No smoking restaurants

I have had a supposedly encouraging response to my request for no-smoking restaurants to contact me. I say supposedly because only one of them is totally "non-smoking". Thus today we are only adding one restaurant - the Coastline Hotel's Main Restaurant - to our list. Although it is only just joining, it has been a no smoking restaurant for the past ten years. Thus our current no smoking restaurants list is:

Il-Veduta Pizzeria and Restaurant, Saqqajja Square, Rabat RBT 12

"Smoke-free" section totally separated from other smoking areas with a separate entrance. Tel: 2145-4666, fax: 2145-4660, e-mail veduta@global.net.mt. Open for dinner on Friday and Sunday from 6 p.m. (last orders 11 p.m.); on Saturday from 6 p.m. (last orders 11 p.m.).

The Copperfields restaurant at The Victoria Hotel, George Borg Olivier Street, Sliema, is a totally "no smoking" restaurant. Tel: 2133- 4711. Website www.victoriahotel. com; e-mail: victoria@victoriahotel.com.

The Chinese Story Bay Street Complex. A totally "no smoking" restaurant. Tel: 2372-2800. Owner/manager, Ms Yong Qian. Website www.chinesestory.com.mt.

The Triton Restaurant Preluna Hotel & Towers, Tower Road, Sliema. A completely 'no smoking' restaurant. Open for lunch (12.30-2.30 p.m.) and dinner (6.30-9.30 p.m.). Tel: 2133-4001; fax 2133-7281; e-mail: info@preluna-hotel.com. Website www.preluna. com.

Stazzjon Restaurant, Mtarfa Road, Rabat, has a no smoking area separate from the smoking area. They have separate doors, and a dividing wall with closed windows. Tel: 2145-1717; fax: 2145-6377.

The Coastline Hotel's Main Restaurant, Salina Bay, Salina SPB 08. Tel: 2157-3781; fax: 2158-1104. Website: www.islandhotels.com; e-mail: info@coastline. com.mt. Open for dinner seven nights a week as well as for Sunday lunches.

Another outlet worthy of a mention is Rausi Co Ltd's Little People, the Baby Shop which has been a "no smoking" outlet for the past ten years. Indeed while on the subject of Little People I must hereby quote some excerpts from an article sent to me by my ally Dr Mario Spiteri with a particular focus on the fact that medical research confirms that babies and children exposed to second hand smoke are:

¤ Twice as likely to have asthma attacks and chest infections;

¤ More likely to need hospital care in their first year of life;

¤ Off sick from school more often;

¤ More likely to get more coughs, colds, and wheezes;

¤ Much higher risk of cot death than the children of non-smokers;

¤ Increased risk of meningitis; and

¤ Increased risk of getting 'glue ear', which can lead to partial deafness.

I strongly believe that smoking parents of children who, on reading the above, are not prepared to refrain from smoking in the presence of their children, are not worthy of being parents.