The MICHELIN Guide Malta 2021 is released today – and two restaurants have been awarded a Michelin Star, bringing the total number of Michelin Starred restaurants to five.
The second edition of the guide features 31 restaurants spread across the islands of Malta and Gozo. The two new Stars are Bahia and ION – The Harbour.
Bahia is a charming bistro named after the oranges for which the area is known. The talented Tyrone Mizzi is skilled in the classics but likes to experiment with the great quality ingredients he has at his disposal, which means that the menu changes frequently. The dishes may look simple but their complementary combinations and wonderful depth of flavour demonstrate the thought that goes into them.
ION - The Harbour goes straight into the Guide with a Star. It’s on the 4th floor of a stylish hotel and has a fantastic terrace overlooking the Grand Harbour. The skilfully prepared dishes from chef Andrew Borg are a joy to eat; the daily menus are dictated by the best produce available from local farmers and fishermen and the cooking is classically based, with Mediterranean influences and a modern edge.
These restaurants join existing One Star restaurants De Mondion, Noni and Under Grain
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, said “the last year has created enormous challenges for the hospitality industry around the world and our hearts go out to all those facing difficulties in these trying times. Our inspectors, like the restaurants themselves, have had to adapt, but we were very pleased that they were able to spend time on the islands and find two new Michelin Stars and 5 new Michelin ‘Plates’ to add to the Guide”.
These restaurants are: The Fork and Cork in Rabat; Chophouse and Fernandõ Gastrotheque, both in Sliema; Zest in St Julian’s; and Mezzodi in Valletta. The Plate symbol denotes restaurants where you’ll experience “fresh ingredients, capably prepared; simply a good meal”.
The three existing Bib Gourmand restaurants all retained their award for ‘good quality, good value cooking’ for another year: Terrone, Commando and Rubino.
Five restaurants have also been identified as taking positive steps to work in a more sustainable way, and their entries in the Guide come with one-line descriptions of their inspiring practices. The restaurants highlighted for their ‘Initiatives’ are:
The Harbour Club in Valletta
Noni in Valletta
Briju in Gżira
De Mondion in Mdina
Tmun in Mġarr.
This new Guide builds on the success of last year’s first ever edition of the MICHELIN Guide to the islands of Malta and Gozo. There is no doubt that the standard of cooking on the islands continues to excite; five MICHELIN Starred restaurants out of a total of 31 restaurants is an impressive percentage. It’s also great to witness a growing awareness of positive sustainability practices and we look forward to seeing further development in the coming years.
Let’s hope that international travel can resume before too long and visitors – and locals – will get to use this Guide to explore the fascinating and varied cuisine and discover the islands’ many great restaurants.
The full updated selection is available on the MICHELIN Guide’s website here and App, available for free on iOS.
