Hey fine dining,
Was in Malta for a little weekend away and ‘hey is that a Simon Rogan restaurant over there?’.
Ion Harbour has just received its 2nd Michelin star making it the first in Malta and I was very excited to check it out after having just been to L’Enclume a few weeks ago.
First things, the view is incredible, you can see over the bay of Valetta and as time passes into night you can watch the night draw in and fall across the city. It’s glorious and comforting.
Simon Rogan’s influence is very clear here, some dishes are very similar but change the ingredients from the earthy, rural lakes of England to the vibrant seafront of Malta.
Started with some of the in-house cocktails – Cuba libre made with homemade cola and a lime foam. Delicious. My friend chose a Dom Perignon 2013 from the extensive bubbly section.
Nibbles to start, smokey tuna inside the carrot tart was a win and the tomato crisp with a flavoursome gazpacho were particular winners.
The menu focussed on vegetables and fish as you could imagine as the ingredients are mostly from Malta. A pumpkin dish followed by artichoke (with cheese Xem Xem only made for them) were delicious. Great textures and flavours.
Next executive chef Oli Marlow talked us through the lettuce dish – treated like meat, charcoal grilled (don’t tell Ramsey) and finished with a truffle sauce and fresh summer black truffles. A fantastic dish.
Rossi prawn and pikeperch roe was a particular highlight. Sweet, salty and creamy with a very satisfying texture of the prawn.
Sea Bream and local duck were the two ‘main’ dishes. Sublime. The duck (similarly to L’Enclume) came with duck fat crumpets, which seem to be a trend in fine dining at the moment and I am all for it.
Desserts were a sour cream sorbet and an apple tart. Great way to finish the meal.
I feel like I only talk positives in my posts here but when I am as fortunate to go to restaurants like this, it’s only fair. If you’re on Malta i highly recommend it.
by BrightEye1990