A TOUCH OF NATURE

Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa presents digital artist John Hicks with the exhibition A Touch of Nature on display from the 8th of August and throughout the month, in the reception area of the hotel in Balluta Bay.

Artist John Hicks was born in 1986 in Leicestershire, England. As a young digital creator, he received his B.A. from De Montfort University in his hometown and attended the Post-Graduate program in painting at the Newtown College in Wales, before settling down in Malta in 2012.
In college, Hicks produced tonal drawings, acrylics, oils, alcohol markers and sculptures of still life in clay, bolster and wood. He also experimented with character portraits and busts. A great portion of his time was already dedicated to product design.

Days to Come, by John Hicks

DESTINATION INSPIRED ECLAIRS

On National Chocolate Éclair Day (June 22), Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts launched its first-ever global éclair program in partnership with award-winning Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini. As part of the brand’s new culinary initiative, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts worldwide invite guests to indulge in a variety of modern twists on the chic Parisian treat, including both classic flavours as well as unique creations inspired by the destination. As part of the programme, Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa offers modern takes on three signature éclair recipes – coffee, chocolate and vanilla – as well as locally inspired flavours.

To commemorate the launch of Le Méridien éclairs, Le Méridien hotels globally are hosting on-property events, programs and special offerings highlighting the delectable French treat, from do-it-yourself (DIY) tutorials with on-property Pastry Chefs to regular éclair hours for guests to sample seasonal creations. 
 

THE LIVING WORLD EXHIBITION

Le MERIDIEN in Malta encourages creativity, promotes the arts and unlocks your destination with an inspiring perspective.

The 5 star hotel, as a creative hub that highlights arts and culture on the island, presents The Living World painting exhibition by Chloe Waterfield. This grasping display of art will be on show at the hotel throughout July.

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL

Born in England and raised in Malta, Chloe Waterfield belongs to this upcoming generation of artists who have roots everywhere. Ever since she began experimenting with art, she has sought her inspiration from all corners of the globe. To her, nature is limitless and without borders. This powerful message expresses itself in her art. Chloe has been determined to succeed from a very young age. She took charge of her career in a committed fashion by hosting a series of exhibitions and readings called The Contemporaries. She actively participated in collective exhibitions including the Dolmen Arts Expression in 2011.

With her first solo exhibition The Art Instinct in 2013, Chloe Waterfield's style finally came to the fore. Her works can be described as semi-abstract pieces inspired by Paleolithic art. But not only.They are also colourful celebrations of the world's endangered species inspired by Franz Marc.This solo exhibition was a launching pad for her international career which has since seen her works exhibited in the Traces of Life juried show in the US.

Chloe takes her inspiration from artists who have, in their work, made nature more dynamic, including Van Gogh, Franz Marc, Salvador Dali and Georgia O'Keeffe. Her strongest influence, however, comes from the painted caves of Europe. The very beginning of art history, after all. 

INSPIRING INNOVATION

Now her career is about to take its next flight with another solo exhibition at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa. An appealing display targeting the creative hotel guests and visitors of Le Méridien, which she hopes “will have a David Attenborough’s effect on people. I want to show them the beauty and the diversity of nature, to make them appreciate it before it's too late.”

This upcoming exhibition focuses on several of Chloe's signature styles: semi-abstract and vivid Paleolithic-inspired paintings depicting some of the most fascinating species. As an innovative venture for this artist, the exhibition will also include a new series of works: Endangered Peoples focusing on the world's most endangered tribes, unveiling their identity through varied techniques. This is a must-seen for all art enthusiasts in search of new inspiring perspectives.

The Living World exhibition, curated by Joe D. Hamilton, will be on display until the 31^st of July at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa.

Cooking with Reuben

Reuben Grixti, Executive Head Chef at Le MERIDIEN St Julians Hotel & Spa presents:

PACCHERI PANCETTA PASTA

An amazingly tasty pasta dish!

INGREDIENTS

500g paccheri pasta
100g pancetta
40g sundried tomatoes
30g onions
12 ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml white wine
80ml chicken stock
60ml fresh cream
30g fresh spinach





METHOD

Chop the pancetta, the onions and the sundried tomatoes. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add the diced pancetta and the chopped onions. Sauté over a medium heat until the onions are a nice light golden brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until your preparation is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and the chopped sundried tomatoes. Simmer gently for a few minutes. Reserve and keep warm. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until Al Dente. This ideal cooking point is soft but holds shape, and is starchy enough for your sauce to stick on to perfection. Drain well and transfer the cooked paccheri into the sauce. Add the fresh cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate, garnish with fresh spinach tossed in extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Tell us what you think about this recipe and/or if you find ways to personalize it!
Taste this dish at KuDeTa Lounge & Bar, level 3 of the hotel, throughout summer.
www.kudeta-restaurant.com 

It smells like BBQ...

With the heat of the peak season, outdoor venues flourish on the island, opening their doors to visitors in search of a great summery vibe and a pleasant evening breeze. Le Méridien in Balluta Bay presents the re-opening of an inspiring fashionable outlet worth experiencing this summer: La Bajja Restaurant.

