Discovering a secret garden is always an incredible experience – but discovering a secret garden behind a fantastic restaurant is a whole different ball game. The doors to Bottegin Palazzo Xara’s secret garden in Rabat open only for the summer, creating an exclusive, rare, and authentically Maltese ambience for you and your loved ones to enjoy. You’ll find that the menu is perfect for sharing, with dishes and cocktails perfect to hang out with friends.

We wanted to share some of our favourite standout dishes from Bottegin’s extensive new menu, from massive starters to delicious mains and more.

1. The Juicy Homemade BBQ Chicken Wings

Using locally-sourced chicken, the wings are brined for 48 hours, steeped and cooked in a secret flour mixture courtesy of head chef Kyle Vella. The wings are then coated and glazed in an in-house BBQ sauce, keeping the wings super juicy and tender.

2. The Authentic Oriental Platter

Bottegin’s Asian platter is produced locally by an exceptional Asian chef that brings home the authentic flavours of the East. Homemade oriental crispy delicacies like local fried kale and the unmissable cherry hoisin sauce will have you coming back for more and more.

3. The Vegan Baguette

A dish that is popular with vegetarians and vegans alike, this dish incorporates a freshly-baked brown baguette cooked to order. A sweet onion jam is slathered onto the warm bun that compliments the bitterness of the chickpea fritters, and the smooth spiciness of the guacamole make this dish the perfect summer snack.

4. The Massive Full Rack of Ribs with Peanut Satay Sauce

A signature dish that will keep you coming back for more – the ribs are first kept in brine for 48 hours, and then a dry rub of mixed spices is applied followed by smoking. The ribs are finally slow-cooked for 6 hours leaving the meat tender enough to melt in your mouth. What’s more? They are finished with a delicious smoked satay sauce!

5. The Signature Bottegin Beef Burger

Created in-house using only premium cuts of fresh beef, the patties are then prepared in a meat loaf and cut to order. This process helps in keeping the tenderness and flavour of the beef patty intact.

Besides the signature burger, every week the kitchen creates a special burger of the week. They also offer a vegetarian burger that is made in-house with seasonal produce.

6. The Maltese-style Rabbit Ragu

Possibly Bottegin’s most authentically Maltese dish, their popular slow-cooked rabbit ragu spaghetti will remind you what Maltese cooking is all about.

7. The Famous Xim Xim Rice

And if you want to try something a bit different, you can always go for the their green curry rice, with oriental spices, chicken, prawn, and cashew nuts.

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]