The Malta Food Experiment
So our Honeymoon was set for Malta.
Why Malta, you may ask?
Well, we wanted something different, with nice weather and historic things to visit. Located in the middle of the Meditaranean Sea, Malta seemed perfect. And it was relatively easy to get to, Ottawa-Frankfurt-Malta and hop!
Food in Malta is not renowned as gourmet cuisine, but it is reasonably priced and there are plenty of locations to choose from. Foreign influences still play a major role in the local cuisine. The islands’ proximity to Sicily leads inevitably to many pasta dishes and pizzerias; the Brits also left their mark - fish and chips, obviously. The Mediterranean stamp is there, with olive oil being omnipresent, and fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes and green peppers, are commonly used. Fresh fish is easily found and proudly offered. Abundant, it comes poached, steamed, braised or grilled.
The national dish of Malta is fried rabbit. But you can also find rabbit in stews and in pasta. Interestingly enough, we failed to see any rabbits around the islands. Another regional meat dish is bragioli. It is made with thin slices of beef wrapped round a minced meat, egg and bacon stuffing.
Other local delicacies include Gbejna, a sheep’s milk cheese, served either fresh or half-dried. It comes from Gozo, it looks like boccocinni, but it is much more firm. Also, the Maltese bread, called Hobz, is very crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, and is heavily consumed on the islands. Ftira is another bread, higher end, denser.
After visiting Malta’s National War Museum and walking around the city, it was time for lunch. We picked Cocopazzo, a small place, located on Triq Nofs in-Nhar, which was recommended in our guidebooks. We were not disappointed. We were hungry early, so the place was not really busy. Colourful, cozy, unpretentious, with great service and great food.
From left to right: Cocopazzo’s cozy atmosphere; complimentary bread pieces, oven-toasted with herbs and olive oil; we shared some delicious rabbit stuffed ravioli to start; I went for the mixed fish grill (red snapper filet, tuna filet, swordfish, shrimp - quite dense) served with fresh vegetables, 20€ ; Melissa went for the fried calamari on a bed of greens, fresh and tender, 13€; and it all came with a side of steamed vegetables, more food than we could consume.
Our second meal out, the next day, was after a 10 km walk, from Sliema’s waterfront back to Valletta, through Gzira, Ta’ Xbiex, Msida, Pieta’, Hamrun and Floriana. It was a long walk under the baking sun of Malta, and we were ready for something civilized. We just happened to end up in front of Valetta’s 5 star hotel, the Phoenicia, so we went in to enjoy lunch on The Phoenix’s terrace, which had a nice view of some of Valletta’s fortification system.
I went for the classic Maltese Ftira, left, another local bread. Totally mediterranean, with tuna, onions, capers, tomatoes and black olives. Plenty of olive oil to bring everything together. It came with a little basket of potato chips and a mini-salad, for 7€. Melissa picked the Chicken Baguette, garnished with bacon and smoked cheddar. It was served with a mediterranean salad for 8.50€. Despite the 5 stars, and sharing the terrace with Ladies and Gentleman directly out of Falcon Crest, this was a nice lunch and not too pricey.
That night, after a romantic dinner in our apartment, we decided to wander down to the Marsamxett Yacht Club, which was calling on us with its bright flashing lights. Great thing was, their was soccer on and they had a big screen outdoors to broadcast Malta’s BOV Premier League games.
The soccer wasn’t memorable, and it wasn’t live, so the fans weren’t too excited as they knew the results. What was exciting however, was the FREE CHICKEN WINGS!! and the tomato, olives and onions covered and smothered bread that came along. Similar to bruschetta, but so different at the same time. The wings were not saucy, just a subtle spice and herb blend, and they were also whole, nothing removed.
Malta doesn’t have a lot of sandy beaches, but there are a few, which of course are very popular. But frankly, so are the lidos and rock beaches. But we decided to walk along the sea all the way from the Ferry terminal in Sliema to St. George’s Bay. Now, It’s not a natural sand beach, but we didn’t mind. After the very long walk along the beautiful shore, we were quite hungry. We needed to cool down too. So we decided to skip the AC-less tourist trap right by the beach and kept walking towards the Corinthia Hotel.
There was a lot of choices at the Corinthia - the place is huge. However, most of them were either too busy, too expensive, too closed or simply too uninspiring. So we ended up joyfully at Henry J. Beans Bar and Grill. Melissa described the place as a British being American joint. But hey, it was quiet, it had AC, cold beer, and friendly staffers.
I was at first tempted by The Challenge. Henry J. Beans was asking me, directly: “Are you man enough?”
Half-grilled chicken. 8oz rump steak. A full rack of ribs. For a meagre 40€.
I failed to rise to The Challenge. Apparently, my wife believes I had nothing to prove. That’s my spin anyway.
So I went for the full Rackin’ Ribs - 14€. To be healthy, I asked for baked potatoes instead of fries, but these were smothered in butter and salt. There was coleslaw on the side, a tad watery. The ribs were tender, the sauce, inoffensive but still correct. Mel picked the Chickel Schnitzel, I guess to have a comparable for our upcoming stop in Frankurt. Here came two pieces of breaded chicken breast, which were tender and crispy, and all the fixings, served on a panini-style rustic bread, for 11.50€. She asked for the fries, which were classic british-style chips, thick, golden, starchy.
