After the visit of the Lascaris War Rooms, I headed back to lovely Republic Square for an aperitif. I selected a bar at the far corner of the square which looked like the most local of pubs, with only two other tables occupied by a bunch of locals binging on beer. The Aperol Spritz came with some small on the house bites, and was a steal for just 3 EUR.
When randomly walking around in search of a nice place to dine, I came across a small and cute looking restaurant called Legligin. A sign on the wall advertised an authentic Maltese seven-course-meal for just under 30 EUR, which seemed an amazing deals. As the restaurant had great ratings on the internet, I ventured inside. I was lucky, as normally you need a reservation at this place. But as the friendly staff told they just opened for the day and most diners would only arrive at a later hour, they could accommodate me.
I can't stress enough how great the entire dining experience was at the restaurant. The staff was amazing, glasses never got empty, and they were eager to tell more about Maltese cuisine or wines. The dining experience started with a glass of Maltese white, and some bread and olive oil.
First real course was an excellent soup, unfortunately I forgot what kind of soup it was (I should write my trip reports faster!).
Next up were some Maltese tapas: a pate, some sausages in red sauce, cheese, olives and a sort of red pesto like spread. The homemade pate was so delicious that I almost wanted to marry it.
Third course was a crab cookie and some bulgur, which was solid. I had a different, second glass of white wine to go with it. Both wines so far were a hit.
Fourth course was a trio of seafood: some white fish, octopus and something else which I again forgot what it was. I do however still remember that it was all very tasty.
Fifth course was a small pan of mussles, which tasted good as well.
Sixth course was a quail salad, which was great too. At this point I switched to a red wine, which was nice too but not as great as the two whites I had before.
Heck, it turned out that there were even more courses included in the menu as the sign outside described. Course number seven was some mashed potatoes with stewed meat, which was very good
Course number eight, the final one of the entire food orgy, was a rabbit stew.
I was enjoying the dinner so much (and getting a bit tipsy after a pint, an aperol spritz and 3-4 glasses of wine) that I decided to order some dessert as well. The tiramisu was great, and I couldn't resist some homemade Limoncello to go with it (and an espresso to sober up).
The final bill was around 60 EUR and well worth it. What a great restaurant this was, I can't recommend it enough and I would gladly dine there another time if I'd visit Malta again. The food was excellent, every single course of it. The service was top notch, both in attentiveness as well as in genuine hospitality and giving an insight into Maltese food culture. The world would be a better place if there would be more Legligins and less bright yellow M's serving junk.
With a full stomach and happy feeling, I walked out of the old city through the main gate and headed towards the local bus station to take the next bus back to Sliema/St. Julian's, as unfortunately the ferry does not run in the evening.
The few years of university rugby came in handy to secure a spot on the bus as it was a mad scrum of hundreds of tourists trying desperately to get on the same bus to return to their hotels after a day of sightseeing. If I'd visit Malta again, this would be the best reason for me not to stay in Sliema/St. Julian's again but in Valletta itself (or to get a rental car). Public transport on Malta is great, just it is so overcrowded during rush hour that you might get stranded for a long time if you need to hop on the busiest routes...