Saturday lunches at De Mondion have landed, and I’m one of the lucky first to sample the experience of a sunny lunch at one of the prime locations in Mdina. The concept is simple: De Mondion’s Signature Saturdays offer a leisurely à la carte lunch experience based on Chef Clint’s favourite dishes.
Table of Contents
Discover the concept at a glance.
| Experience | De Mondion Signature Saturdays |
| What it is | An a la carte selection of Chef Clint Grech’s favourite dishes |
| When | Noon till 2pm |
| Dress | Smart casual |
| Reservations | Credit card required |
| Children | Not suitable for under 12s |
| Accessibility | Yes |
| Caters for dietary requirements | Yes, with advance notice |
| Price range | €€€ |
What to expect from De Mondion’s Signature Saturdays
Let’s be honest, the De Mondion Restaurant at Xara Palace hardly needs any gimmicks to sell itself. It has retained its Michelin star and it boasts a seriously dedicated kitchen brigade led by Chef Clint Grech. The way Chef and his team transform honest, simple ingredients like the artichoke and cabbage into something delightful, no additional frills necessary, is what gives this place its wow factor..
This is precisely why the Signature Saturdays work. They make the most of the De Mondion’s natural advantages and do exactly what it says on the tin, presenting a selection of the Chef’s best dishes by showcasing high-quality ingredients.
The menu
The Signature Saturdays menu at De Mondion’s offers a choice of two or three courses (starters, mains, desserts) priced at €75 or €95 per person respectively. This includes a choice of three starters: Agnolotti with Oxtail, Breton Curry and Yeast; the Xara Gardens ‘Barigoule’ with Piemonte Hazelnut and Local Pecorino; or Cocotte of Gozitan Octopus. For mains you can choose from Scottoma Beef Rossini, Local Line-Caught Seabass, or Tarte Fine of Mushrooms with Sauce Verjus. Dessert is Chocolate Soufflé, cheeses or a Tarte Exotique Doree. You can also opt for the two or three course wine tour for an additional E45 or E60 respectively.
My experience of the Signature Saturdays
Thankfully, De Mondion knows better than to try and be what it’s not. Chef Clint has kept things simple, and the experience is exactly what we expect from this brand. There is nothing of the ‘set menu’ approach, no shortcuts, no rushing you through your meal.
Every dish I tried followed the same concept and used the same level of ingredients that we expect from this restaurant. The barigoule with Piemonte hazelnut and local pecorino was a masterpiece in combining and contrasting ingredients, the crunchy texture of the hazelnut playing off the creaminess of the cheese most delightfully. The Scottona beef was beautifully crusted, juices sealed. I would have expected nothing less.
Dessert was sublime. The tasting menu I attended came with a mille fueille and cinnamon ice cream that were alternately crispy and creamy and altogether glorious. An espresso ristretto completed this well-spent afternoon.
Signature Saturdays at De Mondion: worth the splurge?
De Mondion’s Signature Saturdays lunch offers access to a Michelin star lunch at accessible price points,without sacrificing anything of the experience. No-one is going to call this cheap and cheerful. But then again no-one comes to De Mondion for cheap, although the cheerful is certainly present in bucketfuls. If you’re a wine drinker, the wine add-on is definitely worth the extra spend as they have some excellent vintages going round. I had a really delightful Cuvée Orthogneiss from Domaine de l’Ecu biodynamic, a light white that’s dangerously perfect for summer daytime drinking.
To answer the question are Signature Saturdays at the De Mondion worth it, very much so if you want to enjoy an excellent menu at a Michelin star restaurant at a price point that won’t cost you your kidney.
Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out These Experiences
I received no payment for this write-up and I dined there as part of a press invitation. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the Restaurant had no input/control over what I wrote. No affiliate links are included in this write-up.To learn more about my policies and my writing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page.
