What if we told you that there’s an eatery surrounded by fields and peace, with only one way in and one way out, yet it’s only a 10 minute walk away from central Mdina?
What if this same place grills quality beef such as Argentinian rib eye and New Zealand fillet, yet has a selection of unique vegan dishes?
What if it’s run in-family, with none of the bullshit, one sometimes gets to experience from commercial restaurants?
What if they do 5-star Australian-style Freakshow Milkshake desserts in a jar, and your pet is also welcome for dinner?
Sounds surrealistic for Maltese standards, yet this place does exist. And today we’re heading right there, or more precisely to L-Istazzjon, situated on a street that’s not even named on Google Maps and fringes on the outskirts of Rabat and Mdina. It’s less complicated than it sounds though, as it’s only a short 10-minute walk downhill from Roman Villa in Mdina.
L-Istazzjon is stationed in a splendid location, all on its own, away from the traffic and noise of the busy city, with majestic views of Mdina on one side and the coasting downhill. This place comes with a rich past, that was a significant milestone in Malta’s transport history. The restaurant is housed in what used to be a central railroad station in Malta’s now defunct and only railroad track. The Malta Railway consisted of a single railway line from Valletta to Mdina and operated between 1883 and 1931. After the railway system stopped operating, the station was turned into a Museum and subsequently converted into the Stazzjon Restaurant in 1986. The restaurant featured railway related photos and a model locomotive and was a must-visit stop for tourists in the busy seasons. It closed down in 2011, and in subsequent years a fire damaged a good part of the structure. In February 2016 it was reopened as L-Stazzjon, a brasserie, bistro, and cafe’. It took almost two years to refurbish the structure to modern standards. The new decor is slick and stylish, but the designers have maintained most features of the old building. The new owners have expanded a new outhouse which can either be open in sunny summertime or converted into a closed dining area in winter when it’s too windy. To really appreciate the beauty of the place and the surrounding countryside, you need to sit at the back of the restaurant or by the windows in the newer extended area. One can enjoy a gorgeous view with clean, fresh air in the terrace area, even on rainy days.
Chef Nicolette is the kitchen boss. She does not like the term Chef and prefers to be called Niki. So be it. Niki has worked most of her adult life in kitchens and shows a passion for innovation while keeping food as simple and fresh as mother nature intended. She likes to work with seasonal produce and prefers to source most of the ingredients locally. All this boils down to the burger of the day, the Sweet Quinoa Burger, a wheat-free vegetarian dream burger with a super-grain as the base ingredient. The patty is made from quinoa, sweet potato, chickpeas, lentils, curry, herbs and coconut oil. It’s shallow fried on the grill and baked for a short time in the oven. Quinoa is a protein-packed grain that looks like couscous and is as versatile as rice but has a richer, nuttier flavor than both of them. It contains every amino acid you can think of, and that’s why vegetarians hoard this grain.
The burger itself has a few simple condiments: rucola, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers. All are raw. The patty itself is the hero. Everything is housed in a brioche bun, with a gluten free option available on request. All the raw vegetables bring a crunchy element, and it’s surprisingly tasty. The patty has a slightly soft consistency, most probably because of the sweet potato element. The curry provides a needed kick, a bit more fragrant than we expected, but pleasantly spicy.
We get some sides too. Mixed vegetables, peppers, and some slices of peaches, cultivated in the nearby fields. You also have a choice when it comes to fries. We love sweet potatoes, but the hand cut Maltese potatoes had a good crunch too. We especially enjoyed the cashew & tahini sauce. Tahini is a dense paste made from crushed sesame seeds, mixed with lemon juice and garlic. This traditional Middle Eastern sauce is a dairy-free alternative to our Cream sauce. It’s both flavorful and appetizing.
The Sweet Quinoa burger has managed to keep its head high amongst its beefy peers. If you are vegetarian and love dining out, you now know where to drag your friends and family next! Your meat-eating friends will love you to bits too.
We thought that was the end of our visit to Rabat, but Niki comes in with freshly baked crispy chickpea patties. One day she came up with the recipe in a dream, and they have been a staple on the menu ever since. These were conceived as a starter, but these balls come packed with flavor and some more. Made from a mix of oats, peanuts, sesame & chia seed as a crust, and chickpeas, Arabian spices, mint, and tahini at the very center, we were totally blown away by the palatable and zestful vibe that comes with every bite. These are a true gem, and if Niki can turn these balls into burger patties, she will create the best vegetable burger on the island!
No visit to L-Istazzjon should go by without trying out the Freakshow milk shakes. These decadent Australian inventions are huge freaky shakes topped with piles of cream and chocolate. The Snickers ones are filled with cream, caramel, peanuts, Nutella, vanilla ice-cream, milk, a mini donut and pieces of snickers bar. The Reeses has peanut butter, Nutella, vanilla ice-cream, milk, a mini donut and you guessed it… Reeses! You don’t need to like milkshakes to fall in love with these jars of sugary joy! It’s like drinking Nutella goodness from a jar, but the ice-cream, caramel, nuts, and chocolate add another level of grooviness.
One last thing. L-Istazzjon is one of the few restaurants we know that boasts a pet-friendly environment. Patrons are more than welcome to bring along their pets. Niki loves to prepare dog treats with natural ingredients like beetroot, banana or quinoa, but there’s nothing to stop you from ordering a pulpy steak for your dog! Niki says that animals deserve no less than human patrons, and everyone is welcome at L-Istazzjon. We dare you to turn up at L-Istazzjon with a komodo dragon or a hippopotamus or maybe a pony…
