Holy moly it's de Mondion 😬

This makes me anxious. 

No, really… how do I do this landmark justice? 

Deep breath in… OK, here it goes. 

1,

2,

3.

So… your walk through Mdina’s narrow streets sets the scene, you’re dressed up particularly nicely because heck yeah, you’re going to de Mondion. Compose yourself now, this place is classy.

But how?

How can I control myself when my culinary dreams are all fulfilled in one singular establishment? The iconic Misraħ il-Kunsill, the architecture of the façade, the balcony, the art in the lobby, the treasured furniture, the view from the outdoor terrace and indoor round-tables alike, the orchestrated service, the sommeliers’ precision and of course the Chef’s mastery 🫨

It’s so good it makes me sick. Like absolutely good. Any superlative variation of ‘good’ will not do de Mondion justice, so we’ll stick to the neutral positive and you can enjoy the experience of superseding expectations. Because I highly doubt anyone can have a bad experience here. 

Although not the highest ranking restaurant locally on Michelin standards, de Mondion has always been the pinnacle in my Maltese brain. 26 years of excellence is no joke, and seeing as Chef Clint Grech has been there for 23 of those years, it’s safe to say that the consistency I expect is always met. 

The beauty of de Mondion is that unlike other restaurants my relationship with the establishment is spread across many different powerhouses. It’s impressive that owners Justin Zammit Tabona and his sister Nicky Paris will always call me by name and acknowledge me as I wander through their lobby excited to share some crazy marketing idea with Julia Grech Ehrentraut, an old school friend turned trusted industry contact. Then there’s Dennis Jin Young L., a superstar by every right who inspires me to give the industry more, more, more. Knowing these industry legends is a privilege, the respect they’ve welcomed me with and their belief in my inherent skills is a major push into making bajtra a real thing. I’ve listened, I’ve edited and I’m so grateful. 

Last, but not least there’s Chef Clint Grech. An enigma to me on a personal level, but completely understood on a culinary basis. Chef Grech is reserved and hyper focused on making his art his ritual. The boundary that Chef Grech creates is proof that he is only here for the food and the betterment of every bite. I believe him. I’ve seen him work. It’s magic. 

I think that when this level of intricacy and meticulousness come into play, superhuman powers are unlocked and watching the results unfold in front of you as a diner is an otherworldly experience. 

For the sake of experiment, let’s break down de Mondion to its fundamentals and unforgivingly take away any unnecessaries. Let’s take away the spectacular setting, you’re in a regular restaurant. Let’s take away the orchestrated service, you’re served in the common standard way. Let’s take away the cost, dining at de Mondion is not cheap (and soon you will understand that it shouldn’t be). 

So we are in a regular restaurant with regular service and regular pricing… but let’s not take away the primary reason for visiting a restaurant: the food and drink. 

You eat, you drink, your brain nearly explodes while trying to understand how this edible artwork was created, you try and understand how you can possibly allow yourself to eat this artwork and make it disappear. Next your palate is teased by texture, flavour, theatrics, technique, contrast, creativity and overall magic. And then you drink some wine, that by only sheer coincidence (sarcasm) pairs perfectly with the particular course you are currently fawning over. 

Absolute tax-xewk moment here. Also, it's available on their Lunch Menu... this blows my mind.

This act of eating and drinking in the simplest of surroundings is already a groundbreaking moment for any food-driven human. But now add the view, the gentle jazz, the synchronised lifting over every cloche, and that overall ‘I feel special’ energy that fills a nice night out. Doesn’t that deserve a price tag? 

There are restaurants where you can spend more than the de Mondion Tasting Menu cover, be it more in terms of cost to value ratio or simply just accumulated cost at the end of a meal — by far the worst feeling when you leave a restaurant is that you were lumped with a bill for an experience that did not meet the mark. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE AT DE MONDION. There is absolutely no price you can argue for a moment that changes your life. I’m not exaggerating, in fact I still feel like I can do this place more justice.

Zooming in on the food, pinning down one particular ‘favourite’ dish is close to impossible. Chef Kevin Bonello’s Suckling Pig, further enhanced with Chef Grech’s touch is probably the ‘best’ dish, but literally every dish takes you on a journey. 

The de Mondion Restaurant gave me the gift of clarity.

A clear message that being hyper focused on what you are doing is the only thing you need to think about. Everything else is a drop in the bucket, you can empty your bucket and refill it whenever you want. Chef Clint, the Xara Collection team, you’ve overfilled my bucket… so I got myself an entirely new one. The value you bring is undeniable.