Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Victoria

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Stanley’s Chippy (New Owners)

    I don’t often go to the same place twice when away as there are so many different locations to explore. However, the food at this fish and chip shop was excellent last year (2019 review of Stanley’s…..) so I thought that Liam might like to try it.

    We got to the cafe and something seemed wrong, the menu board at the side didn’t mention the fish and chips that the shop is noted for, but it was listed on the main menu board. It was clear that there were new owners and everything felt very different. The person who I think was the new owner came up to us and immediately said that they no longer serve fish and chips, but instead are a bistro with a range of freshly cooked meals which change on a regular basis.

    I wish the owner well, but we decided to leave and risked looking like stereotypical Brits abroad….. It transpired that the cafe had only been open under its new owner for around two hours when we walked out, so I hope he wasn’t too offended. He does need to rebrand though, the Stanley’s name needs to go and the menu boards need to be replaced if he’s switching the menu to something different. Although he might well make more money from reverting to the previous menu……

    So, onwards instead to the Black Cat cafe.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Black Cat Cafe

    Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Black Cat Cafe

    The lunch stop for today was at the Black Cat Cafe, a well reviewed location in Victoria in Gozo. A number of reviews said that it was difficult to get a table as it’s so small, but fortunately we were able to secure one of the last tables. It is a small cafe though, but this all adds to the atmosphere.

    I particularly liked the coffee sign, which reads “drink coffee, do stupid things faster with more energy”.

    A quirky menu, but there were some interesting options and alongside the specials board this gave a sufficient choice without the menu being too large in scope.

    I was located near to the cake counter, so I couldn’t resist ordering the carrot cake as a starter. Liam was more sensible, he ordered the apple pie cake as a dessert, but I don’t have his patience.

    The latte came first, pleasant flavour and all was good there.

    The carrot cake, beautifully moist, flecks of carrot throughout and a sweet cream cheese, or similar as it might have been buttercream, topping. This was one of the best carrot cakes that I’ve had, very moreish.

    Slightly marred by a hair across the top, but otherwise, this was a well presented plate of food with two hot samosas, sweet potato fries, a sweet chilli sauce dip and a side salad. It was a larger sized portion than I had expected for the price and the samosas had a rich flavour and the sweet potato fries were surprisingly tasty. The salad added some texture, but it was the tomatoes which took the salad crown here with their sweetness and flavour.

    Liam’s scrambled egg with smoked salmon, which was apparently very lovely although Liam would have preferred more egg. But it’s all about the taste, and it wasn’t lacking here.

    The service was personal and attentive, although the member of staff did have to return to Liam twice as first she forgot his drinks order and then she forgot his food order. But, it’s always best to check, although I’d have thought it was easier to write it down in the first place. Anyway, the environment was relaxed and informal, so it was a comfortable lunch and was also reasonably priced. The other customers also seemed to be enjoying their experience and I’d definitely recommend a visit here.

    This is perhaps one of the most ridiculous reviews I’ve seen though:

    “Extremely courteous service, the chocolate mousse cake tasted like a piece of heaven, four stars only because there was little space (I would like to give 4.95”.

    This reviewer punished the cafe with a score of just 4/5 because it doesn’t have many seats, then left a comment saying they’d like to leave a review score of 4.95. Perhaps, rather than damaging their business, the customer could have just left a score of 5……

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Gran Castello Historic House

    Formerly known as the Folklore Museum, this museum is formed from several former residential properties in the Cittadella. The properties would have been for the more wealthy local residents and were rather grand townhouses. They were merged together to form a museum in 1983 and there are displays about various trades and skills.

    Graffiti on one of the walls, 1848 if my knowledge of Roman numerals works out…

    The view over the rear gardens.

    A view of the rear of one of the properties.

    Some, er, equipment.

    Clothing as it might have appeared in the eighteenth century.

    I can’t disagree that there are a lot of stairs in the buildings, but I’m intrigued as to what on earth this person thought that the museum could do about it. I suppose they could have demolished the buildings and constructed a new one without stairs. This must be one of the few properties that Heritage Malta have where putting a lift in would be next to impossible and they’d also likely need to put three lifts in.

