Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Bugibba

  • Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Cheeky Monkey

    Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Cheeky Monkey

    I visited the Cheeky Monkey in Valletta last year and rather liked it, but they also have a second venue in Bugibba which I thought that we’d visit.

    There’s a pleasant view from the terrace at the rear of the bar, as well as plenty of seating inside.

    The craft beer selection is at least there, so that’s great, but much of it was out of stock and the staff member who served us returned to tell us that the drink I ordered wasn’t available. The bars pride themselves on their informality, but it all felt a bit scripted and forced, I’d have rather had a laid-back environment where the staff members wanted to engage and were proud of their beers.

    The Golden Bay from Lord Chambray, the brewer on Gozo. It’s OK, not exceptional, but it was refreshing and served at the appropriate temperature.

    An interesting concept, swings in the bar.

    I’ve never seen any bar advertise a beer sampler of lagers like this, and, to be honest, I hope I never do again. The bar advertises that they give customers the chance to “try the many kinds of high-end beers”.

    This bar was nowhere near as good as their other one in Valletta as the service was a little distance and I got the impression that the staff didn’t want to be there. The server asked if we wanted our change or were going to leave a tip of nearly 35%, but I decided that we’d have our change and didn’t mention the difficulty we’d had in actually getting the bill and paying. There’s a concept of cheekiness at the venue, hence the name, so it didn’t feel entirely out of place, but it sort of has to follow a similarly engaging service.

    The bar was all a bit dated in its style for my liking, but having written that, the reviews aren’t poor (indeed, they’re actually very good) so they must be doing something right. Given how much others like the bar, I suspect that if we’d had food and had a different server then the whole experience would have been much better.

  • Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Michele’s Cafe

    Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Michele’s Cafe

    We had a choice of any cafe in Bugibba for breakfast, but this one was well reviewed so we walked out of our way to go and find it. The welcome at the cafe was prompt and genuine, although we probably could have ordered at the table rather than at the counter. Nonetheless, the staff brought out the food and drink and there was a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Many of the customers were sitting outside, but inside looked much more appealing to me away from the road.

    The cakes looked well presented and appetising, a rather delightful sight in the morning.

    The coffee had a touch of richness and appears to be Lavazza coffee, a reminder of Wetherspoons, although it tasted absolutely fine. The environment was clean and the cafe seemed to have as many locals in it as visitors, nearly always a positive sign. It’s also located opposite the town’s bus station, so a handy time to get a quick drink and snack.

    The Cannoli was sweet with a firmness to the fried pastry, with pistachios at either end to add even more texture and a creamy interior which I assume had ricotta in it. Liam went for a croissant and the prices for this little assortment were very reasonable, just over £3 each. The cafe got quite busy when we were there and they also offer full meals, seemingly getting ready to serve their roast dinners for Sunday lunches.

    So, a rather lovely start to the week of dining in Malta, a genuinely friendly little cafe and I can imagine that the quality of the meals that they serve is high. We could have stayed here for hours, but there is so much to explore, so we forced ourselves out into what was becoming an increasingly warm Bugibba….

  • Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Bugibba Salt Pans

    Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Bugibba Salt Pans

    These salt pans have, according to the historical information board next to them, been here for “a very long time”, with other sources suggesting that they’re probably Roman. They were rediscovered recently having been covered by the sand, once used by the locals to extract salt from the water. The sign also notes that the workmanship is much better than in other salt pans across the islands, with a level of professionalism to the set-up. Unfortunately, these salt pans were vandalised with paint a few years ago, but were swiftly repaired.