Brookies Restaurant
With a location away from the busy seafront or village squares, you may not be familiar with Brookies. But ask a Gozitan to list their favourite restaurants, and you’re sure to hear the name! Whilst tourists arrive here after reading the great reviews, locals fill the tables at weekends, confident manager Michaela Cordina will be on site to ensure the food is upscale, the atmosphere relaxed, and everyone kept happy. Built around a 300-year-old farmhouse, the restaurant offers tables in an invited arched stone room with a viewing window to the kitchen, or in a modern large glassed dining room. You’ll also find a wine cellar and bar area (with a welcoming wood-burning replace in winter) and a newly completed roof terrace with views of Victoria’s Cittadella and Gelmus hill.
The Brookies’ menu, created by chef James Cassar, is centred around Mediterranean cuisine and Maltese favourites. The dishes may read like standard pasta, fish and meat options, but consult the ingredients list and you’ll find some playful twists on the classics. Pork fillet is accompanied with fennel marmalade, duck breast paired with a dark chocolate jus, and the lamb stew cooked in pale ale. Fish options include sea bass with coconut and lemon drizzle, and salmon served with a prosecco and white chocolate sauce. All dishes are artistically plated and portion sizes are very generous. complete your meal by choosing from a wine list of over 150 well described bottles, and make sure to ask about the tempting desserts.