    I’m not overly engaged by folklore museums, but this location had the advantage that it was located within an interesting building with plenty of history of its own. The museum is well laid out and tries to tell the story of how people lived and worked in Gozo over the centuries. It was a bigger museum than I had expected as well, with plenty of hidden corners to explore around the buildings.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Museum of Archaeology

    Gozo’s museum of archaeology is located inside an historic house, the Casa Bondi, just inside the walls of the Cittadella. Care was taken with the restoration of the building, which has been sensitively renovated and retains some architecturally interesting features. The museum was originally opened in 1960 as a general museum and has specialised in just archaeology since 1986.

    A selection of Roman anchors.

    A Roman tablet dating to the second half of the second century AD.

    This skeleton was found inside of a broken container, and it’s thought that it might be a burial conducted in a hurry by sailors who wanted to create a grave of sorts.

    A slab which noted the efforts of one soldier, Bernardo De Opuo, to fight the Ottomans when they invaded Gozo in 1551. Rather than see his wife and two daughters dragged into slavery, Opuo killed them and he was then killed himself in the fighting. He’s perhaps an unlikely hero, but there’s a street named after him in Gozo as well.

    The Maymūnah Stone, which is an Arabic tombstone which dates to around the twelfth century, a reminder of the different ownership of the islands. The stone itself was reused and was originally a stone from the Roman period and inscriptions from that date remain. The islands were Muslim until around 1224 when the Arabs left Gozo.

    This is the life-sized foot from a Roman statue and the stone was found inside of a wall inside the Cittadella.

    This tablet was found in 1855 and dates to the Punic period of Maltese history, to around the third century BC. Some of the tablet is missing, but it’s known to be a dedication to the renovation of a temple.

    This isn’t a huge museum and a visit isn’t likely to last more than an hour, but it’s well put together and has numerous interesting exhibits. I got in with my Heritage Malta pass, but it’s possible to buy individual admission or get a joint ticket with other historic attractions in Gozo.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Ta’ Rikardu Restaurant

    Located in the Cittadella in Victoria, I walked by this restaurant a few days ago and didn’t think of going in. There’s no external menu, although that’s likely a limitation of the historic area in which they’re located and the authorities not wanting them to bang up signs all over the place. The reviews are mixed, although generally favourable, but it was the dining environment that intrigued me.

    The downstairs of the restaurant, with the set-up being a bit confusing. I was told when after I entered that the restaurant was upstairs, as it’s on two floors, and so I start to plod up, before being told that I could sit downstairs as well. I just go where I’m put, so I just went upstairs anyway as I like to look confident in my decision….

    One of the reasons I went upstairs is that I thought that it might be a bit busier, but it transpired that I was the first customer of the day. Anyway, I was seated by a friendly member of staff and given a choice of two tables, both of which sat ten people.

    The restaurant got much busier later, but then the staff did I feel fail some of the customers. One man sat down with his backpack on the stool at the rear behind the table, but was then moved as he was told that the table he was sat at was reserved. He couldn’t have known that, but he then accidentally smashed a glass when picking his backpack up. I felt quite sorry for him, the staff really should have seated him rather than make his visit awkward. The staff then did the same to another two customers, although they didn’t smash anything when moving.

    So, although I was quite happy with the service for my meal, which was always polite and attentive, I was conscious it wasn’t good enough for others.

    This is the sharing platter, which I had seen photos of and was aware wasn’t as good as the one I had ordered in Valletta a couple of weeks ago. The bread was excellent and was another generous portion of it, which was freshly made and warm. The tomatoes had a clarity of taste, the olives were of a good quality, the capers added texture and the cheese had a rich flavour and quite a strong after-taste. I was less convinced about the need for the raw onions and the sun-dried tomatoes were at best adequate.

