Review: New York Two Michelin Star Chef Takes On Maltese Flavours In Exquisite Eight Course Meal
When chef-owner Paul Liebrandt of New York City’s Corton restaurant announced he was teaming up with Ion Harbour’s chef Alex Dilling for a “very special” eight-course meal over two nights, foodies in Malta really had one decision: were they booking the first or second night?
Having been awarded two Michelin stars, Liebrandt has developed a name for himself as a daring, experimental chef – and a new documentary, ‘A Matter Of Taste’, filmed over a decade, shows his driven and particular personality and style firsthand.
Alongside a showing of the film, Liebrandt and Dilling served up an eight-course meal in the Michelin starred-rooftop restaurant Ion Harbour, exploring Malta’s shellfish, citrus flavours and even rabbit for €250 a head.
Chef Paul Liebrandt
Lovin Malta was invited to check out the eight courses at ION Harbour, starting with an amuse-bouche featuring a gentle mixture of different textures, including some smoky eel flavours, truffle and plum vermouth to start things off right.
Amuse-bouche
Course One: Aged Kaluga Caviar
Potato, Gillardeau Oyster, “Vichyssoise”
Little delicate pearls of different flavours surrounded a circle of aged Kaluga caviar and a Crème fraîche sauce on top to kick off the meal in true fashion. One pearl offered a soft burst of oyster; another delivered the simplicity of soft potato, all while surrounded by decadence.
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Course Two: Rouget
Bouillabaisse of Baby Pink Prawns, Sepia, Blood Orange
Definitely one of the most interesting dishes I’ve had in a while, and you could see Liebrandt all over this dish, translating his interpretation of Maltese flavours onto the plate.
It’s also important to note that pottery itself was beautiful, encompassing a spicy thick gooey sauce that absolutely landing for me alongside the soft delicate white flesh of the prawns. While my partner wasn’t a big fan of the orange notes in the sauce, I thought it brought out the subtleties the rest of the dish in a brilliant way.
Course two and three
Course Three: Ballotine Of Maltese Rabbit
Smoked Alsace Bacon, Moutarde à l’ancienne, Buckwheat
A speciality of ION’s Alex Dilling’s, this modern take on the classic Maltese game meat was a highlight of meal. Having eaten so many variations on rabbit in Malta, this ballotine with overtones of bacon was a delicate and delicious bite, taking the palate places I didn’t expect.
Course Four: Blue Lobster Royale
Almond, Oscetra Caviar, Eucalyptus
When served a dish like this, it’s nearly heartbreaking to begin cutting into it, “destroying” the artwork, as it were – but the flavour made it so worth it.
Decadent, luxurious and eye-catching while still being original.
Course four and five
Course Five: Landes Cornfed Chicken
“Hunter Style”
Don’t let its slender image fool you – this chicken packs an earthy punch, with chestnut notes all over the tender chicken.
Course Six: Crown of Brittany Lamb
Sicilian Clam, Lardo di collonata, Black Truffle 80gr
Between the julienne truffles and melt-in-your-mouth lamb, the lardo and clam combination creates a buttery dish with waves of textures all coming together like a choreographed dance.
Course six and seven
Course Seven: Brie De Meaux
Gewürtraminer Gelee, Roscoff Onion, White Penja Pepper
This genuinely authentic slice of creamy brie comes served with a satisfying texture of quinoa along with a tart onion flavour that is as good as any cheese board around, all in one bite.
Course Eight: The Tart
Maltese Orange, Raw Milk Glacé
Chef Liebrandt told Lovin Malta he was delighted by the island’s oranges; seeing what he had done in the second course with local blood oranges, his take on a classic orange tart with a twist was always going to be interesting.
Accompanied by Madagascar vanilla ice-cream, the tart used as many real elements from oranges as possible; the marinated flesh was served alongside the tart itself, with a dusting of grated orange peel and orange leaf on the side.
Course eight and aperitifs
Aside from the food, ION Harbour’s attentive staff and sommelier made sure the night went as smoothly as possible; indeed, at one point early in the night, the staff noticed our table was a bit wobbly, and had it rectified before we even had to open our mouths.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Mark Weingard, ION Harbour’s owner, praised the meal as a “huge success” that sold out within minutes.
“This is the first of many similar events that ION Harbour and The Bureau by Iniala will throw. We will bring in famous chefs from around the world every two months,” Weingard told Lovin Malta.
Hinting at his next guest chefs to hail from Asia, Weingard said they weren’t stopping at exquisite food.
“We will also be hosting wine tastings, art events, fashion events and more to help bring a bit more glamour to the lifestyle in Malta,” he continued.
“Ion Harbour under the leadership of Alex Dilling, Seumas Smith, Behzad Davarkia and myself hopes to place Malta on the global gastronomy map. Malta has shown its strength by achieving five Michelin-starred restaurants, and Alex Dilling is now our Executive chef and I am sure he is a chef who will go on to receive three stars in London in the near future and hopefully a couple of stars here soon.”
“Hopefully we will see more top international chefs opening here in the future alongside our very talented local chefs.”
If you are interested in finding out more about Chef Paul Liebrandt, check out the trailer to A Matter Of Taste below:
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