Well what do you know, it’s another trip round the sun for your girl! Last stop on the third floor yikesss! It was a good day today – started with the lovely sunrise and ended up with fab dinner with Chris and his team at Legligin. One time for the weather today still, a whooping 21 degrees celsius and it’s winter! Lock down 3 nay to shabby if you ask me. Any ho’ my heart is full, and I am thankful to see another birth year considering ALL that is going on!
It was a mad dash for the door to get to din dins because we had to catch the ferry from Sliema to Vallletta (which Neal forgot to mention) but it was a quick ride. However, your girl was not up for the random walking through the streets of Valletta. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a good wander but not today even with the 21 degrees, err no! after what seemed like ages (even though it really wasn’t) we rock up to this unassuming place which had a lady (who turned out to be our waitress) outside on what I am assuming was a break? She welcomed us (after she donned on her mask very quickly, you know safety first). Yep, in this here Malta they are not about half measures. The Island is open for business and the people are adhering to the rules – wear a mask, sanitise your hands, 6 ft apart and temperature checks. Like even when you go into shops and restaurants, there are thermometers for you to check your temperature, the hand sanitiser station which is essentially saying ‘do the needful and be guided’ and I am HERE FOR IT!
Lyubov (our waitress) ushered us inside and had a table ready for us. We were seated at the lower ground level. Décor was charming and cosy, wines lined the walls, the menu and dessert of the day were displayed on boards hung on the walls.
I wasn’t really sure what kind of food we were having. It turns out, Legligin have a special kind of taster menu. The dishes are created from homemade recipes! I mean Chris and his team are conde nast traveller certified. This is why i wont tire of our food adventures! Meeting, interacting with chefs, cooks and / or the people who create these amazing dishes, the history behind it – recipes transcending generations! Culture and history served up deliciously!
Our eight course menu stated with a half bottle of fenici white wine. Interestingly here in Malta, they actually have half bottle of wine. Why is this surprising? well I am used to having half bottle of wine served in a carafe. The fenici accompanied our first 2 courses including bread and olives. We had fish soup as our first course. It was plated up in a big serving bowl which we had to then serve out ourselves. The soup didn’t smell fishy, it was inviting – the smell and flavours were more intensified as we helped ourselves to our portions. It was the right temperature and delicious! Neal was ALL in (and that is saying a lot, especially as he does not do fish very often).
Course 2 was tapas! Seven small dishes from Maltese aioli (Chris was quick to state this had nothing and did not resemble the Spanish aioli). He was right, it was sundried tomatoes, capers, olive oil and garlic. The other dishes included pork belly, salmon (so fresh), ricotta cheese, local sausage in tomato sauce, fig sauce, olives. Jeez, this was only the 2nd course you know! This home-made taster menu showing OUT!
Cauliflower gratin, local octopus and sea brim (catch of the day) made the dishes served for our third course. Talk about fresh sea food eh? Catch of the day and locally sourced! It does not come any fresher than that to be honest! Still revelling over the freshness of the sea food, our fourth course was mussels which as full of flavour and fresh you could taste the saltiness of the sea in the sauce. This was served with a glass of local wine from GOZO. I didn’t know the Maltese made wine?! I mean the climate is good for it and what not, ohhh I can not wait to do a wine taster of the local produce.
I asked for a break before the next course was served because yeah, one had to make room for the remaining dishes plus it is my birthday so had to speak to loved ones. I guess I took too long because my dear Neal was well into the artichoke dish by the time I came back to the table! We are served a whole Jerusalem Artichoke that had breadcrumbs, capers, anchovies piled into the middle. We had to pluck the leaves of the artichoke and layer the filling which we then scooped and ate! Interesting but really yummy! Once we got to the bottom of the middle of the artichoke, Chris asked us to scoop that bit out as it was the best bit and he told no lies! All of it washed down with Carpania red wine which had been poured into a decanter from the bottle to sit at the beginning of our meal, come on now!
When you hear baked goods what comes to mind? For me its sweet, savoury snacks yes? Well baked goods here are vegetarian delights! Listen if I could get these items made for me everyday, I will be full vegetarian easy! Never, have I had vegetarian bites so yummy! We had pancetta and pistachio, Zucchini, artichoke and cauliflower as well as aubergine and all I am saying is dayumm!!!!!
Slow cooked pork chops and mash was course number seven. The mash caused a debate between Neal and I, he was not keen because the mash ‘didn’t look like mash’ to which I countered, just because it doesn’t look like the mash you are used to, does not mean it is not mash! Ha! Yes, these are the kinds of conversations we have over dinner folks!
Now the pudding? We were left speechless like LITERALLY! No! pudding was not over the top if anything, it was very much dessert that we have all tried at one point or the other – crème brûlée and tiramisu! Usually, we tend to share a pudding between us because, well I am stuffed by the time we get to the end of a meal and Neal ends up having to finish up mine, but, the pudding here? Boiiiiii! The crème brûlée was delicious. In my experience, sometimes, with the crème brûlée there might be a slight bitter taste due to the caramelising of the sugar and not very creamy, However, this one was too good. Chef (who happens to be Chris’s wife is the pastry chef) swapped the vanilla essence for real vanilla pods and when I tell you that was the game changer! The whole brûlée was elevated!
Bringing the meal to an end, Chris offered us bottomless Limoncello! I mean what a guy!
ferħ
Ndidi
Fun fact, the term Legligin translates loosely to ‘one who drinks a lot’ ha! this is captured expertly by what we have dubbed their mascot
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