
I try to keep my welcome speeches short but permit me to share with you the result of a survey carried out by a British newspaper on what subjects are considered to be taboo at formal dinner occasions.
32% of respondents said talking about My Sex Life was taboo and in smaller percentages came An Infidelity, The state of my finances, How much I earn, My family planning, My relationship with my partner, The value of my property, Politics, Serious illness, and finally and surprisingly 7% said Religion. It seems that sex and finances are the main subjects to avoid. However, 39% of all respondents said `I discuss them all`. So please feel free to discuss whatever you wish as long as you do not cause displeasure or offence to your fellow diners.
Finally, may I remind you all to toast the Chaȋne as soon as the first wines are served at your table. This is done by clinking your glass gently with your neighbour`s on the left and proceeding to form a full clockwise circle around the table.
Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your déjeuner and Vive La Chaȋne.’
As is the custom, following the Chancelier's introductory speech, our Echanson, Dr. Iro Cali Corleo, introduced the wines and gave an overview of their characteristics. His comments can be found below, accompanying the menu.
Pre-Lunch Reception
Selected Canapés
Sélection de Canapés
Aperitif: Cuvée Sous Bois 2008 Champagne Boizel
This is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay from four Grand Crus. Produced using the Methode tradicionielle Vinified exclusively in old barrels from Champagne and Burgundy, the wines are kept in these barrels for 9 months until they are bottled. This was disgorged in June 2020.
It had a gold colour with a fine persistent perlage. On the nose there were nuts, orange zest, apple, spice but the dominant note was yeast/toast. On the palate it was zesty with a tangy backbone, complex and aromatic with hints of red fruits ending in again a toasty finish of good length. Not one of the greatest years but a very respectable 88/100 .’ (ICC)
Menu
Chicken Consommé with ginger, soy, lemon grass
Consommé de poulet au gingembre, soja et Citronnelle
Lamb croquette with anchovies and almonds, ricotta salata and rucola
Croquette d'agneau aux anchois et amandes, salade de ricotta et roquette
Wine: Calalenta Rosato Merlot 2023 Fantini
This wine is made from 100% Merlot picked from vineyards in the Abruzzo area. Handpicked at night and immediately pressed and the must cooled down then in stainless steel tanks for 20 days. After an aging on lees of 30 days in stainless steel the wine is fined, filtered and bottled.
This usually "Provence style" wine was a very pale rose with notes of pink grapefruit, strawberries and peaches on both the nose and the palate. Although it was fit for purpose with the food courses it accompanied, I felt that it was a pale shadow of the vintage we enjoyed last year and it seems that many diners considered it their least favourite wine of the event.’ (ICC)
Potato with Lardo, hazelnuts, egg yolk and chives
Pomme de terre au lardo, noisettes, jaune d'œufet ciboulette
Rabbit ravioli with chickpea purée, garlic cream and spiced rabbit jus
Ravioles de lapin, purée de pois chiches, crème d'ail et jus de lapin aux épices
Wine: 'Terroir de Chablis 2022 - Patrick Piuze 12%ABV
Domaine Patrick Piuze is a recently founded but highly rated négociant business in Chablis, producing wines of numerous quality levels Although no vineyards are owned by him, fruit is purchased from contract growers, many with old vines, who are advised by him regarding viticultural processes. All fruit is harvested by hand.
On the nose there were ripe apricot and mango aromas, leading to a palate with the same fruit notes. This Chablis resembled more its southern sisters from a warmer climate than the usually more mineral and crisper ones from the more important traditional Chablis makers – perhaps the effect of climate change?.’ (ICC)
Tournedos Rossini with smoked mash potato and stuffed onion
Tournedos Rossini, purée de pommes de terre fumée et oignon farci
Wine: Château Carteau Côtes Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003 Double Magnum 13.5%ABV average critics score 88/100
This 22 year old wine was a good representation of what a classic style St Emilion should taste like. It is made from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc with average age of the vines being 30 years. After a manual harvest, the must was fermented in concrete and stainless steel tanks and aged in 50% new barrels
The usual aromas and flavours of a cru classe St Emilion were there but softer and more complex with ripe dark fruit and fig flavours from the Merlot as well as some pepper and herb from the C. Franc. Acidity and minerality were noticeably present in this wine, it was balanced, paired well with the Tournedos and although this vintage reportedly lacks a strong tannic backbone to enhance longevity, the wine was from Jeroboam size bottles and this surely helped extend the drinking window significantly. This house did better than the average rating for this vintage year.’ (ICC)
Melon, passion fruit and meringue
Melon, fruit de la passion et meringue
Chocolate and almond tart with black tea ice- cream and warm sauce anglaise
Tarte au chocolat et aux amandes, glace au thé noir et sauce anglaise tiède
Wine: Grüner Veltliner V.D.N. 2020 - Domäne Wachau 16.5% ABV average critics score 87/100
‘The grapes for this dessert wine are hand-picked in October and after being macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks, the fermentation is stopped by the addition of Wachau Grüner Veltliner brandy to maintain the desired sugar levels and then matured in wooden casks on its fine lees for 6 months to gain additional complexity.
I found this fortified sweet wine, which was also served to us last year, very open and accessible on the nose with warm weather fruit aromas, orange zest, stewed pear and dried herbs. On the palate it was full-bodied with a balanced sweetness and refreshing acidity, very typical for this grape variety, ending in a very good length.’ (ICC)
Coffee and Petite Fours
Café et Petits Fours
Wine Supplier: Ta Frenc Wine Cellar
Executive Chef: Maitre Joseph Brincat
Here are some comments regarding the lunch:
‘It was again a fantastic event.
Food: Canapés were nice, and the blended champagne Boizel was a treat and hopefully appreciated by everyone.
The consommé was excellent in terms of flavours, even though some may have been a bit confused about the adequate etiquette to eat it, sip it, or drink it 😊. The croquette was tasty.
The cosy type of potato dish, yet easy mix was a bit daring, and if the flavours were there, it could have been somehow elevated with a more advanced cutting technique of the potato and a lighter presentation.
The ravioli dish was definitely the highlight of the menu for me, from the ingredients used, technicality, flavour, and point of cooking. Not an easy task to deliver a feast for 40+ people. For some, 8 pieces were a bit too much.
The famous tournedos Rossini presented its own challenges related to scale, uniformity, and the different cooking points required. The toast should have been crispier, i.e., Toasted or grilled brioche type. The sauce (although I'm unsure about the Madeira), the mash, and the stuffed onion (which was excellent) somehow compensate for some of the unfortunate shortfalls, i.e., the meat being overcooked.
The palate cleanser with melon and passion fruit was welcomed to prepare the mouth for the next course.
The chocolate and almond tart did appeal presentation-wise, but it had a fairly average texture and flavour-wise.
Wine: The Catalenta was served too cold in my opinion. The Chardonnay represented the traditional style of Chablis well. Even if it should have been opened a few hours earlier, the Chateau Carteau was a treat, balanced and well-matured, thank you for that. The Gruner, which was new to me, was pleasant. It was not exhibiting the typical sweet wine flavours.
The setting arrangement was fine and fit well with the audience. The service was excellent, even though there seemed to be some service gaps between the first and last table being served, with each dish. Special mention and appreciation should be extended to Joseph and his team. Joseph himself is to be praised, as he consistently extended his personal attention and care to everyone throughout the event.
Well done!
A small note to complete my feedback and observation is that, in the future, it may be beneficial to better define the smart casual dressing code, which seemed to be perceived differently.
Thank you’(Alain Rigordin)
As usual, below is a link to a photo album of the event:
