Far from the madding crowd

Do you want to enjoy a peaceful meal off the beaten track? Sandy Calleja Portelli suggests five easy-to-reach but not-in-your-face restaurants.

For such a small piece of land, Malta is blessed with a multitude of eateries to suit every budget and taste. Most are found within easy reach, excellently situated to be seen by passing traffic, their very existence serving as an advert or gentle reminder.

Nevertheless, when one is looking to enjoy a meal away from the madding crowd, there are is a selection of establishments that would hit the spot – if only one knew where to look for them. Five hidden gems fit the bill perfectly, each offering a unique concept.

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Ta’ Dernis: for Maltese food

Average price per person, excluding drinks – €4-€6

It is unashamedly a workers’ lunch place

Pitkali Road, Attard. Tel: 9903 8683/7703 8683. Open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, Ta’ Dernis is unashamedly a workers’ lunch place.

Marion Cucciardi and Neil Galea de Marco took the sandwich bar over in 2009 and transformed it into a homely, casual eatery with a dedicated clientele.

The ubiquitous ħobż bil-bajd u laħam (steak and egg sandwich) and half a chicken with chips are present, but this is one eatery best known for its homely Maltese food. Baked rice, stuffed marrows, rabbit, horsemeat and bragioli are cooked to traditional recipes.

“We work much like a family kitchen in that the dishes on offer depend on the seasonal produce available. We provide basic, fresh, home-cooked meals. Dishes that need to be cooked slowly, such as stuffed marrows or baked rice, are cooked ahead of the lunch hour and then reheated gently, but other than that everything is made to order and using fresh local produce,” Marion says. Although finding Ta’ Dernis by chance is highly unlikely for those of us who do not work in the area or at the pitkali, this place is worth a lunchtime visit, if only for those seeking to recreate lunch at nanna’s house.

Photo: Jason Borg

Lupanara: for a fusion of Mediterranean food

Average price per person, excluding drinks – €25-€30

If you walk along Vittoriosa Marina to the point where you think there’s nothing left to see, you are in for a surprise

Fort St Angelo, Vittoriosa Waterfront, Vittoriosa. Tel: 2180 3086

If you walk right past the hustle and bustle at the Vittoriosa Marina to the point where you think there’s nothing left to see, you are in for something of a surprise. For there, carved into the bastions is Lupanara wine bar and restaurant.

Chef Gordon Mamo and his team prepare Mediterranean dishes, mezes and antipasti that complement the unbelievably tranquil surroundings. Patrons can choose to sit inside the historical building or outside practically on the water’s edge.

Owner Etienne Borg Ferrante sums up Lupanara’s allure in simple terms: “It’s all about enjoying good food and wine in a picturesque, historical setting with fantastic views.”

Photo: Jason Borg

Tal–Petut: for slow-cooked Maltese food

Average price per person, excluding drinks – €24-€26

It’s possibly the only restaurant in Malta that can be reserved for a group as small as six

20, Triq Paċifiku Scicluna, Vittoriosa. Tel: 2189 1169/7942 1169. www.tal-petut.com.

Tucked away in one of Vittoriosa’s narrow winding streets is Tal-Petut, possibly, the only restaurant in Malta that can be privately reserved for a group as small as six people, with menus tailored to suit a variety of tastes.

Donald and Catherine Caligari started their private-dining concept three years ago choosing to purchase the property from which Catherine’s family had long operated two shops: a grocery and a greengrocery.

Donald runs the kitchen, sourcing locally grown produce and making all his own preserves, stocks, sauces and digestives from scratch. This dedication to the traditional Maltese kitchen extends to the equipment with not a microwave or deep-fryer to be seen. “We are all about continuing the dining traditions of our forefathers; no fancy frills – just good food served and enjoyed in a homely environment,” Donald says.

Although reservations are recommended due to limited seating, passers-by are welcome to drop in and partake in what Donald describes as “pot luck” – so called because the fare on offer depends completely on the local produce available.

This is one very lucky pot however, as there are typically five main course dishess on offer, along with a selection of antipasti, assaggi, homemade digestifs and dessert.

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Rogantino’s: for a suckling pig and more

Average price per person, excluding drinks – €25

Tony Grech almost literally stumbled on the property

Il-Palazz l-Aħmar, Wied il-Bużbies, Landrijiet l/o Rabat. Tel: 2145 2003/7904 6082. www.rogantinos.com

Tony Grech almost literally stumbled on the property after being stranded in Rabat during the storm of October 1979. He fell in love with the farmhouse set on the outskirts of the village amid rolling farmland, seeming to transport diners to another place and time.

“My brother Joseph and I used to entertain friends here; he would be the ‘barman’ while I acted as ‘chef’, but it wasn’t until 2000 that my wife Annette and I decided to actually open a restaurant serving local dishes ideally made with locally sourced ingredients.”

Rogantino’s was the first ‘go to’ place for a ‘majjalata’ (suckling pig) and the banquet is still a favourite with patrons. Despite being, “a dilettante cook”, Tony turns out a variety of dishes for the a la carte menu, with favourites including stuffed quails and local lamb. Also popular with those patrons in the know are the themed nights, during which Tony serves a selection of port or single malts ranging from the 1940s to the present.

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Il-Ħorża: for Mediterranean food

Average price per person, excluding drinks – €30-€40

Trattorias do not come any smaller

6, St Christopher Street, Valletta. Tel: 2122 6936.

Trattorias do not come any smaller than Il-Ħorża, which has also been described as a ‘hole in the wall’. But the size of the place does not hinder Charles Bone’s passion for food and wine in any way.

Bone transformed the former Sicilian-owned wine bar into the present trattoria six years ago and, together with chef Tyrone Ellul, takes great pride in presenting a varied menu which is updated twice a week.

Bone’s passion for food, wine and all things Sicilian has led him to source a great deal of his ingredients from Sicily, preferring to patronise smaller cottage producers. Thus the pasta is made by a family concern in the tiny village of Caivano and the beer is handmade. Truffles are imported from Caluggi on a weekly basis and wild bull is imported from Tuscany by a local butcher.

“Il-Ħorża is best suited to those who love food – we are not about a quick meal but rather about savouring good food and wine in casual surroundings.” That is how Bone sums up Il-Ħorża’s dining concept.