the Malta Guide

Blue Lagoon

2008-10-18T10:20:00.001-07:00

Malta has a big shortcoming when it comes to sandy beaches and the same goes for the best place for swimming in the group of islands. Blue Lagoon is situated on Comino, the small island between Malta and Gozo. It is definately the most beautiful place you can find on your Malta-trip and is a must to visit. The lagoon has a crystal clear water surrounded by several tiny islands and is the perfect place to go on your time off.

There are several ways of getting to the Blue Lagoon. You can chose to go on one of the cruises from Sliema waterfront. There are several boats taking off in the mornings an the biggest is probably the Captian Morgan cruise called ”Comino and the Blue Lagoon”. You can get a ticket for the cruise (which actually takes a while as it does a little touristy stuff on the way to the blue lagoon, trip there aprox 3h and 1h back) in any of the travelagents in Sliema or buy it directly by the ship. You can chose between a trip with included lunch or the ”Super value” cruise. With lunch included it's 32 euros and the super value is 18. The lunch isn't the best but once in the Blue Lagoon your only choices are fish and chips or burgers. The trick is to bring your own lunch as the lunch on the cruise is on the crowded cruiseship and is not served until you're actually at the Blue Lagoon.

The cheapest way to get to the Blue Lagoon is going by bus to the Gozo ferries and get the comino ferry from there. It's also a lot faster than the cruise.

The third option is renting a boat from one of the charter companies, if it's a boat that you can stay on for tanning it's definately the best way of going to the Blue Lagoon as the place tends to be packed with people, especially in the weekends. Having a boat where you can stay saves you a lot of troubles finding a spot to stay, they are not to common on the ”beach” and most are quite uncomfortable as it's very rocky. This if you don't want to pay a couple of euros to get packed in among the hundreds of pinkish tourists crowding the deck chair areas. You can charter a boat for about 300 euros a day and up.

Level 22

2008-10-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Portomaso Tower

If you are sick of teenagers in Paceville and want to meet contemporary adults, 30 up, go to Portomaso’s Level 22. Besides fabulous drinks, please ask bartender Sasha for a mojito, he knows how his art! Also the cocktail waitresses are friendly, professional and beautiful. The views alone make this bar a very special landmark in Malta. Here is where once every 3 weeks or so the i-gaming social parties take place, great place for networking: crowded with employers and employees you can guarantee to have good leads for promoting your business in the i-gaming industry.

Lately we launched a sponsorship of one of those parties with the Swedish company, new to Malta, www.Pineberry.com. Normally those parties have Netrefer, Remax and Pentasia as their normal hosts…

It produced a couple of interesting leads for them and Peter, the general manager came out with a superb recipe for a Pineberry cocktail. All guests where treated to one and the If you want to promote your brand in a very filtered and targeted market, we suggest this approach. I thought it was going to be terribly expensive and it turned out to be fantastic for everyone.

Two and a Half Lemon

2008-10-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Address: Vault 5. Old Treasury Building. St. Angelo Waterfront. Vittoriosa CSP 09 Phone number: 21-80-9909

www.twoandahalflemon.com

Chez Cyrille

2008-10-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Cordial Restaurant

Address: Old Theatre Street, Valletta

Phone number: 21-239576

Open everyday. Lunch and Dinner. Lunch from 12:00 till 15:00. Dinner 1rst seating at 23.00 till 00.30. Closed Sunday night and Monday morning.

Email: chezcyrile@gmail.com

www.chezcyrille.com

This is one of my proudest maltese findings. A little restaurant in Valletta, fits a maximum of 36 pax, but the food is amazing, compliments to the chef. I had pork in Dijon mustard sauce (an absolute delight) and my companion had a grilled lampuki fish that was cooked to perfection. Good sized dishes, an extraordinary gourmet delight. They only serve fresh fish and since they took a while bringing the food, I think the pork was cooked on the spot as well. If you have time to enjoy a nice dinner or a Sunday lunch with wine, this place will surprise you. Another plus is that since it is so tiny and closed with A/C it is super cool inside.

Peppino's

2008-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Address: George’s Street, St Julian’s

Phone number: 21-373 200

Fax: 21378324

www.peppinosmalta.com

Peppino’s is not only one of the best restaurants in Malta, but it is an absolute classic. It is always nice to call and reserve an outside table for lunch. The price is just fair,but if you order the special of the day you will absolutely get price/value advantage and you will spend aproximately 10 euros per person. The special tends to be some sort of homemade pasta, for example: pasta shaped like confite filled with truffles in red tomato sauce….mmm… It has happened to me that I tend not to order the special of the day and choose another type of pasta from the menu, I end up paying 7 euros more than my other wiser companions at the table and even when it is also delicious I should have settled for the pasta of the day, because on top of that it’s faster.

