Jacket potato madness in Gzira

time to explore with esplora

Jacket potato madness in Gzira

guinness beef stew spud

Photo: the happy spud

Located bang in the middle of all the action, you’ll come across The Happy Spud.

Run by Irish jacket potato enthusiasts David and his fiancé Kelly, the eatery has been serving up dream-like hot potatoes for the last month.

We thought it best to head on down to The Happy Spud, to speak with the owner and taste a spud or two (or four).

David greeted us with a larger-than-life grin, as he directed our eyes towards the spud menu. Picture this: a piping hot, soft jacket potato, topped with Mexican style minced beef with spices, or oyster mushrooms and black truffle or maybe even tuna with sweet corn, tomato and onion.

We ordered all of the above, as well as the spud topped with pizza sauce and pepperoni, just for good measure.

As we feasted on our delicious potatoes and wondered why this meal never features on local restaurant menus, David explained that spuds are definitely a staple of the Irish diet back home.

Kelly and David, who moved to Malta three years ago, often found themselves craving their favourite snack while working from home. Always the inventive chef, David would head into the kitchen and concoct his own recipes to satisfy their cravings. During the process, they came to realise that Malta’s eclectic culinary scene lacked one thing: jacket potatoes.

A five-month journey ensued, which involved a touch of market research, a couple of menu tweaks and a bucket-load of tasting sessions.

And alas, The Happy Spud was born. Having opened its doors in September, during COVID-19, David thought it best to deliver the delicious potatoes to people via well-known delivery app, Bolt.

Just how good are the potatoes?

In a word: delicious. Rich, filling, the size of my head. Though many may consider jacket potatoes to be a side dish, or a snack, I urge you to think again. These potatoes are not only first pick potatoes, they’re also local, first pick potatoes.