La Bajja outdoor restaurant, on the rooftops of Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa, unveils a different perspective on the Mediterranean Sea. Indeed, this inspiring summer venue offers an unexpected viewpoint on pretty Balluta Bay and its surroundings. Perched on the 12^th floor of the hotel, you will enjoy fantastic views and a welcomed refreshing summer breeze whilst indulging in Le Méridien creative cuisine.

La Bajja opens to food-enthusiastic visitors for a summer dining experience on the grill two evenings per week starting on July, 2nd. Fish lovers are in for a mid-week treat with Pesci ai Ferri every Wednesday evening at €28 per person. On Friday, Le Méridien reinvents our summer classic with a traditional barbecue at €26.50 per person.

Let yourself be enchanted by this unusual venue, up and away from our usual wining and dining whereabouts.

Visit lemeridienmalta.com/labajja or call 2311 0000 to book your dining experience.

SUI GENERIS EXHIBITION

Naomi Gatt and Claudia Muscat have combined their artistic talents to present a colourful and varied array of exhibits under the common title SUI GENERIS.  This unique painters’ exhibition is being hosted at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa in Balluta Bay. Indeed, the hotel has consistently established itself as a mecca for Maltese and foreign artists alike over the past 7 years.

Naomi Gatt is a graphic designer and owns a first degree in Communication and Psychology. The mastering of these two essential elements of human interactions enables her to express her inner feelings in poignant and surprisingly accurate female facial expressions.  She has playful traits which bring out unexpected renderings in her depiction of common objects.  Naomi has dabbled with various topics and different media, however what lures her most is the capturing of faces.  The viewer is transported to the soul of the painting through the eyes of these inspiring portraits. It is a very powerful way for Naomi Gatt to bring her deepest emotions to the forefront of her exhibits. She chooses simple, nearly depurated images and transforms them into intense art depictions.

by Naomi Gatt. All rights reserved.

LE MERIDIEN WEDDING SHOWCASE

Are you ready to start organizing your dream wedding? So is Le Méridien St Julians

Hotel & Spa. The contemporary 5 star hotel is opening its doors for its yearly display of prestigious wedding services. Visit Le Méridien in Balluta Bay on Saturday 25^th of January from 4pm till 10pm or on Sunday 26^th from 11am till 7pm and get the right inspiration for your special day.

Year after year, Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa builds on its professional reputation as a wedding venue and catering provider, with successful yet very unique wedding celebrations. To strengthen its dynamic perspective and give a real feel of its venues, the hotel is indeed organizing its 4^th consecutive wedding showcase. The showcase will include stands from reputed companies: Jigami hairdressers, Wedding Bells, Floral Art, Boo & Co, John’s Garage, Bow & Ribbon, 202 Jewellery, Tunin Entertainment, AV Warehouse, Cefai Formal Wear, Mark Cilia Photography, PartyGoods, Love is… and House of Beauty.

“We are delighted by the enthusiastic response of our wedding partners”, explains Elyse Borg, Events Manager at Le Méridien. “Our showcase has become a key event in terms of wedding organization and our team is committed to make this year’s edition another successful one. It is the perfect opportunity for future brides and grooms to taste the creative recipes of our kitchen brigade and to get a feel of our venues with breath-taking wedding set-ups.”

Together with their partner 202 Jewellery, the hotel is also extending an exclusive wedding promotion: all the couples who book their wedding celebrations with Le Méridien during the Wedding Showcase will be rewarded with up to €500 towards the jewellery of their choice*! Le Méridien Wedding Showcase: because passion is in the details that really matter.

*conditions apply: contact events.malta@lemeridien.com for additional information

www.lemeridienmalta.com/wedding_brochure

www.facebook.com/maltaweddings

events.malta@lemeridien.com

T - 2311 0000

CHRISTMAS & LATITUDES

Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa in Balluta Bay marked the beginning of its Festive Season last Friday, with an innovative media launch celebrating Christmas under different latitudes.

Giant Christmas cake on the theme "Christmas and Latitudes"

On Friday 29^th of November, the entire management team of the 5 star hotel joined efforts to present their clients and patrons with an enchanted atmosphere on the occasion of the official festive season opening, baptized Christmas & Latitudes. Doors opened at 8pm with a Children’s choir interpreting various carols and embarking invitees onto a merry and sweet-sounding universe as soon as they stepped in the main lobby. The choir, presented by LMMalta ambassador Edward Mercieca and his renowned Stage Coach School, was composed of 65 enthusiastic and talented children who managed to grab the undivided attention of the audience in just a few notes.

For the event, as well as for the whole month of December, the hotel has been magically dressed in its most fancy apparatus: a detailed and tasteful decoration in line with the chosen theme. Wood work, figurines and accessories have been set throughout the floors, reflecting native scenes and celebratory customs from various continents. An unusual yet didactic Christmas surrounding that is in itself an inspiring experience for adults and children alike.  

