A Chef and a Foodie on Tour: Old Bakery’s Pizza E Past in Valletta

A Chef and a Foodie on Tour: Old Bakery’s Pizza E Past in Valletta

Valletta. The capital city of the lovely island of Malta. A place filled with brilliant restaurants for locals and tourists alike. What would make us choose this sweet restaurant out of so many? Old Bakery’s is the sweetest little hideaway just slightly off the main aisle of the city. Once you walk inside, it feels like you have been invited to sit in one of your favourite families’ kitchens. The atmosphere is small, quaint, and utterly exquisite.

This beautiful establishment was founded by the Spiteri family in December 2017. The mother, Charlotte, and father along with their two sons, Paurik and Cormack make up the restaurant staff. Paurik runs the restaurant, while Cormack runs the kitchen. Charlotte serves the food. You will find a large menu comprised of local craft beers and local wines are also served. The highest quality olive oil sits on every table. The olives are grown and pressed by a local farmer who is friends with the family. As soon as I opened the bottle and inhaled, it reminded me of the fresh and stout scent that I experienced when I got to be part of olive pressing. The smell is so strong and so specific that when you recognise it, it confirms that it is local, fresh and pure. Nothing added. It’s the best pairing to swipe the pizza crust with!

Pizza

Old Bakery’s serves traditional Neapolitan-style pizza. The crust is thin and crunchy at the top. We asked Paurik to choose for us what he considers their signature pizza. The one he brought to us is listed as Old Bakery’s Pizza. On the menu it offers tomato sauce, mozzarella, blue cheese, walnuts, spinach, oregano. But the surprise ingredient that I don’t see on the menu but made the pizza incredible was the drizzling of local, pure honey. These are not necessarily foods that I would choose for my pizza ; yet, it is probably the one I will order every time I go there. The flavours blended so perfectly and the honey and blue cheese with the walnuts swirled together to offset anything too tangy, felt sweet, savoury and decadent in my mouth. The spinach was smooth and helped to add a creamy texture. Chef Ariel Guivi poured the olive oil on the plate and used the crust of the pizza to soak it up. The olive oil only added a supreme extra flavour. The tomato sauce was just enough as the base. This is definitely a party for your mouth!

One of the things that chef Ariel noticed is the bubbles in the dough as a sign of long fermentation. When we asked Paurik about it, he said that the dough ferments for 42 hours. The crust is light, with bubbles and little holes. It is delicious alone or swept up with the olive oil. Any pizza you choose is sure to delight all the senses. This place serves the highest quality ingredients, locally sourced and you can taste the love in every bite.

Rossette Al Forno (Pasta with ham)

This pasta dish is a signature dish created by the patriarch of the family. Beginning with flat, sheet pasta and placing ham inside each thin layer and rolling them and chopping into pieces to make what looks like roses in the pan. Served in a cast iron skillet and in a creamy, rich béchamel sauce, this dish is great for someone like myself who loves the rich and creamy addition to a pasta of any kind.

I highly recommend a visit to Old Bakery’s the next time you are in Valletta!

Find them on Facebook!

read more...

read more...