The Golden Fork — Restaurant in Rabat

Nestled in the heart of Rabat, The Golden Fork boasts an enchanting setting, meticulously curated to exude tradition and elegance. The attention to detail is evident, particularly in the exquisite hand-crafted porcelain used for the table service—a truly remarkable touch. However, while the ambiance sets high expectations, the service regrettably does not rise to the occasion.

Upon our arrival at 19:45, we opted for the tasting menu accompanied by a wine pairing. When inquiring about the selection of wines included, the waitress(a lady apology I forgot the name)—rather astonishingly—responded with a vague and uninspired "white, red, and sparkling." One would certainly expect a more informed and refined approach from a venue aspiring to excellence.

The pacing of the meal left much to be desired. Seven courses stretched over three hours, despite the restaurant accommodating only twenty diners that evening. The interludes between dishes were excessive, particularly the 25-minute gap between the fish course and the venison, during which we found ourselves idly gazing at our untouched glasses of wine. Even once emptied, they remained on the table until we politely requested their removal. The service team, though well-meaning, appeared understaffed—perhaps an additional member on the floor would help orchestrate a smoother, more seamless experience.

As for the cuisine, while one can certainly appreciate the effort and craftsmanship behind each dish, the flavors, unfortunately, did not always reach the level of excitement we had anticipated. The standout course, in our view, was the prawn—executed with finesse and depth. However, for a bill totaling €300 for two, we had hoped for a greater sense of punctuality and culinary boldness—a restaurant that aspires but does not yet fully deliver.

That said, the wine selection proved to be a triumph, with the young gentleman in the dining room offering insightful explanations that greatly enhanced the experience.

To those reading this, I urge you not to take these words defensively. Ambition is a demanding path, and the higher one aims, the greater...

Happy to be writing the 1st GOOGLE review for this Amazing new Restaurant right in the heart of Malta and one of the best i have visited having lived in Malta for nearly a year!

The first thing you notice about the restaurant is the lovely location! The 400 year old converted corner house screams history!. The interior is decorated beautifully! Lovely original stone walls and tiled floors! The upstairs has a lovely romantic ambience and you can see into the kitchen through the service window which is a great little touch! Next time we will be booking the balcony table! There is outdoor seating also to choose from!

The menu is great! Clean, concise and to the point! 2 pages ; 1 for starters and 1 for mains (and one for deserts on the back). When you have a menu which is too big you end up flicking through the pages getting lost and choosing a similar dish you would always go for. The menu has a wide variety of interesting dishes. The wine menu has a lovely selection of wines from all around the world. The starters were delicious and the portion sizes ideal. The mains were also very yummy however for me the side vegetables and potatoes was too much 🤣! When it came to the deserts the cheese cake was soooo good! Not to sweet and full of flavour . We had the opportunity of meeting the head chef Letizia who came to our table to see if everything was ok! This added to our experience and should continue as it is always great to thank the chef in person when eating something delicious! It's great to see a young and humble chef jumping into the deep end and opening up her first restaurant!

We will be definately be visiting the restaurant again! Looking up the forward to it already! Keep up the hard work Letizia!

PS: hopefully next time the table service can be a bit...

First off, much respect to the chefs and staff for the amazing effort they’re putting in. If my friend served me this meal I’d tell them it was absolutely amazing and they should be proud. However, after £250 and three and half hours I really think an honest review is the right way to go.

1st course (Foie Gras Meringue Sandwich): I found it overly sweet. Couldn’t taste the foie gras. A bit odd.

2nd course (Puffed Rice Fried Octopus): Perfectly pleasant but nothing special.

3rd course (Beetroot Custard): I thought it was a bit bland - lacking salt and acidity.

4th course (Prawn Risotto): Again - perfectly pleasant but not exactly inspiring.

5th course (Snapper in Carrot and Ginger Sauce): This is where things started to go a bit wrong. I found this really bland. Pepper and tomato didn’t really add anything - seemed to be there purely for aesthetic reasons.

6th course (Pigeon and Sirloin in Peanut Sauce): This felt really discordant to me. Peanut sauce had a bit of an odd aftertaste and really didn’t go well with the sirloin.

7th course (Caramelised Brioche with Pepper Ice Cream): Huge portion of brioche. Tiny portion of very peppery ice cream. Bit of an awkward end to the meal.

Lovely atmosphere. Beautifully presented food. But yikes - the taste is seriously not great. Sorry folks. I think you have to do better than this if you’re gonna keep people there for 3 and half hours.

P.S. I am sorry not to have given more real-time feedback but it’s quite a difficult thing to do. It’s embarrassing! I feel quite bad for leaving such a critical review but I can’t help but think that potential diners have a right to different...