Sa Re Me Ga : Fortina continued; Indian food for beginners

30th December 2012, Sliema, Malta
The Sa Re Me Ga, which appears to be the name of an Indian music company and the first four notes of a seven note octave in Indian music has been a fixture in the dine around at the Fortina for many years, and serves a middle of the road upmarket Indian food for people who may not be accustomed to Vindaloo, or even Madras.
It has been fairly reliable over the years. This year, as a five * all inclusive guest, it left a little to desire as an operation, although the food is fine.
Firstly, we were offered only a very late sitting on booking (you have to book) and when we arrived, it was almost empty. Some friends, who had been earlier in the evening, said it had not been any more full all evening, so I am not sure what the point was here: they don't have much in the way of staff, so may be they cannot cope with more than two or three tables at a time.
The menu is short: in fact it is the shortest menu for an Indian Restaurant I have ever seen. There is no information on the web site, but for the meals on offer, there is only about a choice of 6 main dishes. In the past for an inclusive guest's meal there had been poppadoms, pickle, raita and dhal included, but that had all gone. Perhaps you had to ask for it as extra. Actually we were made to feel that as an all inclusive guest (who are not permitted on a Saturday night) they were doing us a favour in serving us, and we did not go there a second time although the food was good.
I started with a classic shami kebab which is what I would have had back in the UK

You can't tell from this picture, except the slice of cucumber as a standard, just how big this is: it is not big, and is far smaller than the portion I might expect to receive in London. It was about a 7 on the CHOF scale, and I shared my wife's chicken tikkah.

For main we shared a chicken and a lamb dish. Cannot remember exactly what the name was, but the quality  was excellent, but it could have been a little warmer. No raita, no dhal, but I think there was a garlic naan, which would have been called a paratha elsewhere.

I judge this place by the standards I am used to, and whilst the food was fine, the choice was indifferent, and this was spice flavour rather than spice hot.

The deserts offered were a bit of a joke: two scoops of icecream or rice pudding.

Clearly they were interested in cash customers and resented our all inclusive presence. If that is the case, they should simply opt out of the arrangement.

If you go as a paying customer, I gather it is quite pricey by London standards, and I understand you pay 38 Euros for the set menu, which is probably twice what I would expect to pay here.