Top Four Date Spots In Malta This Winter: Mistletoe, Wine, Dine And…
Pizza, pasta, steak tartare, fillet of seabass, bao buns, BBQ ribs, duck, goat, pheasant, scorpions and crocodiles. I’ve tried it all. So why shouldn’t I check out what Malta has to offer – and see whether some top spots live up to expectations?
Here is the first-ever installment of “Drew Chews Food“, where I’ll be reviewing restaurants – chowing down on some top-notch scran and munch my way through plates from across the island.
In this edition, I took four people out on a date to review various restaurants so you know where to take your next date!
Date Night One: Hidden Dinner At Emma’s Kitchen
Korean Fried Cauliflower Wings at Emma's Kitchen in San Gwann
Date night number one was at Emma’s Kitchen in San Ġwann. A quiet restaurant filled to the brim with plants, located on the corner of Triq In-Naxxar.
It was time to treat my friend to a meal – we hadn’t seen each other in over a year. And we wanted somewhere quiet without loads of noise. So Emma’s kitchen was the perfect choice.
We decided to share six tapas dishes between the two of us:
- Burrata, Bidni EVOO, Darmanin salt flakes
- Oyster mushroom Bao (2), pickled ginger, sriracha mayo
- Korean Fried Cauliflower (spicy)
- Grilled calamari, nuoc cham
- Pork Keftedes, yoghurt, gravy
- Steamed Duck gyoza
We opted for an old-fashioned beer to wash it all down with.
Top marks for the Burrata , the Korean fried cauliflower was lovely but should definitely be served with an assortment of dips.
Arguably the best dishes on the menu were the Pork Keftedes that were to die for, whilst the duck gyoza were so moreish.
My date and I both agreed that the grilled calamari was too chewy and the bao buns though nice, there was something missing for us both.
All-in-all, not bad at all.
(Emma’s Kitchen gets a 7.5 out of 10)
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Date Number Two: Brunch At Two Buoys
View of the bay from Two Buoys in St Julian's
Brunch in Malta. Is there anywhere better to go than Two Buoys? If there is, please get in-touch!
Two Buoys in St Julian’s is a well-known hotspot and for me takes the crown of the best brunch on the island. I’m already salivating at the thought of the food I devoured just days earlier.
A boozy brunch, we tried the Huskie Craft Beer – whic is brewed by Two Buoys owner, Jesse himself and is only available at Two Buoys and their sister-restaurant in Valletta, Elephant Shoe. They claim it’s “the only craft draught Maltese-Australian beer in Europe”.
The pint on draught that I went for had citrus notes and cost €7.50.
My brunch date went for:
- The Melbourne Bagel with avocado, spinach, turmeric hollandaise, poached eggs.
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Meanwhile I went for what I thought was the glaringly obvious choice…
- Jesse’s Dream – which consisted of Rib eye, chorizo, chimichurri sauce, fried egg layered over a crispy toast.
For good measure I added bacon and halloumi, and boy, am I glad I did. I think this was not only the best brunch I’ve ever had in Malta but probably one of my favourite meals in living memory. The following day we returned and went for the Aussie Burger, the Spaghetti Bolognese and another ‘Jesse’s Dream’.
THIS MEAL WAS ORGASMIC!!!
Expats often complain about the quality of meat here in Malta. More specifically the quality of bacon.
This was the best bacon I’ve ever had. The owner was warm and welcoming – and had a great sense of humour too funny. Service with a smile makes a big difference.
Two Buoys gets top marks for their brunch. I don’t usually give full marks, but it’s impossible not to.
(Two Buoys – 10 out of 10).
Date Number Three: ‘The Messy Date’ at Sticky Fingers BBQ
Huge mouth-watering ribs at Sticky Fingers BBQ at Spinola Bay in St Julians
Smoked, dried, aged. It was time for the meatiest of all meals and I was really looking forward to tasting the food on offer at Spinola Bay’s ‘Sticky Fingers BBQ’ (Taking up the unit that Ryan’s was located).
Cisk Excel for me, and strangely enough cups of English tea for my date.
Mano the owner welcomed us with open arms and a smile that would win over anybody. Meanwhile, Wendy and Sandra were our servers and kept our glasses full and were incredibly attentive.
It was time to order. I hadn’t eaten all day as I knew this was going to be a big meal. Mano gave us several recommendations and pointed us towards the most popular plates on the menu.
We decided to share a starter and opted for the:
- Sticky Fingers Food Plate (which contained Nachos topped with chili-con-carne and cheese with BBQ wings and onion rings on the side)
It. Was. Epic. And the chilli-con-carne was perfect (just the way my mama use to make it). With a cigarette in between to ‘cleanse the palette’ we returned to a table stacked with meat!
Our main courses – which we shared – had arrived:
- Smoked & The Grilled Rib Combo
- Pulled Pork & The Smoked Rib Combo
The meat just fell off the bone at the slightest touch and the flavours were intense. A great place to go on a date if you’re both extremely hungry!
(Sticky Fingers BBQ gets a 9.8 out of 10)
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Date Night Number Four: Capital Date Night At ‘Taste’
The final date night was a visit to Valletta to check out ‘Taste‘.
We were greeted by co-owner Steven Leuellen who seated us and made some menu recommendations. Drinks first, where I went for a cheeky pint of Cisk Excel (watching the pounds as always), whilst my date opted for red wine – and eventually finished a whole bottle.
- Acuerello risotto, caramelized cauliflower guanciale, comte (cheese) raisin and caper puree
- Taleggio agnolotti , black truffle, brown butter, almond
- Crispy free range hens egg, marinated mushrooms, hazelnut cream, balsamic vinaigrette
- Salmon, grapefruit, fennel and beetroot salad, creme fraiche, squid ink cracker
- Valrhona 70% chocolate ganache, cherry jam, cacao nib tuile with milk ice cream
This was a truly well-designed mix of plates and afterwards we were absolutely stuffed. The Taleggio agnolotti with black truffle was stunning and was the highlight of the evening.
The salmon with grapefruit was a surprisingly complementary pairing which I’d certainly go back for!
Overall, I’d give Taste in Valletta (9 out of 10)
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