A Maltese Foodie

We've been up for one month already! Time is flying, and there are new places for us to go eat at. Don't forget to check out our "To Go" list, and feel free to recommend.

When you're abroad, don't people tell you, "Avoid a restaurant if it is full of tourists"? I have to admit that I am one who plays by that rule. I look for the places frequented by locals. Back on home turf, the rule changes and becomes, "Be careful if a place is empty". My dinner companion uses another rule which I now have adopted, which is, "Do not eat at places with pictures of the food on the menu" (there are few places I allow to break this rule, as recently reported ). And so one evening, a couple of weeks ago, out we went to Oro Lounge at The Point. I had heard wonderful things and I was looking forward to a visit. Since I had heard so many people mention it, and since we were going on the weekend, I thought it best to book ahead. Now let me explain, I am the sort of person who calls to book. I don't do online booking - I find it unpredictable. Maybe it betrays my age, but I do enjoy calling as it sets the tone for the visit. I went ...

Dieting is all about balance. Life is all about balance. However every once in a while you would like a little extravagance. We like to balance our hectic lifestyles and work lives by spending an unplugged few days on our sister island, Gozo. When in Gozo we try new places, revisit old favourites and luxuriate in long dinners without the headache of having to wake up early the next day. One of our regular haunts is Patrick's Lounge & Restaurant  in Victoria, Gozo. Until some time ago I would have said, without a doubt, that this is one of my favourite restaurants in Malta (and Gozo). But the perfect facade is peeling somewhat, and there is a slight hint of pretentiousness, especially when it comes to wine, that has dampened my love for the place. I still love it though, and I urge everyone to visit it. I can say that this is the place for a fine meal. The meat selection on the menu is especially pleasing, with all meat dishes I have tasted always well turned out, and dare...

Dear all, I'd like to wish you all a fabulous 2017. May it bring delicious food shared in good company and washed down by an excellent vintage. We're looking forward to trying the places on our "to go" list and sharing it with you. Have a happy 2017 and if you're out be careful if you are drinking and drive safely! AMF

Too many places boast, only for patrons to be disappointed. We live in a world of duplicitous quality claims: organic veg which is not organic, honey which isn't honey. We also live in a world of exaggerated emphasis on pizza cooked in a wood burning oven. Sure a good oven can give the pizza an excellent woody and smoky flavour, but restaurants aren't to be dismissed if they have no wood burning oven. It's tiring. Vecchia Taranto is modest and unpretentious, yet continuously churns out one of Malta's best and most tasty pizzas. I think I can say that for the past two years it has been my favourite pizza place in Malta. Located in Valletta, opposite the parish church of St Paul's shipwreck is this tiny door which proudly flies the Maltese and Italian flags. This is Vecchia Taranto. You enter and see the oven and the pizzaioli working away. So many pizza places make a big fuss about wood burning ovens. The oven here is unassuming and not wood burning. But the pizz...

I just love when a place just takes me completely by surprise, and what you thought would be mediocre turns out to be a total blast. It happened to me when I was a teenager and my parents' idea of a family holiday was to go to watch the military tattoo in Edinburgh. For me it was something stuffy my parents enjoyed, in a place known for rain. Boy was I ever so wrong! It turned out to be one of the best family holidays we ever had - the Edinburgh fringe festival was on and I got to meet Dara O'Briain, explore Edinburgh, the tattoo was a pure spectacle set against the backdrop of the castle, and to top it all off we then went on to explore the Highlands. It was fantastic. I approached my first visit to Ta' Bertu with the same sort of trepidation. "Ta' where?" I hear you ask. Don't worry, I had the same reaction back then. Set on a main road in St Paul's Bay, is this unassuming little place. Blink and you'll miss it and will have to drive the whole ...

It was an unassuming October morning in Malta, and there I was stuck in morning commute traffic. All of a sudden a clip of sunshine burst through the radio. It was the teaser for what was to become Malta's viral sensation - singer Clinton Paul's song and advert for one of Malta's most popular burger joints, New York Best . The video has been seen over 50,000 times, in fact, let's watch it again: CLICK HERE . It is guaranteed to brighten up the dullest of days, or the saddest of moods. We are not strangers to New York Best, and squeeze in a visit every so often. We usually go for a burger - single, double or triple if we dare! Anything with bacon jam usually gets my thumbs up, and the NYB burgers get both thumbs up. We've tried as many as we can, but gravitate towards a couple of favourites such as the juicy lucy, or a good old (cheese)burger. The burgers are always perfectly pink in the middle - no complaints from us here about that (this is a reference to a not...