Caviar & Bull — Restaurant in Saint Julian's

Our trip to Malta was transformed into an unforgettable adventure thanks to our visits to Caviar & Bull. From the moment we stepped in on our first night, we knew we had found something extraordinary, and we were so captivated that we returned a couple of evening’s later.

The culinary delights at Caviar & Bull are nothing short of spectacular, but what truly elevates this restaurant to a league of its own is the impeccable service. The staff are attentive, detail-oriented, and genuinely passionate about providing a top-tier dining experience.

The journey begins with a fascinating tour of the restaurant, showcasing their exquisite selection of meats, a well-curated wine room, and an impressive array of cigars. This thoughtful introduction sets the stage for an exceptional dining experience.

Once seated, we were given ample time to settle in before being presented with the drinks menu, complete with thoughtful recommendations tailored to our meat or fish choices. The anticipation builds with a palate cleanser and perfectly whipped butter served with fresh bread, setting the scene for the culinary delights to follow.

Both nights, I indulged in the mushroom & truffle croquette, a dish so delectable it demanded a repeat performance. My wife explored the Tartare collection on our first visit and savored the Seared Scallops on our second—both dishes were so sublime that she didn't leave a morsel for me to sample. Trying caviar for the first time was a revelation, and I found it immensely enjoyable, thanks to the excellent recommendation from the staff. The molecular spheres are a must-try—an extraordinary experience that left us both in awe.

On our first night, we both opted for the fillet steak, which was, without a doubt, the best steak I've ever tasted—cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor. My wife chose the lamb brick on our second visit, and while I couldn't taste it due to an allergy, it looked absolutely phenomenal.

For dessert, my wife delighted in the rich chocolate fondant, while I indulged in a fine cigar—an impeccable end to an extraordinary meal.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the entire team at Caviar & Bull for making our dining experiences the highlight of our holiday. Back in the UK, we are already planning our next trip to Malta, with a return to Caviar & Bull as a central part of our itinerary (our 10th wedding anniversary).

Thank you, Caviar & Bull, for making our holiday so special and memorable.

Pete & Maz Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | ...

I booked Caviar and Bull to celebrate a special occasion as a pre wedding dinner with family. I noted this at reservation stage with a request for a lovely table on the terrace. Nevertheless, we were seated on what seemed to be the worst table, at the back in a corner. I let this slide as I understand this was a request and the restaurant may have received such request with every booking.

However from a restaurant as renowned as Caviar and Bull I did not expect how the rest of the evening turned out. Even a 1/5 seems generous.

We were seated without menus and had to ask for the menus It took over an hour for our wine to be brought to the table and again had to ask for this. The amuse bouche was then brought before we even had our drinks. When the waiter was serving the wine he forgot to pour wine for one person and placed the bottle in the ice bucket and had to be reminded(we were a table of 4 not a large party). Not to mention the lack of basic etiquette which I expected from a restaurant of this standing. We are not big eaters so skipped the starter to save space for dessert, however as we were finishing the amuse bouche the main was brought straight to the table and we were wished an enjoyable dinner by a waiter who sped off and left us without the proper cutlery nor clearing of our table which would normally be done before. This was then noticed by another member of staff and cutlery was quickly brought to our table so we could start eating. The waiter then came back to clear the dishes and side plates disrupting the meal and leaned across the table over my plate to reach something in the middle. The food was ok. However nothing to write home about. I ordered the beef cheeks as I had tried them at Tarragon Restaurant and they were divine, however here it was a bit dry. No attempt to pour wine or water was made throughout the evening, we did this ourselves. Again not something I would normally complain about but the lack of service was felt on this evening.

There seemed to be ample staff but attentiveness, communication and training seemed lacking. When they looked at the table, they would need beckoning or we would just be ignored. The timings in service were off and very simple standards were either not done properly or missed entirely.

The plates were removed after they were left sitting empty for a while and when the dessert menus were offered we decided we would rather go somewhere else.

Not what you...

The chef obviously knows how to grill meat, that much is evident as my ribeye was superb. Everything else was good, sometimes great, but never extraordinary.

First thing was the cocktails. There was a negroni-riff with fernet branca instead of Campari. I was intrigued as it’s such a bold choice, Fernet is such a strong flavour. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The Fernet overpowered everything else in the glass.

The ‘Journey of Caviar’ was ok. Caviar was a bit fishy and I felt underwhelmed. When caviar is superb it’s (almost) worth the money, sadly this was not it.

Stuffed beef pasta was well executed but just lacked finesse and acidity. It had deep umami but there was no sweetness and/or acidity to bring it all together. Solid, tasty but no more.

The popcorn lobster was, frankly, mediocre. It’s just (poorly) done small bits of tempura lobster. Not great.

As mentioned the chef really knows how to cook meat so my ribeye was superb. We would have ordered some of the other cuts (the specials) but the smallest cut was 1kg and that was too daunting a task for my wife and I! I’m sure they would have been delicious, though.

Wine: great list but punchy mark ups (which I don’t begrudge too much, it’s that kinda place). Wine was a 2008 and could have really done with decanting. Furthermore the affable (but I’m not sure how knowledgeable) sommelier up ended the bottle into our glasses meaning we had significant dregs in both our glasses. I’ve never seen that before and, frankly, I was agog. Just a crazy thing to do from a ‘professional sommelier’. Nice fella though.

Ultimately, I think the chef should stick to what he (or she) knows best: cooking big bits of meat, this is obviously what they excel at. Everything else was a bit of a miss. Also, invest in a booze consultant who can put together a good cocktail list and educate on wine service.

Atmosphere was good and staff were lovely, warm...