The Fork and Cork Restaurant — Restaurant in Mdina

The Fork and Cork Restaurant is located near to Mdina and as we were near and it was raining, we decided to give this place a shot for lunch to pass the time; not least, too, because the place is Michelin-recommended.

The server was pleasant throughout our time there, though I felt that the constant stream of delivery ingredients coming in through the front door to be an unnecessary distraction. It also means the door opens and closes all the time, wind was blowing in etc. It seemed a bit clumsy for a Michelin-recommended place to have those mode of delivering ingredients during what should be a relaxing lunch. I also noticed once that the cloth from the plate that the server used to provide me with additional cutlery was visibly dirty.

I tried the beef cheek pasta starter and though it was pleasant, I felt it didn't pack the kind of flavour punch I would have expected from a place recommended by Michelin. It was decent, but nothing special. I also felt the bread on the site with the dips was simply too big and heavy. They are very large slices of bread and so it makes the customer unnecessarily full. Large pieces of bread, moderately large pasta starter; then a main to follow on...it just becomes too heavy and that makes the experience less enjoyable. Both of us were too full even starting the main course. Why needlessly large, uncomfortable portions? Other Michelin-recommended restaurants in Malta have more reasonable portion sizes that you can complete an entire 3-course meal without feeling like you need to sleep for 5-hours.

The main course I tried, in contrast, was delicious. I had the red snapper and the combination of flavours is exactly what I would expect from a Michelin-recommended restaurant (having visited many others throughout Malta). It was by far the best dish I tried and made the visit worth it, in the end (though as I say, I wish I was less full to have enjoyed it more).

So this was a mix of good flavours, some great flavours, some good service, large portions, and some needless additions.

It's fixable.

Would I come back? I don't think I have been convinced.

Updated Response

The owner responded to my review that in terms of my claims on food that food quality is "a matter of opinion".

No, it isn't.

We all know what terrible food tastes like (overcooked steak, dry chicken), and what good food tastes like.

We all know that seasoning adds flavour, and no seasoning makes food bland.

I could go on.

That stock answer is very dismissive whilst also being wrong (a surprising statement from what appears to be a chef?).

Furthermore, that claim that food quality "is a matter of opinion" doesn't match the fact that you have a Michelin-recommended opinion. Is their opinion also "just a matter of opinion"?

Of course not.

So based on that dismissive line to a customer, I have gone from offering constructive feedback to coming to the conclusion that I cannot recommend this restaurant...

My partner and I had lunch at The Fork and Cork while visiting Mdina. It was lovely and the food was excellent. Carl Zahra, the owner and chef responded personally to the booking request and was actively serving and checking in on all the tables. We started with aperitifs, unexpectedly received a mushroom soup amuse bouche that was outstanding. I could had 4 more bowls of that alone and have left happy. It was served with steaming hot lovely sourdough bread, a herbed butter, and olives. First course was a fancy take on pastizzi with ricotta and peas. This was a nice light starter but my least favourite course. My partner had the rabbit rigatoni and said it was great. Second course I had the pumpkin and ‘nduja risotto. It had a great balance of spiciness from the ‘nduja and sweet from the granola topping, which added a nice crunch too. My partner had the margret de canard and said it was exceptional. We had a lovely bottle of red recommended by Carl that was a perfect match to our food. The total came to ~€120 which we felt was exceptional value for the quality of food. There is lovely art displayed throughout the restaurant. My favourite painting was by Sibs Simon Johnson of a girl swimming. My only regret was not having room...

Possibly the best restaurant in Malta. The food was sublime and the service was wonderful. Friendly but professional staff that were polite but made us feel very comfortable. Many high end restaurants associated with Michelin can be incredibly pretentious, however this was spot on. The bread and condiments provided at the start was a delicious way to start the meal, but be careful you don't get too full up on it.

The food is absolutely stunning, I had a saffron risotto followed by the Lamb main and the chocolate tart for dessert. All classical flavours cooked to a level that blows the mind. They also had a great choice of wine, cocktails and gins. At the end of the meal we had a big grin spread across our faces and we were ready to pay much more than we did. It's rare to come away from restaurants this fine feeling like you got great value for money, but we did. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough, it was a truly special occasion in a truly special place, a trip to Malta isn't complete without...