The Kitchen | Fine dining without the fuss
Fine dining usually involves the formality of stiff linen tablecloths and more cutlery than you know what to with. However if you enjoy the food but not the atmosphere of a fine meal then The Kitchen is the perfect spot for an evening out.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
Darren Lapira took over The Kitchen and has been working tirelessly to keep up the reputation The Kitchen already has whilst putting his mark on the place.
For Darren, fresh ingredients are the key to giving diners the best possible dining experience. And by fresh ingredients he does not mean simply fresh vegetables. All the meat as well as the fish at The Kitchen is fresh, and that includes exotic cuts such as venison and duck, though he freezes the fresh duck himself for two or three days to tenderise the meat and make it more juicy before cooking it.
"I'm tweaking the menu slowly, however I do not want to make any huge changes. The restaurant has a great reputation, especially among patrons outside of Malta who book the restaurant before they even get to Malta. We have patrons from the UK, Sweden and Asia as well as our local clientele.
"However I would also like to add more dishes slowly like fresh pasta dishes and different kinds of sauces."
The concept at The Kitchen is that you can eat a great meal without the fuss of traditional fine dining - pretty much like you were enjoying the meal in your own kitchen.
"There are no fancy white linen tablecloths, or even place settings on the tables as you walk in, which give the restaurant a more relaxed air.
"Once you are seated and order your food we bring the best glassware and cutlery to table to suit your meal, rather remove a standard presentation which makes the table look cluttered and stiff."
Darren has always been into catering and after studying for three years in the Italian capital of food, Rome, he gained his experience working as head chef in a number of overseas kitchens in Italy, Libya, Aberdeen, Texas and the UK as well as spending an eight month stint working under the head chef of a luxury cruise liner.
The long times spent away from home made him miss his family and his partner, so he decided to come back to the island and The Kitchen seemed like an ideal opportunity.
The Kitchen is open daily for lunch between 12:30 and 15:30 and for dinner from Monday to Saturday from 19:00 till late.
They also open for dinner on Sundays for special occasions or upon request.
Address: 210, Tower Road, Sliema
Contact: 21 311112; 79323280
