We were planning to take our French friend Thierry, who was holidaying in Malta, for a walk in Mdina and grasped the occasion to combine this with dinner at The Fork and Cork in Rabat. This restaurant comes with a very strong recommendation by Francesca Farrugia and Julian Boffa who also posted a very well versed review of it in this same page quite recently.

And as I often do I will start off by commenting on the name, which is after all, the very first thing you hear about a restaurant. Now I might be mistaken or misjudging, but somehow for me such a name evokes a snack bar or a similar low key establishment and may therefore in certain ways be quite misleading, as this is anything but the case.

Upon entering you immediately notice the fine décor which cleverly combines old with new to offer a very pleasing interior. This culminates in an impressive custom-made chandelier which is more reminiscent of an artistic installation and is made up of a large metallic structure from which hang countless wine glasses and forks. All this lends itself to a slick and refined designed interior.

We were very warmly welcomed by chef patron Carl Zahra, shown to our table and immediately asked whether we would like any aperitifs. We decided to go straight to wine and upon viewing the wine list I spotted a Mont Redon which is one of my favourite Chateauneuf du Pape wines which is readily available in Malta and which I simply couldn’t resist. It’s always a bit tricky with wine, do you go for something you know, or do you try out something new? Well actually the system I personally follow is when I find a wine I really enjoy, a sort of cannot-go-wrong option, I will nearly always go for it. If on the other hand I find myself hesitating and unsure, I tend to select something I haven’t tried before. This however was definitely a case of homing in on a wine I simply adore which quickly resulted in my disregarding all other options offered in the more than adequate wine list.

While on the wine let us continue with this ever so important aspect of any meal. The Mont Redon was as expected truly sublime, presenting a rich, fascinating blend of flavours, all perfectly balanced to produce a truly magnificent wine. Chateauneuf du Pape wines are made by magically blending 13 different varieties of grape to produce a distinctive earthy, tannic and spicy wine.

Later on during the meal when requesting a second bottle of wine we unfortunately encountered a very obviously corked bottle, things that unfortunately do occur. What was even more unfortunate was that it was Carl’s last bottle and so we were unable to continue on this splendid wine. I therefore decided to heed Julian’s advice and go for the local Contrada ta’Fangu which he very much exalted. This is a 100% syrah produced in Zejtun and is a dark and pungent red as to be expected. Without hesitation however, I regret to say that it was a big disappointment. It was very overpowering, too aggressive and heavy, over tannic and imbalanced and worst of all it was also slightly oxidised which was nastily revealed by that distinctive and unpleasant vinegary taste.

I find that one of the hallmarks of a good wine is balance and harmony of flavours, no matter its type and style. This lack of crucial balance is an unfortunate but common weakness of many local wines and I am obviously not referring to the run-of-the mill categories here either. This particular wine was exceedingly unbalanced and being the only bottle I have ever tasted I am unable to judge whether these evident flaws were accentuated in this particular bottle or batch of wine or whether they are characteristic of this wine in general. However even if say the vinegary taste is not a common flaw I feel quite confident that many of the other unsavoury aspects emanate from the somewhat ambitious attempt of producing an unblended 100% syrah in such a hot and dry climate as ours.

Let us now move onto much more pleasant matters – the food! As from the word go we were regaled with a series of exquisite fare in the form of unexpected items of intrigue and delight. Although no amuse bouche was served, we were given a bowl of lovely hot bread buns accompanied by creamy butter, extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and lovely Italian smoked salt bursting with flavour, which we all devoured in less time than it takes to say Fork and Cork.

For starters we opted for Ox Tongue with polenta and chive flowers, a copious, interesting and very well presented dish. Let me simply say that this was the best tongue I have ever tasted. It was exceptionally tender and tasty and as aptly explained by Carl the result of seven hours of slow cooking in a tasty bouillon. The accompanying polenta was also lovely as were the extra tasty chive flowers sprinkled over the tongue. There was a cauliflower soup with smoked duck pieces which was also a lovely and unexpected combination and although personally I would have preferred the soup ever so slightly thicker I thought that it was also a very enjoyable dish. We also had two goat’s cheese souffles which were delicious and served on lovely greens doused in a tasty dressing. Here again that added little touch came in the form of garlic flowers with the souffle which unlike other pretty but relatively tasteless edible flowers, were bursting with flavour.

For mains we had a lamb shank which was served on a potato puree and which was very enjoyable. There were two ribeye steaks of top quality and which were very well prepared. And also a boneless quail which was very well presented and had delightful flavourings making it an outstanding dish. These were accompanied by plain potatoes wedges and a medley of steamed vegetables. The latter were however served nicely firm.

Probably the least remarkable part of the meal were the desserts. We had a pannacotta and cardamon crumble and while the crumble was lovely and tasty the pannacotta itself was rather bland. A sticky toffee pudding which was fine but also perhaps a bit too light and lacking in flavour. And a lemon posset served with pistachio short bread, which was by far the tastiest and the best of the desserts we sampled.

Although admittedly I am a lover of intense tastes, I can also perfectly appreciate subtlety and delicate dishes, and desserts are certainly no exception in this regard. However powerful tastes must be replaced by finesse and distinctive flavours even when very mild and mellow. It makes the task even harder to impress with a delicate dish rather than one with very bold flavours.

But with the rest of the meal it was in fact these distinctive and ever present abundance of flavours which we most enjoyed. I do not habitually compare restaurants as this can lead to limitless confusion and complexity, so I always prefer assessing them on their own merit. However our friend Thierry who accompanied us to both this and the immediately preceding meal at Lovage Bistro in Qawra, was led to compare the two restaurants. His opinion was that although both meals were very enjoyable, the one at The Fork and Cork not only featured so many added small culinary discoveries, but it also offered much more in the form of remarkable and distinctive flavours and tastes, which in the end makes a big difference in one’s appreciation of a meal.

Not only do I fully concur with his analysis, but I would also like to add that there does seem to be a current trend whereby chefs are so concerned at producing subtle and delicate dishes, purposely distancing themselves from the previous often overpowering styles, that they often risk falling into the bland and virtually tasteless. I do not believe that this is the sign of an excellent kitchen but more one of an unsure and hesitant one.

Carl also personally greatly enhanced our evening by being very present at our table at many stages throughout our meal and proved to be not only a remarkable chef but also an outstanding host. This was yet again demonstrated by his kind offering of a round of limoncellos which came automatically with the bill. A bill which I must also point out was exceptionally reasonable at € 200 for four persons which also included € 70 in wines. So to top it all up The Fork and Cork also offers excellent value for money.