    The dining environment was though marvellous, a real feel of the old city centre of Victoria. This is the only restaurant in the Cittadella, with the exception of one more basic cafe operation, and has perhaps one of the best locations in the entire city. It wasn’t overly expensive, especially given that location, and the service for me was always polite, efficient and friendly. For others though, I do think they need to do more about their welcome and seating arrangements.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Air Raid Shelters

    Located under the Cittadella is this 32-room complex constructed during the Second World War to be used as an air raid shelter. The complex fell into disuse recently, but a €50,000 renewal was announced in early 2018 to open them back up again. Unfortunately, the plan to re-open them towards the end of 2018 doesn’t seem to have worked out. I’m basing that on the fact that it’s 2019 and they’re still shut…. Anyway, at least work is on-going.

    An information panel by the entrance. If I can get back to Gozo in a few years to see the new museum, I can hopefully come here as well.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – HOG

    This medium-sized cafe had an inviting selection of cakes and it also had a welcoming environment. It seemed quite popular in terms of the number of customers and it served a wider selection of hot meals as well. They don’t accept card payments which is a little unusual for Malta, although perhaps just a little less so for Gozo, and I noted someone tried to pay by card and got refused.

    A latte and slice of cake, all well presented. The cake was dark chocolate orange, with a suitably rich flavour as could be expected. The price wasn’t too bad, a little over £4 for both the coffee and cake. The service was efficient, if not particularly engaging, but it was a clean and comfortable environment.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Old Prison

    This prison was first established in Victoria, inside the Cittadella, by the Knights of the Order of St. John in the mid-sixteenth century. One of the early inmates was Jean Parisot de La Valette, who went on to become an inspirational leader when as Grand Master he resisted an attack on the islands from the Ottomans.

    There’s a larger common cell, which is now the museum’s ticket office, and then six smaller cells in the older part of the prison. It was all once connected to the Courts, which are still located next door. Above is a recreation of a prisoner sitting in one of the smaller cells.

    The cells remained in use until 1962, although they had been used in conjunction with another prison from the late nineteenth century. There was also another floor of cells located above the original block which were added at a later date, and towards the end this prison was primarily just used for those awaiting trial.

    Visitors can go in two of the prison cells, the others are visible only through the little windows on the doors. The sanitary conditions in the prison were actually of a decent standard, especially given the period in which they were in use, with inmates allowed to shower frequently and they also had access to a doctor.

         

    Above are images of the graffiti which are visible all around the cells, etched into the limestone. This must have been a frustrating situation for the prison guards, who would have found it difficult to stop the graffiti given how soft the rock is. There is today a large sign telling visitors not to add any graffiti to the walls, something which the Cittadella itself is suffering from.

    However, the graffiti made by the prisoners is interesting, especially when it’s dated. Above are photos with some examples of the graffiti, such as hand prints, ships and also lines which indicate how long a prisoner has been incarcerated. The graffiti lasted so long as there was a thick layer of lime whitewash pasted over the top of it, which has only recently been removed.

    I visited with my Heritage Malta pass which I obtained on my first trip to the islands, but the entrance fee is relatively cheap, costing €5 for all the museums in the Cittadella. I was suitably amused by some reviews of the site on-line complaining that the museum isn’t very big. Quite how some people expect the museum to magic up more space in a nearly 500-year old prison is a mystery to me, but such is the delight of reading these reviews….

  • Gozo – Victoria – Maze of Streets

    Victoria, also known as Rabat, is the capital of Gozo and is a delightful little town which has plenty of character. There is somewhat of a maze of streets in the central area of the main town, that is to say away from the Cittadella, which is the fortified area of Victoria.

    Numerous photos, which I admit do look a little similar, below….

  • Gozo – Victoria – Stone Cross

    This stone cross is similar to many other located across the island and it marks the perimeter of the church grounds. This one is thought to have been particularly important as it belonged to the Gozo Matrice, which is now the city’s cathedral. It has been sited in this square for some time, although was moved in the 1960s (or 1970s depending on the source, and I have no obvious way of checking which it is) when the road was widened. When they restored it recently they discovered another level of stones at the base that they hadn’t realised were there.