Our endless crusade for the most Maltese burger of them all leads us to the silent city. Nestled in the bastion walls of medieval Mdina, just a few steps away from Mdina gate, we come across Palazzo De Piro, a typical baroque-inspired grand house from times gone by. This place blooms with history and noble splendour. Built in the second half of the 16th century by Malta’s most revered architect Girolamo Cassar, it was originally three separate houses. In the 1950s, extensive structural changes were made to accommodate a school run by the Dorothean nuns. In 2005, Palazzo de Piro was acquired by The Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter and extensive restoration works were undertaken to create a cultural and artistic venue. The Infinitely Xara group took over the running of the Palazzo in 2012, and opened the Xpresso bistro, situated on the ground floor and the courtyard of the premises, with spectacular views of Mdina. It’s here that our burger informants claim that something very palatable is cooking on the grill.
We know that the Infinitely Xara catering team, led by Kevin Bonello of De Mondion fame, specialises in top class and healthy Maltese delicacies. What we did not know is that along the years, they have covertly introduced burgers on the Xpresso bistro menu! Chef Dorian has been here from the very start, handling the full-specification kitchen, which is very unique in that it also happens to have an incredible view of the Northern parts of Malta.
Their Maltese burger encapsulates staple ingredients from our local cuisine. The 200gr beef patty, made from cuts of chuck, is layered with semi-dried tomatoes. This is covered with a second patty made from a mix of crumbled Maltese sausage, coriander and parsley. Two slices of local goat cheese are melted on top to seal all the meat. The burger is encased in a soft brioche bun and served with French fries and a bouquetiere of fresh leaves.
The well-marbled beef has a very strong and robust flavour and is incredibly tender and juicy as a patty of beef can be. When it comes to beef patties, even the slightest bit of over-cooking can strongly alter the overall enjoyment. But that’s not the case here as the beef is supple, seasoned and cooked the way it should be. Surprisingly, the sausage patty is not unbearably-salty at all, like many Maltese sausage mixes we know of, and is equally appetizing from beginning to end.
The goat cheese adds a nuance of tang that is most welcome and different, and its creaminess seems to work much better with the sausage than other varieties of cheese. When melted, it’s gooey and has an own aged-flavour presence without taking anything away from the meat. Dried tomatoes usually have an intense sweet-tartiness and are much more potent than fresh ones, but these 3 slices of goodness have not been fully dehydrated. They have a good punch of tomato piquancy and help bring out the meatiness of both patties whilst adding texture and acidity, thus accentuating the burger with a nice and exquisite flair. All this produces a burger with an impeccable balanced taste, which is quite uncommon when it comes to Maltese burgers. Indeed, we were overjoyed to be able to relish through it, without exposing our taste buds to a saline overdose! The brioche bun is firm, soft and manageable and does a good job at withstanding the overflow of beef juices. It’s a makeshift wall of sorts and traps all the juices in, whilst holding all the meaty goodness without crumbling apart. And most important of all, it’s sized for this burger, with a gratifying bread to meat ratio.
Xpresso bistro have managed to make burger heads turn and create a thoughtful and luxury version of the classic burger, infused with key Maltese ingredients. But that’s not all. They have also conceived their own Maltese drink, which they call the Mdina cocktail. It’s made from gin, prickly pear liqueur, white wine, soda water and whole berries. It’s colourful and tasty and a perfect ending to an ace Maltese burger.