You can also try it at night on the upper level that opens during those hrs, with the likes of people like Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Ridley Scott and beautiful costarrican wife Giannina Facio, it is a maltese must. Also the staff is amazing, very professional but yet super warm.

Tex Mex Bar and Grill

2008-10-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Tex Mex Bar and Grill

Address: 1324 Tower Road, Sliema

Phone number: 21-318-943 and 21339247

Email: info@texmexmalta.com

Bar di Cattania

2008-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

If you need to have a nice breakfast this is the place. I went there with a friend and he had a continental breakfast. To our surprise the plate was huge: coffee, toasts, croissants, jam, butter, eggs, ham and a couple of slices of bacon. Seeing the monstrous plate I didn’t order anything myself and nibbled on some toast with ham.

This little café is right next to Tex Mex and it is owned (and even internally connected!) to it.

I just love when I get what I expect-no super soggy eggs, just at the right point!

Address: 1324 Tower Road, Sliema

Phone number: 21-318-943 and 21339247

Email: info@texmexmalta.com

Fly to and from Malta

2008-10-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Unless you are from Sicily the only reasonable way to get to Malta is flying. There are several airlines flying to Luga, the Malta Airport. Prices vary a lot depending on the season and the summer can be a bit expensive. In the winter and spring though it is a cheap flight from anywhere in Europe.

Ryanair has flights for Malta from the following cities; Barcelona, Bari, Bremen, Dublin, Valencia, Stockholm and Venice. Other alternatives are AirMalta with flights from London, Rome, Milan, Paris, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, Catania and Frankfurt and Lufthansa both with daily flights to and from Malta.

Useful Links
Airmalta
Ryanair
Lufthansa

Luga Airport
The easiest way to get to and from the airport is by taxi. Just next to the airport entreance there is a booth for getting taxis. You have to pay in the booth and depending on where you are going it costs from 15 euro and up to 30. If you are going to Valette the bus might be an option but anywhere else and it's a lot of hassle trying out the Maltese buses, save that until you are a bit more comfortable in Malta.

Gozo

2008-08-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Most of the Maltese think that Gozo is fantastic. "It's totally different from Malta, it's the Green Island or it's the best kept secret in the Mediterranean". This is not true. If you have been outside Malta for a few weeks then you know that Gozo look more or less exactly like Malta. It's only in the eyes of someone that has never seen any other countries that Gozo is so different from Malta. It's the same Limestone, the same Rocks and I have no idea where all this green is. It's a desert exactly like Malta.

Malta is in many ways beautiful

2008-07-31T02:33:00.000-07:00

Malta is in many ways a beautiful island but today I miss Scandinavia a bit. I like it when going to the corner store does not include waiting for the woman to finish talking to the cashier before I get to pay. I like it when the bus drivers are nice.

Ok there are advantages with the lifestyle here, the pubowners around my house shout a cheerful hello when I walk by and the owner of the already mentioned store chats a bit with me, genuinly caring. I love it that there is no rain even though it makes the place look almost like desert. To be honest I haven't seen a drop of rain since the beginning of June and that's a bit strange to me. I keep comparing it to the 20 good days of summer you get in Sweden. Compared to that Malta seems like an endless summer.

Bianco's Mediterranean Grill & Wine Lounge

2008-07-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Biancos is definately my favourite restaurant in Malta. You can find it in Spinola Bay in St. Julians and it's definately worth a visit. In te 2 months I've been in Malta I've already gone to Binaco's twice because of their fantastic food.

I often get upset about the service on this island as they don't seem used to competition in the bars and restaurants. When it comes to Bianco's though the situation is something else. The service is great. On top of that they have a really nice location and a perfect dining area. When it comes to the food it's definately on of the absolutely best in Malta.

If you want to go to Bianco's yourself you can find it in St. George's Road, St Julians. The phonenumber is +356 21 359 865.

Here is a copy of their menu:

Bruschetta
Four slices of grilled maltese bread topped with marinated pepper & smoked bacon.

Sauté mushrooms
mushrooms tossed in garlic butter, & finished with touch of tarragon.

Caprese salad
tomatoes, mozzarella & basil served on a crispy crouton & finished with a pesto dressing.

Bianco’s baby octopus
warm baby octopus served with mixed peppers & mixed olives finished with a hint of cream

Chicken Soup
Served with cream & mixed peppers.

Antipasto
Selection of cheeses & meats served with a mixed salad & maltese ftira.

