Ambrosia Maltese Bistronomy — Restaurant in Valletta

Food was good but overall a disappointing experience, leaving us feeling a bit bitter at paying a €97 bill for essentially two mains (€46), a starter (€18), 2 beers (€10), one wine (€8), and a bottle of water (€5), plus €10 worth of add-ons that you’re forced into having.

We were served bread and olives, which we didn’t want (cover charge is £1.50 pp, and we’d had a large lunch so had already agreed not to order bread and olives) but it was brought anyway. When we said to the server we didn’t want it, she seemed confused and insisted we have it. It wasn’t particularly brilliant bread, with melted packs of margarine, and genuinely 3 olives in a tiny cup. Three olives.

Despite that, and waiting an age for my wine, we had an excellent starter of Grilled Asparagus and Pecorino salad, with large rocket leaves and basil, a thick dusting of pecorino over the top, and a light cesar-style creamy dressing. Very flavourful and fresh…. I’m just not sure it was worth €18.

For mains we had Boneless Quail with stuffing, and the Milanese Veal (two pieces of breadcrumbed veal escalopes). Both rather large portions which we failed to finish. The veal was served with only a lemon wedge; I requested some dressing for it, which never arrived.

Service was painfully slow - we were left waiting quite a long time for each drink, and a long break in between our starter and our mains, to the point that we wondered if our drinks and food had been forgotten.

Alongside the €3 cover charge for bread we didn’t want, we were charged €7 for a portion of vegetables and potatoes to share with our meals (again, the vegetables are not optional and come with the meal). The vegetables were good, but we would have been perfectly satisfied sharing just one portion. We’re not on a money-saving trip, but didn’t feel the poor service reflected the high prices, and we’ve had better meals (with the exact same number of items) in the Valletta area for half the price, that have been considerably more enjoyable.

The restaurant is, however, has a pleasant relaxing atmosphere, sat on the street in the warm September weather, which is what drew us in, with audible live jazz music playing from Babel further down the street (Babel is very much worth a visit...

Myself and my partner recently had dinner in this restaurant and were seated outside. First of all, there were no physical menus, the food options were only displayed on a board located at the entrance of the restaurant. There were other customers eating at a table that partially blocked this board and therefore it was quite awkward for us to see the menu. I ended up taking a photo of the menu on my phone and looking at it that way which was not ideal.

Further, my partner wanted a main course but I personally didn't feel like a large meal as it was late in the evening, therefore I asked the waitress if it was possible to have a starter instead of a main course and she did not understand this request. She kept asking me why I was doing this and saying it wasn't the normal way of things and it became very complicated and awkward. She eventually understood and I was satisfied with the portion I received. The quality of the food was good but the service could have been better. I felt very uncomfortable and embarassed after the encounter with asking for a starter, which wasn't a nice feeling. I also believe physical menus are important, especially when trying to translate from...

Superb restaurant with a lovely ambience. In the middle of historic Valletta, it provides a culinary feast to titillate the senses… Pork belly, rabbit, and the best gazpacho I have ever tasted. The wonderful food was matched by the friendliness of the experienced servers… Such a gem in Valletta! Great food, perfect location, efficient staff. The octopus is to die for. Don’t leave without trying the cheesecake too!… Amazing food and friendly staff! The mussels were to die for! We also had belly pork and prawn and mushroom risotto which where both delicious!… We had two portions of rabbit and one belly pork. The mains came with potatoes and vegetables. Absolutely delicious. Unusually bread and butter were offered too… This little restaurant is outstanding. We started with a mushroom and shrimp risotto which was excellent. We then had the pork cheeks in a rich, mushroom sauce which was perfect for a...