DECEMBER! How are we already at the end of yet another pandemic year? It’s 12 days to Christmas like how 🤔? It is very surreal for us because it just brings home the fact that we have lived in Malta for a year 😮.. UNREAL! If anyone had said to me that we would move to a different country, during a pandemic, I would have said nah starrr! And yet, here we are, 12 months in – alive, thriving and grateful! There is a lot to be thankful for yes? So I hope that as we draw this year to a close, you fantastic lot, get to enjoy it with your loved ones!
We have been wanting to eat at Bahia for a while and let me just say it was worth the wait, since the restaurant will be moving to a new location. This food experience was truly one of a kind, a last hoorah of sorts. The taster menu. which was an ode to the history of Malta – food journey lovingly created linking the Island’s history with it’s respective ‘conquerors’.
We kicked off with bread celebrating grain. A Maltese Ftira, in house pickles, olives, grapes and pumpkin with actual pumpkin seeds accompanied with sweet vermouth on the rocks. Talk about fancy eh? The spread that had me like 😋
The stone age era (5800 BC – 2500 BC), the first course; was fresh Scallop sashimi, fennel and caper dashi (a pour over), thyme oil, samphire and millet salad!
Now you lot know how I get down with Scallops, and this one, was the BUSINESS! This has got to be the next best place to have scallops after 59 Republic, yep, Chef Maria still on top okay! However, this Scallop definitely in the running. It was F R E S H! the dashi was perfect! Not too salty, not too sweet, not too acidic, it was umami bliss I tell you! And can we just acknowledge how pretty it looks too, yes?
Also one time for the glass of Calvet wine (which technically was champagne, but can not be called Champagne) because it was not created in the champagne region? The French eh?! 🤔 Phoenicians (712 BC – 280 BC), our second course was barley. Local barley cooked in ‘melqart’ aka red wine, lamb bacon, sheep cheese, tomato confit and nocellara olives served with beer! Yet another reason why I love our food adventures, you never really fully know what a dish will be paired with! The barley was intense with the cheese nulling the flavour but the Lamb give it that oomph! plus, when you have a sip of beer with it… jeez 👌
The Arabs (870 – 1090) was up next. Fresh fish of the day, kale dolmades, chickpea ‘fattoush’, chickpea and turmeric velouté. The fish was grilled goodt! The chickpea and turmeric velouté sauce? OMD! Delicious! It was velvety and flavourful! Ouuu it was yummy with the grilled fish
The Sicilian white wine served with the fish reminded me of a dry Riesling, it was a chardonnay – pinot and local grape blend – really good. The knights Hospitallers (1530 – 1798) was slow cooked Saddle of Rabbit, rabbit leg & offal Rogg pastry tart, garlic chive and spinach puree as well as sauce bordelaise! Now this dish? Aesthetically? gave what it was supposed to give! Aside from the fact that the Chef literally created 2 ways to serve a Rabbit (posh and peasant lol) my money was on the peasant version. I mean the offal and Rabbit leg in a TART? Yep, a darn TART pastry 😱 👏🏽
And yes, it was yummy! Accompanied with local Maltese wine. Malta Future aka pudding – fried dough, date and orange puree, ‘imqaret’ mousse and almonds?👌… I was not READY! Listen! It was EVERYTHING! It had texture, sweet, savoury… my taste buds did a happy dance boi!
For petit fours we had lemon meringue and almonds!
Bahia… you were a pleasure!
Cheers
Ndidi
P.s. whilst Bahia was the perfect way to end the food adventures of 2021 in our new country of residence, I am excited and looking forward to Christmas and the holidays. Happy Holidays Garman vs food family.
P.p.s .. an additional photo dump
