Lunch fit for a queen at Kingsway
One of my oldest friends was recently in Malta on holiday for the first time after moving to Australia five years ago. She’s had three children since I last saw her, so needless to say a long lunch was long overdue. I had heard of Kingsway after coming across their Instagram account and after weeks of drooling over their elegant scrumptious dishes I finally found the perfect excuse to visit the place.
Kingsway is located under one of those arches further down from the law courts in Valletta. It really stands out with its bronze accents and polished façade. At the same time, it fits right in the elegance and charm that is synonymous with our capital.
We were greeted by equally charming waiters in their retro-style uniforms and welcoming smiles. It felt like a serious throwback to the late 1940s in Valletta. Even the décor screams of a totally different era, with bronze accents, cold marble table-tops and seductive warm jazz music in the background.
My shoulders soon started to relax and we kicked off our luncheon with one of the Kingsway signature cocktails. I had a Raspberry Spritz, which is super sweet and so damn refreshing on one of the hottest day ever in June. To accompany our drinks, we shared a trio of dips platter, consisting of the best hummus I’ve had in my life (no kidding!), a delicious dark olive oil and crushed nuts dip, and a sundried tomato dip – all served with warm pitta bread, fresh crusty Maltese bread and galletti. So yum.
We had so much to catch up on, we were both losing track of time. This was a weekday in Valletta so people were continuously coming and going. Young men in sharp tailored suits on their lunch break, tourists leisurely looking for a traditional ftira and a couple of Italians dropping in for a quick espresso. There was a great vibe.
We ordered the next course from a limited yet interesting selection of snacks on the menu, they also have a scrumptious display of fresh snacks that changes daily. I ordered a crispy fresh bagel with beetroot-cured smoked salmon and cold citrusy cream cheese. Quite a unique taste, slightly bitter, but balanced well with the soft texture of the cream cheese. Interesting and delicious. Perhaps the only let down of my dish was the crisps on the side. For a delicate choice of snacks that are prepared with rich ingredients, one call tell, the crisps (I bet they’re commercially-bought and not fresh) somewhat cheapen the dish. My friend had a Parma ham, cheddar and peach & tomato relish baguette. I didn’t get to taste it unfortunately but she said it was really crispy and fresh.
We originally planned to skip dessert as we were quite full already, but when the charming host seduced us with gluten free, dairy free and sugar free desserts, who could resist? I initially thought he’s taking the piss, quite frankly, but then I reread the menu. No kidding! We shared a peanut butter tart which, to be fair tasted less sugary and less fattening, but my god was it delicious. The rich filling was made with figs, which is one of my all-time favourite fruits and the peanut butter topping was so luscious and velvety. Must-try. There were other cheesecake-type of desserts to choose from and they looked equally amazing – maybe next time!
We then looked at our watch and woah! it was well past 3pm! We ended our lovely conversation with a salute to friendship over a strong Kimbo espresso and we were ready to face the world, regina-style.
P.S a couple of weeks after my visit, Kingsway kindly invited me for a bloggers’ event they held in July. The review was in no way influenced by the invitation (in fact they probably have no idea I was there before) and the service mentioned above was fully paid by myself. Nonetheless, I am adding some photos from the event for your pleasure, your highnesses!
