Taste — Restaurant in Valletta

I visited Taste Valletta and left deeply disappointed. I ordered the “fresh catch of the day,” which turned out to be mushy, pink, and undercooked. The staff claimed it had been cooked sous vide before grilling, but the texture was unpleasant, and it was impossible to eat. I politely asked if it could be cooked a bit more in the oven, but they refused, saying the fish had been “butchered on the plate.” I had only attempted to eat the fully cooked parts, so this response was unhelpful.

The waiter replaced the fish with Taleggio Agnolotti, which I initially appreciated as a gesture. However, the replacement was just as disappointing. The cheese filling was grainy and rubbery, resembling frozen and thawed processed cheese rather than creamy Taleggio. Despite this, I didn’t complain further, as I respected the effort to replace the dish.

When the waiter brought the bill and noticed we hadn’t eaten the steak or the pasta, he asked why. I explained that I didn’t like the cheese filling, and my partner didn’t enjoy their steak, which had been overcooked to well-done instead of the medium-rare they had ordered. At this point, the waiter called the owner to our table.

Unfortunately, the situation escalated quickly. The owner loudly accused us of complaining about the entire meal, which was untrue—we had only raised an issue with the fish and gave feedback about the other dishes when asked. The owner then claimed the pasta filling was goat cheese, even though the menu clearly stated it was Taleggio—a cow’s milk cheese. This felt misleading, especially as the filling did not match expectations for either type of cheese.

To make matters worse, they tried to charge us for both the uneaten fish and the replacement pasta, which I had not ordered and could not eat due to its texture and saltiness. After some discussion, they reluctantly removed the steak from the bill after acknowledging its poor quality when shown photos. However, they refused to remove the pasta, insisting it was a complimentary replacement for the fish, even though I had no choice in the matter and could not eat it.

The appetizers were the only redeeming part of the experience, as they were genuinely enjoyable. However, the poor execution of the main courses and the unprofessional handling of feedback left a lasting negative impression.

For the high prices they charge, I expected much better quality food and service. Sadly, this was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had, and I would not recommend Taste...

We stumbled upon this by chance, looking for some lunch on our first day in Malta - and what a find! ‘Taste’ has set the bar very high for Maltese food.

We were served complimentary warm bread rolls, with gorgeous olive oil and balsamic. We followed with seafood ravioli with chunks of octopus inside the tender parcels, served in a delicious creamy buttery saffron velouté, and a goats cheese agnolotti (parcels) in a rich and nutty sage and butter sauce. Absolutely gorgeous and faultless.

Their wine list ranges from locally produced wines to Lebanese, French and Italian wines. I opted for a glass of Artigjan Chardonnay (locally produced) which was silky smooth, medium bodied, and full of tropical flavours. A really interesting and delicious wine. They also had a Chilean Sauvignon blanc available by the glass, for white wine options. There is a good range of cocktails and about 8-10 different spritzes, including a limoncello spritz which I’ll have to return to try!

Overall it was a refreshing, relaxing, and lightly-filling meal (satisfyingly full, but not stuffed), which greatly surpassed all our expectations with just absolutely stunning and beautifully made food. Staff were so brilliant, knowledgable about the food and wine, and really helpful and friendly. Would...

My wife and me had quite a negative experience in this restaurant. We ordered duck breast and a risotto. When they arrived, they had a beautiful presentation. However, the duck was inedible, it was hard like a piece of rubber, truly impossible to eat. I have never experienced any meat served like this. I told the waiter and sent it back to the kitchen (it is the first time in my life I do this). I ordered a burger as replacement. It obviously came after my wife had finished her risotto (which was nice).

So, our dinner date, was quite "so-so".

Then... I never thought I would have to pay for the duck, but when the bill came, I had to pay for it (but not the burger).

It is up to them how they do business, but in my view they had a great opportunity to make a positive experience for us: how about saying "I am sorry" and offering my food for free as an apology? None of that happened. That is what I'd had done if I was running that restaurant, as anyone can make a mistake (the chef obviously did), but it is how you deal with the mistake what separates good from bad restaurants. Our dinner date was...