“Patatas bravas”… tiny, round potatoes stuffed with chilli, saffron aioli, chives and citrus salt. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Burnt cheesecake… creamy. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder… with a combination of beans, sage, garlic and tomato. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Fioretto… chunks of pecorino and the vegetable carefully placed on top of a romesco sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Spatchcock… tender and succulent with whole baby carrots (orange, yellow and red), chickpeas and chermoula butter. Photo: Wendy Johnson

“Tabla de Embutidos”… Spanish smallgoods, including thinly sliced, spicy meats, house-made pickles, olives and manchego. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The tastes, sounds and feel of the Mediterranean blend beautifully at a new restaurant Saint Malo, which opened on London Circuit, Civic, a couple of weeks ago, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON. 

THE food at Saint Malo was excellent and sooo tasty. We’ll be back for those unique flavours, which have been celebrated over centuries, and with good reason. 

It was Father’s Day, and the set menu was $95 for two courses and $110 for three. 

We started with a sangria, created with Spanish flare ($16). Saint Malo makes its sangria with either red, white or rose and the intensity of citrus fruits, brandy, triple sec and orange juice was gorgeously balanced. We loved the slightly fizzy finish.

For entrée, Saint Malo offered the “Tabla de Embutidos”, a selection of Spanish smallgoods, including thinly sliced, spicy meats, house-made pickles, olives, manchego and more. It certainly stimulated our taste buds.

We opted for the meats for mains, over the vegetarian option. The tender and succulent spatchcock was a hit with whole baby carrots (orange, yellow and red), chickpeas and an exciting chermoula butter. Our only recommendation would be to include a carrot for each guest (the dish came with three and we were a table of five). Equally tender was the slow-cooked lamb shoulder with a lovely combination of beans, sage, garlic and tomato. It fell off the bone.

Mains for the vegetarian section of the menu included Spanish-style vegan meatballs and a paella, which sounded delicious.

The set menu included fabulous “patatas bravas”, tiny round potatoes stuffed with chilli, saffron aioli, chives and citrus salt. A winning dish and creatively different. We also loved the “fioretto” with chunks of pecorino and the vegetable carefully placed on top of a romesco sauce. 

Dessert was pretty on the plate and not overwhelmingly sweet. The burnt cheesecake was creamy, and a glass biscuit was set in a dollop of Chantilly cream.

The wine list is extensive. We were surprised to find only a couple of Spanish options. 

Saint Malo’s décor is light, bright and airy with plenty of sunlight streaming through massive windows. The outdoor area will be fabulous when the weather warms up.

As with any new restaurant, kinks need to be ironed out. I booked online but there was no mention of a set menu that I found, so we were surprised on arrival. Confusion took over with seating. I booked to sit in the arches area, but we initially landed in a section of the restaurant at a table large enough to seat 10 near the front door. We asked to move. 

Terribly annoying was the staff sorting out cutlery in the open-concept kitchen. It was so loud and disruptive we asked our waiter to have it stopped. Not great for ambience.