Guests were greeted upon arrival with a welcome drink and gathered in front of a giant Christmas cake, a surprising and astonishing creation by Le Méridien kitchen brigade. The cake, representing a giant compass and highlights from each and every continent, was presented and cut in the introductory phase of the evening. Portions of it were sold throughout the following weekend in an effort to gather funds for l-Istrina. Guests were then invited to follow the hotel team to LM AIM center on the 1^st floor of the premises where a myriad of other entertaining surprises were awaiting them.

To warm up the dance floor, 16 dancers of Stage Coach performed a flag dance, setting the tone of a successful party indeed. After this uplifting performance, Marie Therese Vassallo, Director of Malta Cultural Institute and part of LMMalta, shared her mezzo-soprano voice with everyone through the moving song Let there be peace on earth.  This number marked the start of an entertaining night where a three-piece band encouraged guests to let their hair down and fill in the dance floor with their best groovy moves. Food was certainly not left to chance, as Executive Head Chef Reuben Grixti and his team took the opportunity to display mouth-watering themed corners, allowing invitees to have a taste of Le Méridien’s promising Christmas & Latitudes menus.

Online Christmas brochure: www.lemeridienmalta.com/christmasbrochure2013

Online booking: www.lemeridienmalta.com/forms/christmas

Groups, bookings and enquiries:  christmas.malta@lemeridien.com 

Christmas & Latitudes

Christmas wears luxurious scents of discovery this year at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa. The creative management team has taken out a compass and drawn bridges across oceans, showing their clientele directions to festive traditions and countless rituals all over the world. The hotel will be unfolding all their menus, Christmas-related activities and decorations around one unique – yet inspiring - focal point: the many customs and traditions celebrated under different latitudes at this time of year.  

Year after year, Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa always strives to present a new refreshing angle to its Christmas and New Year’s Eve options. Everything is carefully thought through to provide visitors with a renewed and enchanted experience. With this in mind, and throughout the past Christmas seasons, the hotel has in turn invited us to a Christmas Factory, engulf us magically in a fairy tale atmosphere and inspire us with a musical approach. Le Méridien’s inspiration goes across borders this year with a merry season entitled “Christmas & Latitudes”. 

 "Our Christmas & Latitudes brochure has been conceived like a boarding pass, opening doors to a multitude of new horizons", explains Melissa DeGabriele, Senior Marketing Executive at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa. "It presents our menu options of course, all articulated around the selected theme, but it is also filled with fun facts, quotes and QR codes, allowing the reader a dynamic and interactive approach to his selection process." Indeed, Le Méridien Christmas & Latitudes brochure invites the reader to learn about myths and dishes, dances and customs, unusual tastes and colourful folklore. Whilst flicking through this extensive list of dinners, lunches and parties; one can also unveil some interesting cultural facts and inspiring quotes that join the dots of true international celebrations. This is a wide-range theme that allows space for the expected traditional Christmas spirit, but taken to a whole new and different level. 

CHRISTMAS & LATITUDES

Our entire hotel team is proud to present our innovative Christmas theme: this year, we are taking you around the world for the end-of-year festivities!

Our Christmas brochure is live:

HOPS & FORK

your favourite beer on a silver plate

Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. But beer is more than just a drink. Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa, in partnership with Farsons, explores the unlimited possibilities of the rich flavours contained in a pint and demonstrates the versatility of that ancestral brewed recipe. Until the 25th of October, the culinary theme at KuDéTa Lounge & Bar is beer, with special offers, à-la-carte beer pairing menu, weekend entertainment and giveaways. A 5-star approach to malt and ale, which promises to seduce crowds of beer enthusiasts.

Did you know that lagers go very well with fish and white meat dishes, whereas ales pair well with smoked, barbecued food and red meats? Well, that’s only one of the many tricks that Le Méridien creative kitchen brigade will be using for the delight of our taste buds in the coming week. Throughout the Hops & Forks initiative at KuDéTa Lounge & Bar, visitors will be able to avail themselves from a unique a-la-carte menu with tantalizing items such as asparagus ravioli with a Blue Label Ale beurre blanc, beef stroganoff gnocchi with a Guinness and truffle cream sauce or ginger and Cisk Export cake with hazelnut ice-cream. But that’s not it. A lot of other dishes are on offer with surprising and inspiring accompaniments such as Hopleaf Pale Ale cream sauce, Woodpecker sauce, bacon compote infused with beer and so on. Other interesting highlights include black shell mussels cooked with Cisk Lager and even a choice of homemade pizzas with a sumptuous beer dough.

Sunday Lunch the way YOU like it

With the winter season approaching, the heart-warming Sunday lunch tradition resumes itself all over the island. Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa has successfully revisited the formula and revived the concept. For the upcoming months at Scirocco restaurant, everyone is really spoiled for choice. Whether you are vegetarian, gluten intolerant, on a sugar free diet or just very hungry, the new Le Méridien Sunday lunch menu gives you plenty of options.