Malta being an archipelego, we had to go on a cruise. And who says cruise says food and drinks. So we boarded the Atlantis, operated by Captain Morgan Cruises for a cruise around Malta, with a stop at Comino in the Blue Lagoon.
Along with the cruise, they promised a delicious Cold Buffet consisting of a selection of cold meat cuts, 8 different salads, fresh fruits, maltese bread and local wine.
The selection of cold cuts was interesting, and certainly better than we expected. I could not find 8 salads, but it was relatively good and fresh. Talking of fresh, the available fruit - no so - was the orange. The wine was in a fountain and was not the highlight of the cruise, that’s for sure. But hey, it was included, so I had a few glasses.
We mostly had light breakfasts at our place. I could add watching the sun rise, but that wouldn’t be credible.
But one morning, we decided to go out and find some breakfast. A few steps from our appartment, up on Old Theatre Street, was a small Italian place called Primavera Cafe. We arrived just before the mid-morning rush, and were served quicky. I picked a classic italian rice ball, with a bolognese filling. It was rich, the texture was fantastic. It came with potato chips, which was weird, and a small salad with corn. Mel went for a grilled breakfast sandwich, with egg, cheese and pancetta and it was also very good. She did enjoy her coffee too. As you can see, it was smiling at her.
One of our side trips included a trip to the medieval fortified city of Mdina, Malta’s old capital, and its suburb Rabat. The Maltese fortifications are in mint conditions, there are some roman ruins right outside the walls, and there are catacombs. Everything to make us hungry. So once we had contemplated St. Paul’s Cathedral in Rabat long enough, we walked into The Grotto Tavern.
We were the last ones in for the lunch hour, and the franco-maltese couple happily served us. It is a self-described Franco-Maltese restaurant, but it clearly has Italian influences. The main rooms in the restaurant are neat and cozy, rustic french furniture and decorations. Old French music was playing in the background. The Lady owner brought us down to the actual grotto, which they use as a wine cellar. Classic. The Gentillhomme owner has his own show on Maltese TV.
I had the Bragioli. It came with french fries, which were hot and crispy. The Bragioli was interesing. Tasty thin slices of beef wrapped round ground beef, a hard boiled egg and some bacon, served in a rich tomato sauce garnished with green peas. It reminded me of my mother’s Gibelotte - which is not at all what the traditionnal Gibelotte is supposed to be, but nevermind. Melissa went for the Calabrese Pizza. Big pieces of spicy Italian sausages on a very decent pie. The cheese was stringy with a hint of sweetness. Overall, a must if you are in Rabat.
Malta has a rich military history, forts, watchtowers, museums, etc… We usually avoided to eat on location, but on this day it simply didn’t work out. We ended up grabbing lunch at Fort Rinella, a British Colonial Strongpoint which claims to have the largest cannon in the world.
A couple of ham and cheese sandwich, lots of bread, real cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, lots of bread, and we added mayo and mustard to help with the lots of bread. Not that the bread was dry, it was actually quite fresh. But there was lots of bread. On the side, Melissa was quite excited to see that they were selling Walkers, a british brand of potato chips. I went for the Ready Salted, she picked Cheese & Onion. I didn’t find them exciting, correct but not memorable. We grabbed a couple of muffins as part of the combo, and with a drink, it costed us a little over 10€. Not bad at all.
The Valletta Waterfront is a very touristic area, so we basically avoided it. It is where the big cruise ships arrive, unload, and where the tourists walk 50 feets and stop to enjoy this string of made-for-toursit shops, restaurants and night clubs. They set their traps in the nineteen historical 250-year-old sumptuous warehouses. “The Valletta Waterfront… Yours to Discover.”
The first time we walked on the promenade, though, I couldn’t help but notice of piece of marketing from Browns: “Probably the best steak in Malta.” We had to go. So we did. Browns is located in Vault 13 and is the latest addition to the Valletta Waterfront. The interior is basically a two storey dance club, so we decided to sit outside, right by the water-taxi station. We had a great view of the Grand Harbour and Fort St. Angelo.
We couldn’t pass on the Maltese Ravioli stuffed with goat cheese and served with tomato sauce. The goat cheese was mild, but thankfully the tomato sauce was not overpowering. The ravioli were well cooked, and the garnish was fresh. As a main, Melissa went for the Tagliata di Manzo, sliced beef served with rosemary, pepper balls and a hint of olive oil. The meat was delicious, very powerful flavour and cooked perfectly. It came with fries, thick but crispy, and a small garden salad.
As for me, well, I went for probably the best steak in Malta. The Beef Fillet Special Browns:
There you have it.
A superb beef filet, I would estimate it at 20 oz. Topped with bacon, mushrooms and mozzarella.
This was definitely the best steak I had in Malta. Tender meat, done medium-rare as requested, with crispy bacon, tasty mushrooms and plenty of mozzarella to finish it all. The sides were overshadowed by this majestic piece of beef. As soon as I finished it, the wife solemnly announce that I was going off red meat for the month of September. I was too full to protest.
