Everything I ate over three days in Malta

FOOD TOUR: MALTA

FRIDAY
I arrive in the late afternoon on the historic Mediterranean island of Malta, south of Italy and north of Libya. I’m certain I’m going to be stunned by its sights, but I don’t hold out much hope for gastronomic gratification. I’m told that in the recent past the local food was so awful, and scarce, people would sail the 90 kilometres to Sicily to stock up.

I dump my luggage in the small apartment I’ve rented in the capital Valletta, and head out to find a snack. This city is so different from what I’d imagined, with little hole-in-the-wall cafes, restaurants and bars lining the cobbled streets, all with tables and chairs outside. In Atilem Coffee & Wine, next door to the 16th-century palazzo, Casa Rocca Piccola, I order a decaf Americano and a pistachio cheesecake. I smile at a couple on a neighbouring table, who ask me where I’m from and how long I’m staying. The cake is delicious, and the coffee is good and strong. When I come to pay the bill – cheap at €7.50 ($A12) all up – I’m told they’d paid to welcome me to their country.

Searching for the traditional Maltese fish soup Aljotta for dinner, I choose Ta’Nenu which specialises in local cuisine in a historic limestone bakehouse. The Aljotta (€10.50) is dark and rich, garlicky and spicy, with mussels, white fish, tomato and potato, served with a hunk of sourdough Maltese ftajjar. For the main I pass on the national dish, fried rabbit or fenek, and also ignore the braised horsemeat and snail stew, choosing a safer regional favourite: swordfish (€23.30), grilled with a spiced pepper and tomato sauce, olives, capers and herbs. Simple but bursting with flavour.

SATURDAY
My friend had arrived overnight, so for breakfast we head to The Caffe Cordina, a Maltese institution – founded in 1837 and now housed in the spectacular former Treasury of the Knights of St John. Run by the sixth generation of its family owners, it offers familiar fodder like a full English breakfast, eggs benedict, croissants and shakshuka. My cheese and onion omelette (€12) is as flat as a pancake and just as uninspiring, but the Americano coffee (€2.40) is excellent. That full English, I discover, is an option nearly everywhere. After all, Brits ruled this country for 164 years and still comprise 30 per cent of the annual 4.5 million visitors.

We spend the rest of the morning wandering through the picturesque narrow streets. At Manuela Malta Pastizzi, a traditional bakery, I try a ricotta pastizzi and another of mushy peas. The filled pastry pockets, still warm from the oven, are flaky, soft, flavoursome and incredibly cheap (€3). Again, a local insists on paying for me. So hospitable!

For lunch we eschew the cafes and buy slices of warm pizza from NPOM NOM Pinseria. It’s Roman flatbread style, topped with tomato, eggplant, zucchini and cheese (€4.85), and slides down very nicely indeed.

At night, we catch a Bolt (the local Uber) to Marsaxlokk, a fishing village 7 kilometres away that’s less touristy, old and pretty, with the harbour filled with brightly coloured wooden fishing boats and the waterfront lined with seafood restaurants. In Liska Marsaxlokk, right on the water, we share whitebait fritters (€15) and whole sea bass, deboned at the table, served with roast potatoes, ratatouille and salad. The fish (€6 per 100g, sides included) was caught that morning, we’re assured, and it tastes like it, too.

SUNDAY
Modern-day Malta has quality dining everywhere you look and, incredibly, seven Michelin-starred restaurants. I book single-starred Noni, and eat sparingly all day.

Breakfast at Bus Stop, another sunny outdoor eatery, tests that resolve with a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, with avocado, rocket and tomato (€9.95).

Later, my friend tries Stuffatt al-Fenek – rabbit stew – so I don’t have to, at Rubino restaurant which serves the dish for €16. She pronounces the meat, braised slowly with tomatoes, wine, garlic, peas and Mediterranean herbs, absolutely delicious.

Noni, in a 400-year-old building, is a delight. The tasting menu of eight courses, is not overpriced at €145. Dishes include qassata, a mushroom-filled pasta with a mushroom reduction and hazelnut sauce, Rossi Prawns with heritage carrots, buckwheat pancake and Sauce Jaqueline, wild game pie and, my favourite, an egg-shaped dome of sheep’s yoghurt, filled with mandarin chamomile and citrus honey that cracks open to look like a real egg.

It’s a genuine surprise and delight … much like the quantity and quality of all the food on the modern Maltese menu.

The writer ate at her own expense.