tazza te`u biċċa kejk: Life is a Beach

Hey hey dear peeps :)

Today I have a question for you.

Hands up all of you out there who feel the need to (safely) absorb some of the sun's goodness if its on offer?

I, for one LOVE the sun. I believe there is something purely psychological about the feeling one gets when they feel their skin being gently warmed up (not scorched up), just warmed up!

Yesterday was another GorGEOUS day here in Malta. There was no avoiding the urge to go somewhere close to the sea. Seeing the kids splashing around, people enjoying their ice-cream. Ahhh... when I'm next to the sea I kind of relax "on command" - if you get my drift!

Anyways, the sun and sea also has a tendency to really open up my appetite (not that my appetite needs any coaxing!), so yesterday, we decided to have lunch somewhere by the sea.

Golden Bay was buzzing with people. We tried sitting at the beach bar, of which I cannot remember the name (must check on that!). Incidentally this used to be a place only for ice-cream and Ħobż biż-żejt. It has now been renovated and has some really nice summery dishes on offer. Alas, the place was full. No place for our hungry stomachs to find refuge! We even tried the Golden Sands' restaurant. That was full too.

"Where to go?!", we pondered. Then, Mr. A. got the perfect idea to drive up to Armier and head down to Baia Beach Club. Now this place ranks very high on my list of places that make me feel like I've gone on a mini-trip somewhere far far away from the everyday routine.

The drive there also makes you feel like you're on a mini-trip. Indeed, the last lag of the trip is actually an offroading experience (to put it mildly)!

This only adds to the fun though (unless your mode of transportation suffers a mishap!!)

I had made sure that the place is open and not fully-booked by calling them up while we were still at Golden Bay. It is really not worth risking not finding a place if you're famished since this place is quite far off.

We got there a good 20 minutes later. Our table was waiting and I was rearing to go to find out what the specials were. This place never fails to disappoint. I was lucky enough to have gone three times last summer. Eating there is just an experience in itself. One has the beautiful view of Comino and even a little bit of Gozo.

During high season, the area is usually quite noisy, the mellow music played at Baia usually takes care to balance that out. However, thanks to yesterday's mini-trip we got to savour an even more peaceful time there.

The menu is not very vast. But I like this. First of all it makes me go for something I don't usually go for. And secondly, it reassures me that the food will be as fresh as possible. They always have seafood on offer. However, you can still go for a beef burger if you're feeling peckish for that kind of fare. They have some great starter dishes, which one may also order as the main course.

Prices are akin to eating at a nice fish restaurant in St. Julians or Valletta. So, if you're not planning on splashing out completely, the best option would be to exercise some care when ordering :)

First came along a cute pair of Bruschetta....

Mr. A. felt like ordering something to "nibble" on, so we ordered the Italian salad with a selection of affettati including Parma ham, some really nice spicy salami and also Bresaola (my personal fave!). There was also a piece of grilled Caciocavallo cheese (need to try this at home), some Pecorino and some very nice mini Bufala mozzarella balls, for good measure :)

I went for the pan seared Calamari. I asked if I could have a salad or veggies to accompany them instead of the intended oven roasted potatoes. The waitress was very happy to oblige :)

Mr. A went for the classic Beef Burger with Cheddar Cheese. He raved about the moistness of the patty ...

Then came the dessert dilemma. Should we or shouldn't we? We ended up opting for the "let's share the calories" option. A not too sweet slice of lemon cheesecake to round off our visit to Baia :)