Beef Carpaccio
Thinly sliced fillet of beef served with a ruccola, parmesan & drizzled with vinaigrette dressing.

Mixed fish Carpaccio
Thinly sliced swordfish & salmon served with a mixed leave salad Sprinkled with capers & finished with a citrus dressing.

Asparagus & Mushroom Salad
Drizzled with Mascarpone Cheese and set on a bed of Fresh mixed leaves.

Fresh Argentine ‘A’ beef salad
Spicy beef tossed with chili & cajun spice together with stir fry veg served on a bed of leaves.

Fresh Tuna Salad
Grilled fresh tuna served on a bed of fresh mixed salad.

Sesame duck salad
sesame duck breast served on mixed leaves & drizzled with honey & orange segments.

Chicken & sweet corn salad
Chicken & sweet corn set on a bed of mixed leaves & finished with a wallnut oil dressing.

Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken strips set on a bed of Fresh mixed leaves, topped with Parmesan shavings, croutons & dressed with a creamy Caesar Dressing.

Salami & Orange salad
Shredded salami & orange segments topped with cheese & drizzled with strawberry vinaigrette.

Maltese Salad
Maltese Cheese, together with Maltese Sausage, Capers, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Green Olives set on Fresh Mixed leaves.

Bianco’s Fresh Garganelli
Served with strips of chicken, chorizo finished with peas & cream.

Fresh tortellini calamari
Calamari rings served with a wholegrain mustard sauce.

Fusilli Bianco’s
Served with hazelnut oil & sprinkled with blue cheese & crispy croutons.

Fresh Ravioli sundried tomatoes
Served with shredded parma ham, sun dried tomatoes finished with ruccola leaves.

Farfalle asparagus & Prawn
Served in a curry sauce, flamed with martini bianco & finsihed with a touch of cream.

Spaghetti la Beef
Fresh strips of Argentine A beef tossed with mixed peppers, black olives & cherry tomatoes.

Risotto Pumpkin
Finished with Pine nuts & a touch of cream.

Risotto Lemon and Thyme
Finsihed with cashew nuts & parmesan shavings.

Fresh Argentine ‘A’ beef
Rib eye * 400g
Fillet * 300g

*Both of the above are served with a choice of baked potatoes or fries or sauté potatoes & warm vegetables or mixed cold salad.

Bianco’s Classic Burgers
4 x 50 GRM Burgers served with a side order of bacon, onion, tomato relish, edam cheese & fries.

Lamb Cutlets
served with a pea salsa finished with a mint jus & sauté potatoes.

Crusty Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken breast coated wth a herb crust, served with wilted greens, baked potatoes & finished with a peanut butter sauce.

Grilled duck breast
Served with mango salsa, baked potatoes & finished with a red wine & vanilla reduction.

Veal Crumbed
Veal coated in herb bread crumbs served with vegetables & finished with an apple & cherry sauce.

Oven baked stuffed salmon
Fillet of salmon, stuffed with prawn, crab meat & cheese served with baked potatoes & finished with vodka curry cream sauce.

Fresh fish on request.
kindly ask a member of our staff for more information.

Jellyfish around Malta

2008-07-29T05:21:00.001-07:00

The jellyfish season has started here on Malta and swimming is almost impossible. There are quite a few tourists daring the jellyfish in the sea though and quite a few of them get stung. The jellyfish around Malta are not very dangerous but they hurt a lot and the sting can even become big scars. The skin gets a bad burn and the best thing to do, I found out after asking quite a few Maltese, is putting vinegar on the burn.

The Bus Drivers on Malta

2008-07-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

The Maltese bus drivers are the rudest people I've met on this island. Considering their recent riots and the arrest of the Transport union leader I guess the rudeness shouldn't be the real problem, or at least not a problem you should talk about if you like your health. I've seen bus drivers throw the change in the face of old ladies because the didn't have small enough coins. I've seen them drive off with people halfway through the door so they fall out of the bus because the driver thought them slow. I've even seen a bus run over a girl at a crossing.

If you can avoid it, don't go by bus on Malta.

Moving to Malta

2008-07-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

The first day after moving to Malta I got scared. Malta is a tiny island stuck between Sicily and Africa. The island has the color of limestone, both the ground and every single building is limestone. The trees are scarse and there is no grass at all. Malta is just a limestone rock in the middle of nowhere.

After a few days it gets better though, getting used to Malta is not that hard. There are lots and lots of restuarants and pubs if you consider how tiny Malta actually is. All in all there are 400.000 Maltese even though some of them claim that there are at least a vouple of hundred thousands of them living in Australia.

This is my blog about living on Malta, hope you will enjoy it.