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 going forward.