PFGT in Malta! with Stretta Beer
Chef David Darmanin needs no introductions in the Maltese culinary world. It is encouraging, and we love him for it, that he has managed to break away from our shores and take his magic to another isle, the United Kingdom, where he set up PFGT, or as it is better known, Pretty F*cking Good Toast which is currently based in Hackney, London.
This is not just toast, it is posh, amped up, gastro-toast ready to grab your taste buds and destroy your conventional toast ideas.
You can imagine the dismay that Chef Darmanin chose to do this abroad and not in Malta.
But our (collective) dismay was short lived, and Lovin Malta, Stretta Beer and PFGT descended upon Camarata in Merchants Street Valletta for a pop-up on the 20 December (2016) which was so well received that an encore (two actually) was quickly organised.
The event started at 12 noon, and I arrived a little later than that. The venue was already chock-a-block, with people waiting,chatting and salivating at the look and the smell of the goodness being generated. This could only mean one thing: it was time for a taste of Stretta Beer. What a gorgeous IPA, and how exciting that this is the result of a fellow Maltese's dreams of crafting a new beer. I like a good IPA, and this one does not disappoint - fragrant on the nose, and mellow on the palate, it was a perfect start as I settled into my wait for my slice of PFGT.
The menu, pictured above, was tantalising. Alas, as time passed the items on the menu began to sell out so orders had to be changed. Goodbye toast number 4, and hello toast number 1 and toast number 2. You could tell that the Chef was overwhelmed by the turnout and the limited resources (aka low number of toasters) available, and for this we forgive him. At the end, the toast was very tasty, albeit it running low on ingredients, the crowd happy and the beer cold. The marmite used on toast number 2 caramalised beautifully with the scamorza cheese (since it was given the blowtorch treatment) - and ended up being my favourite part, even though I do not usually eat marmite. See pictures below.
It was reported that the event, which was meant to last all afternoon and go into dinner, sold out after just four hours. I believe it. I was there and witnessed the toast carnage. Due to the success, two further events were organised, this time with the added bonus of brownies from Baked - am very sorry I missed that.
This is not just toast, it is posh, amped up, gastro-toast ready to grab your taste buds and destroy your conventional toast ideas.
You can imagine the dismay that Chef Darmanin chose to do this abroad and not in Malta.
But our (collective) dismay was short lived, and Lovin Malta, Stretta Beer and PFGT descended upon Camarata in Merchants Street Valletta for a pop-up on the 20 December (2016) which was so well received that an encore (two actually) was quickly organised.
The event started at 12 noon, and I arrived a little later than that. The venue was already chock-a-block, with people waiting,chatting and salivating at the look and the smell of the goodness being generated. This could only mean one thing: it was time for a taste of Stretta Beer. What a gorgeous IPA, and how exciting that this is the result of a fellow Maltese's dreams of crafting a new beer. I like a good IPA, and this one does not disappoint - fragrant on the nose, and mellow on the palate, it was a perfect start as I settled into my wait for my slice of PFGT.
The menu, pictured above, was tantalising. Alas, as time passed the items on the menu began to sell out so orders had to be changed. Goodbye toast number 4, and hello toast number 1 and toast number 2. You could tell that the Chef was overwhelmed by the turnout and the limited resources (aka low number of toasters) available, and for this we forgive him. At the end, the toast was very tasty, albeit it running low on ingredients, the crowd happy and the beer cold. The marmite used on toast number 2 caramalised beautifully with the scamorza cheese (since it was given the blowtorch treatment) - and ended up being my favourite part, even though I do not usually eat marmite. See pictures below.
It was reported that the event, which was meant to last all afternoon and go into dinner, sold out after just four hours. I believe it. I was there and witnessed the toast carnage. Due to the success, two further events were organised, this time with the added bonus of brownies from Baked - am very sorry I missed that.
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