As Eneko Atxa, the youngest Michelin three-star chef in Spain, sets up shop for 100 nights in Valletta, Ramona Depares speaks to the team who are working hard to make the concept a success. The pop-up project has a lot of firsts going for it.

Aziamendi, the newest restaurant to hit the capital city, has a lot of firsts going for it. It is the first pop-up restaurant to set up shop in Malta, running for 100 nights until October, and it is the first time a Michelin-starred chef is operating in Malta.

It is also the first time a concept of this nature is happening on the islands, with Eneko Atxa’s team collaborating with renowned local chef Michael Cauchi’s team to create a totally-immersive gastro-nomic experience.

I met up with Daniel Cauchi, Michael Cauchi’s executive chef; Alex Burger, chef de cuisine; Adria Buch, sous chef; and Behzad Davarkia, general manager of Aziamendi, to find out how it all came together.

“We wanted to create a space for a different gastronomic exper-ience to the usual. The first restaurant of this kind was set up in Thailand and we saw that the concept was very well received.

“A pop-up in Hong Kong followed. Eventually, Mark Weingard, the entrepreneur behind the whole idea, started touring Malta to identify the best location for a similar pop-up restaurant,” Behzad said.

Michael Cauchi’s restaurant at the Civil Service Club was picked. The biggest draw, Behzad explained, was the location. The fact that Michael and his son Daniel are also successful personalities in their own right helped too.

“A lot of our philosophies connected. Thailand turned out to be a good training ground for the concept.

“Malta was relatively easier to make happen – we have a common European footing and the language is not a problem. The biggest difficulty, in actual fact, was the time constraint.”

Alex came to Malta towards the end of May, with work kicking off officially just three weeks before the launch.

“We were lucky to have a great team of people who worked very hard to make it happen.”

The restaurant uses all three floors of the Civil Service Club, but is divided into different concepts.

The layout, Daniel assures me, is completely fresh, so much so that regulars are likely to be very surprised. The ground floor, called the Iniala Gastro Lounge, houses Pintxos (a kind of tapas found in the Basque region) serving Basque, Thai and Maltese specialities from noon until midnight.

“We like to include an element of the local cuisine wherever we go. The ground floor will be very informal, with an open kitchen and table and bar service. People can just pop in for a drink and one or two bites, they don’t necessarily have to have a long-drawn-out meal,” Adria says.

On the second floor there is the Gastronomic Restaurant, a holistic experience that engages all the senses. With seating in the grand sala overlooking St George’s Square, the restaurant offers a degustation menu that will change every month.

“The dishes have been created by Eneko himself and diners will enjoy a six-course tasting menu that uses a lot of local produce.

“This is the Basque philosophy, to stay true to the ingredients. There will be a mix of flavours, from Thai through to Basque, Mediterranean and Maltese,” Behzad says.

To make this restaurant a reality, a team of 12 staff members from Mark Weingard’s Iniala Hotel in Thailand were engaged.

“It is an experience, not simply a place where you sit down, eat and leave. Every course is like a chapter or a scene from a play. By the final course, you will understand the whole story,” Alex explains.

The third floor of the building, Up On the Roof, houses mixologist Albert Garcia Mosley’s cocktail bar where it will also be possible to taste some nibbles while enjoying one of the most beautiful views in Valletta. The concept, Daniel tells me, does not have a ‘typical’ customer.

“There is something for everyone and from those who just want a quick bite, to those who want to enjoy a drink or two to those who want the whole nine yards.”

And, contrary to what one might expect, prices are also being kept reasonable.

www.aziamendi100.com