Aaron's Kitchen — Restaurant in Valletta

Mediocre food. Horrible service!

In the vibrant heart of Valetta, Malta, there lies a culinary establishment known as Aaron's Kitchen, which promised an authentic Maltese experience, but left a rather disappointing and piquant impression on our collective palates.

The rabbit stew, traditionally lauded as a hearty and flavor-rich dish, was regretfully far from that ideal. The meat was desiccated to the point of detriment, losing the anticipated tenderness and succulence. The dish was desperately crying out for the introduction of well-considered seasoning and robust flavors, which were unfortunately found wanting, resulting in an experience which was at best unmemorable and at worst rather off-putting.

The octopus rice ball, another key player in the game of Maltese gastronomy, was equally disappointing. Its usual vibrant and nuanced marine notes were utterly lost in translation, yielding a product which bore the cardinal sin of culinary endeavours - blandness. It lacked the characteristic seafood zing, a trait that can transfigure this dish from simple to spectacular, leaving us yearning for more depth and character.

Similarly, the swordfish, which ordinarily offers a robust, meaty bite and a flavor profile unmatched in its sphere, was instead dry and tasteless, a shadow of its potential. It was as if the oceanic vigour inherent in the dish was callously sucked away, yielding a culinary experience bereft of pleasure and nuance.

However, the grievous shortcomings of the food were overshadowed by the service, or more accurately, the lack thereof. The interactions with the staff, particularly one female attendant, added a distinct sour note to our meal. Her approach was not merely lacking in warmth or professionalism, but blatantly rude. There was an unsettling incident where our plates were whisked away prematurely, while my companion was still engaged with his meal. The spectacle of our cutlery being dropped and wipes strewn about our table without so much as an apology was more than off-putting.

The basic courtesy of asking permission before clearing a table, a standard protocol in the realm of hospitality, was notably absent. In an industry where service can make or break an experience, this brusque and uncaring attitude served as the unwelcome cherry atop an already unsatisfactory...

Went without reservation. We were walking by, saw the Michelin’s sign and decided to try our luck there, asked if they had any table for 2 and lucky for us a couple was leaving so after a few minutes we were already seated. So far, so good. After several minutes the waiter realized we didn’t have even the menus (in the way got distracted), then he brought the menu, wine list, specials menu and asked what we wanted to drink, which we ordered and came quite fast, at the moment the first drinks came we ordered also a bottle of white wine and the food. That was the moment when the experience started to go wrong. We waited approximately 15 minutes for the wine, when we asked the waiter if it was coming, he answered something like “oh it isn’t” he went and then came back asking what was the wine we ordered (obviously he forgot). After a few minutes he brought the wine and glasses, which weren’t clean enough. At this moment, my partner and I were only hoping that at least the food was exquisite (because of the Michelin’s sign) but unfortunately it wasn’t. We ordered the Breaded Gbejna to share and then as main courses the Duck Breast and the Paccheri from the Specials Menu. We waited so long for the starter to come and when we try it we where really surprised: the dish didn’t makes sense, fried ingredients with more fried ingredients (the cheese fried with a fried crust on the base) and the side quite poor. Then we waited a little bit more for the main dishes to come: the duck breast was over cooked with a side that even a person with no knowledge in cooking could prepare it (taking into account the Michelin’s sign). The paccheri was way to far to be “al dente” it was too hard and the wild boar stew which came with was sweet. After all this, obviously we didn’t asked for dessert, just the bill while we finish the bottle of wine. We really don’t understand how a so prestigious guide could recommend this place, maybe was just a bad day or maybe is like this usually. The price was highly overrated for the food quality, cooking techniques and service. We think there are a lot of different options in Valetta more accurate...

Apéritif: The tappenade served with garlic bread together with some olives and pickles was a good start. Then, a perfect entrée with "mushroom trio" where you can find all different tastes of earthy mushrooms, fresh spices and soft cream. And the main dish: spaghetti vongole. Indeed for me, this was the weakest course of the night. The plate was strongly dominated by citrus notes and was too sour that you cannot really taste the spaghetti itself. Clams were fresh and tasty but as everything tasted like lemon, I couldn't really feel the taste of these beautifully cooked fresh clams. This piece of lemon ruined all tastes on the plate. Finally, I tried a Maltese dessert, which i haven't eaten before but it was quite good. When it comes to wines, there was another problem. They indeed have quite a large list of wines but just as a bottle or (for some of them) half a bottle. They do not serve one quarter in carafe, and for glass, they have limited selection with generally sweet whites. So if you are alone, you must drink a demi or sweet! I asked the most dry Italian white, but it was still too weak for an earthy/creamy/slightly stronger course. Would be nice if they serve drier wines in glass. Overall, the dining experience was average (not extraordinary but definitely not bad). However, the service was very good, friendly and very attentive. I suggest you to book in advance and maybe try a meat dish -it was pretty popular at other tables. If you do not have great expectations, you will like Aaron's Kitchen...