Signatures

Scallop and Black Truffles Ion The Harbour Iniala Harbour & Residences

MALTA

Set on St Barbara Bastion overlooking the Valletta waterfront, rooftop restaurant Ion The Harbour at Iniala Harbour & Residences has made its mark on Malta’s flourishing fine dining scene. Within just six months of opening, the culinary destination has achieved a Michelin star thanks to its produce-driven cuisine, which seeks to highlight the freshness and seasonality of ingredients.

Head Chef Kurt Micallef has created a series of light and delicate dishes that draw on Mediterranean influences with highlights including marinated stone bass with ponzu and passion fruit, and scallop with black truffles – the latter of which was inspired by a trip to chef took to France, where he picked truffles and ate scallops washed down with cider. “Scallops are shucked, thinly sliced and layered with Périgord black truffle before trimmings from the scallops are caramelised, dehydrated and then infused in a broth and reduced down to a glaze,” explains Micallef. “This is then used to season the beurre blanc along with reduced apple cider and fresh apple juice.”

To complete the dish, a black truffle puree made with preserved truffles is added. Concludes Micallef: “It’s a marriage between what’s best in season from the land and sea, and the dish also uses up the whole of the scallop to create an umami punch.”

Roasted Saddle of Lamb Bohemia The Club Hotel & Spa

JERSEY

As the only restaurant in the Channel Islands to hold a Michelin star, Bohemia is a firm fixture on Jersey’s gastronomic map, celebrated for its commitment to seasonal produce. Building on this culinary ethos and drawing on cooking techniques honed during his time in France and Switzerland, Head Chef Callum Graham’s new menu includes appetisers of foie gras and hen egg as well as main courses such as roasted saddle of lamb. “The inspiration for this came from my time working in Paris,” explains Graham. “I worked with a French chef who was classically trained and I really wanted to include a stuffed braised shallot as part of the new dish.” To start, the saddle of lamb is pan-roasted, while the shoulder is braised in sauce until tender before being diced and mixed with rosemary. Steamed whole shallots are then stuffed with the mix, cooked in the steamer and finished in the pan with reduced lamb sauce to give it a glazed appearance.

“What I love most is that it’s a nod to a classic dish with a modern twist,” says Graham. “The aim behind the menu has always been to create interesting, flavoursome dishes to delight the customer, using great local produce as much as we can and the best ingredients from further afield.”