59 REPUBLIC, Valletta, Malta – mini foie gras burger, Scottish scallops and a baked Alaska = a special ‘Specials’

SUMMER has arrived and is here to stay in these Malta streets! The heat is ON people, it is BOILING!!! We decided to eat out today because we both didn’t feel like cooking, plus, with more places opening up, more food adventure(s) beckons! But first a little rant! Even though the Maltese don’t observe siesta per se, it can be quite difficult finding a place to eat lunch. It gets so frustrating trying to find a place to have lunch, especially after calling up, only to be told, “we don’t open for lunch” and the website aka face book page states otherwise🤬! Make it make sense! Oh yeah, face book is the website / business page for majority of Maltese businesses and supposedly is where you find all information 🤨, let’s just say I beg to differ ugh!

Not to be deterred, quick google search, had a chat wth and we were offered a table at 59 Republic. The food gods be like “you lot going to get this lunch tuhday” 😀! The location of the restaurant, St George’s square, Valletta is nay to shabby! I mean look at that sky!!!!!

It still feels surreal when out and about on the weekend feels like being on holiday, perks of being in a warm country? Ah well 🤷‍♂️😊. For lunch we decided to try something totally different from our norm and went for the specials! And let me tell you something, the specials HERE?😮😏😛First off, it was a whole collection of dishes but we sampled a few and my goodness, every morsel was just fantastic, massive shout out to Jose Maria, our host, every recommendation was the business!

Naturally, we started off with bread. When your bread is baked fresh and served right out of the oven with whipped vanilla butter and white chocolate you know it’s ON! Let me say that again, the butter was whipped VANILLA with WHITE CHOCOLATE people😲! I mean who knew? Chefs be out in these food streets creating and pushing the boundaries and I am here for ALL of IT!

The salt Fish carpaccio was next and it was a decent size, who am I kidding, the portion was huge. Thinly sliced pieces of salt Fish served with salad and dressing. It was simple and yet, so good!

The foie gras mini burger though? Whilst it was a mini burger, Head chef Maria did not scrimp on the foie gras! The brioche bun was toasted, the burger was well done but not over cooked allowing all the juices from the pan seared foie gras flow from the top to the burger, a balance of moist sweetness on your palate! Ohhh it was yummy!

The duck salad according to Neal was “it had the right ratio of Duck to salad”. Yep, it was a win! The five spice Duck (thoroughly seasoned😋) and served with baby lettuce, pomegranate and orange glaze was sweet and fresh. So far, every dish had a hint of sweetness to it, we think the Chef may be a sweet tooth perhaps 🤔, I reckon it is coincidence and our choices, 😆😉!

The ham and cheese bonbon aka croquettes were ever so creamy. It might be the best croquettes till date, and we have had a few over the years! It was smoked gammon and cheese tossed in bacon crumbs. It was DELISH!

We were considering ending the meal at this point and ordering pudding, but Neal had spotted arancini which he wanted to try 🙄. Yep, he was getting well into these specials ha! Whilst contemplating if having the arancini was being extra, as well as deciding what pudding to have, the woman of the hour – Head Chef Maria stopped by to have a chat!

She started cooking as a young child and prefers traditional recipes ensuring her ethos of “keep it simple” remains at the centre of every dish she creates and could not agree more! I asked her what she considered to be her signature dish? She stated her Scallops – made with parsley, breadcrumbs, prawns and pistachio. You know we had to sample that! She also threw in complimentary Prawn taco as well, I mean talk about customer service! See people, PERKS! Rule number 4 – engage with your waiter, sommelier, host!!! (If you do not know what this refers to, you need to sign up to GvsF bants which is our monthly newsletter for tips and more 😉)

When the Scallops arrived, I was not ready! OMD!!!! Aside from the freshness (shout out to Scotland) the breadcrumbs and pistachio added a crunch that I did not know was necessary! It also had diced prawns randomly peppered across, it was texture delight! I get why this is the signature dish, it was PERFECT!

The Prawn taco? Mini softshell prawn with pickled cabbage and sriracha mayo was just divine! The Arancini was wild mushroom with an aged cheese centre, like the bonbons visually, but different as this is considered a ‘rice ball’.

Pudding was baked Alaska, never tried one before and boi!

It literally was Strawberry ice cream with fresh strawberry coulee, baked in a marshmallow meringue with lime caviar! It was sweet, fluffy and gooey, my word it was sinfully scrumptious!

Yes! Chef Maria, your specials are indeed SPECIAL! And this is not even your taster menu? Brava! You did your thang!!!!! Really looking forward to the tasting menu and thank you for inviting us back!

Cheers

Ndidi

P.S. The playlist here? It is a VIBE! It had my foot tapping and head bopping whilst enjoying the food! Again, massive s/o to Jose Maria for hooking me up!  Click here to have a listen if you fancy it.