Restauranteurs bring a taste of Melbourne to Malta

It’s Saturday morning, you’re famished, overtired and in desperate need of an energy boost.

Fast forward twenty minutes (more or less depending on how close you are) and you’re sitting at a table, overlooking the stunning bay of Spinola, with an ice-cold mixed berry smoothie in hand, waiting on your Acai bowl.

Which restaurant can make this dream come true, I hear you ask?

Well, sit tight. The dream granting eatery goes by the name of Two Buoys. Though it may ring a bell, we recommend you forget everything you knew, because it’s been revamped, re-imagined and re-opened, with a completely fresh look, perspective and most importantly, menu. 

Branded with the tagline ‘Where Melbourne Meets Malta’, the revolutionary menu is guaranteed to bring a smile to every Aussie and Maltese alike; as well as everyone in between.

We met with restaurant manager Jesse Caruana, born and bred in Australia with a deep affection for the Maltese Islands. With a cheeky grin, Jesse spoke about his vision for the restaurant, including his unwavering love for breakfast and brunch. Having grown up in Melbourne and worked with chef Mark Miller, where these things plus a good cup of coffee is a staple, Jesse couldn’t help but develop strong cravings when visiting Malta. In the same way his grandmother often treated him to traditional Maltese delicacies, Jesse thought he’d return the favour and bring Melbourne to Malta.

Despite there being over 270 restaurants in St Julians alone, less than five serve brunch (and that includes Two Buoys)! Taken aback by this, Jesse, together with his cousin Karl Abela, head chef Nicky Deguara, who has worked in the industry for over 24 years and Mark Miller, who eats, lives and breathes breakfast worked on brand-spanking new breakfast, brunch and lunch menus that would tempt even the greatest of breakfast haters. Just on the off-chance you’d rather eat after 6pm, Two Buoys have also launched their renovated dinner menu to keep you, as well as every single member of your family grinning ear to ear.

We had heard enough and were ready to sample every single thing we could get our hands on.

First up: the house muesli and Acai bowl. Both filled to the brim with some of the most visually appealing ingredients to ever appear in a dish, would you believe me if I said they tasted even more delicious than they looked?

Featuring fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and colourful edible flowers (which are just as fun to eat as they are to look at), as well as muesli and coconut yoghurt, both these breakfast options have the magical power of filling you up without making you feel as though you need a nap.

Moving straight on to brunch, Jesse brought over their Footscray Fritters and Williamstown Rosti. The former featured sweetcorn zucchini mint fritters, smashed avocado, coconut labneh and toasted seeds. The latter? Delicious potato rosti topped with smoked salmon, beetroot relish, halloumi, tahini yoghurt and a poached egg. What else could you possibly ask for in your brunch dish?

Fresh, filling and packed with flavour, both menus will have you coming back on a daily basis, until you’ve tried every single item. Oh and just to make that deal a little bit sweeter, those of you late risers can order off either of these menus till 4pm, in case you’re craving a stack of hotcakes at 3pm.

With a swig of our fresh orange juice, we were ready for the final course: lunch. The Gigi bowl and the Mediterranean were brought over, ready to be dominated by my guest and I.

The Gigi bowl, named after Jesse’s mother, was a perfect lunch option, featuring brown rice, seasonal veggies, tofu, roasted seeds and of course, avocado. The Mediterranean platter was a stunning display of all things delicious and Mediterranean, including falafels, fritters, tofu, caponata and quinoa tabouleh.

As we finally admitted defeat and retired our cutlery, we couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming amount of vegan and vegetarian options. Despite being neither of those things myself, it goes without saying that many are rather bored of the standard pizza, pasta and meat dishes and are eager to broaden their horizons, whether vegan, lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegetarian or not. (Please note that is coming from a massive pizza, pasta and meat fan)!

Two Buoys is in a league of its own, pushing all and any boundaries and inviting you to sample the very best of what Melbourne (and Malta) have to offer.

Open every single day, including Sundays, from 8am till 11pm, what excuse do you have not to visit, really?

Two Buoys

Find them on Facebook

106, Triq Spinola, San Giljan

2122 2221