I was so excited to go to dinner at Noni, a one-star Michelin rated restaurant in Valletta, Malta. Not only was it going to be our daughter Anna’s first Michelin-starred experience, but it promised to be one of our nicest dinners for our entire trip. Noni easily lived up to my high expectations!

Noni is located on Republic Street, which is the main thoroughfare running through the center of Valletta. It was towards the northern tip of Valletta and we were close to the southern gate, so it was about an 8 minute or so walk to get there. When you arrive, you go down a set of stairs into an underground room with sweeping brick arches. Everything is modernly decorated, but it was also very minimalistic and cozy with soft, not stuffy, linens. The lighting was low, but not so low that you couldn’t read your menu or see the food. It was definitely great lighting for taking photos of the food – I hope you’ll agree! We were provided the tasting menu as well as the a la carte menu, but we opted for the tasting with the wine pairing which was 200 Euro per person total. This is a really good value for the experience, the food, the excellent wines, and the excellent service. There isn’t even much to say about the service apart from the fact that it was easygoing and well-paced. We never felt rushed, everything was explained clearly, and the servers ensured a dynamite experience for us.

One of our favorite courses was actually the first course, entitled “Canapes”. There was delicious sourdough bread served with either butter or olive oil (because who can ever really choose?), olives that were NOT actually olives (phew!), caviar and a few other delicious morsels. This was paired with a Brut Champagne from Nicolas Feuillatte which tickled our tastebuds with my favorite toasty, brioche notes balanced out with some kickin’ acidity.

Next were a couple of small bite-sized fried raviolis. These are not the fried ravioli of St. Louis fame. These were extremely lightly textured, not greasy at all, and filled with an even lighter cheese. At the same time was served a delicious and beautiful creation of tomato, fig and Jamon Iberico. Jamon Iberico and figs may just be one of my new favorite flavor combinations ever.

A couple of capellaci filled with ultra tender goat meat came next and the pasta was so fresh, and the goat so delicious I wanted to order several more plates of these! This was paired with a Soave wine which was a really cool pairing, even though the wine was one of the less interesting ones of the evening. This was, I’m sure, purposefully done, because the capellaci were incredibly flavorful and did not need a complex wine to help it along. It was around this point in the evening that Anna proclaimed, “I get it now!” fully understanding the special experience that an amazing dinner provides, including not only incredible food and wine, but entertainment as well.

Next came my favorite dish of the evening, the Sea Bass with cucumber beurre blanc. The fish was served with its crispy skin, and was perfectly prepared. The cucumber and turnip sauce added a level of freshness to the dish, when it could have been weighed down with a heavy sauce. It was paired with an Assyrtiko wine from Santorini which was perfection. The savory courses did not stop here, though, as we were next served Pork Neck with grilled octopus and XO sauce. Cheers to Noni for the interesting pork and octopus combo. Not my favorite, but it was innovative and interesting.

Oh man, but then came the sweet courses. Every bite of the next four courses was different, fun, and beautiful! First were dates with goat cheese and honey – a classic combo but plated beautifully and simply danced in your mouth. Next was the cheese plate, which included a blue, a goat and a harder cheese along with some quince paste/jelly paired with a 2009 vintage Port. The cheese plate was 10 Euro extra, but who can say no to that? Next was the chocolate course which was paired with a Sauternes, which i thought was an odd choice for chocolate, maybe the only “miss” pairing of the night for me. Finally were the fun petit fours, including jellies, chocolate peanuts, and a fresh, halva-like dessert that fell apart in your mouth with the soft yet gritty tahini flavors.

All three of us loved our experience at Noni, and we agreed at the end of the trip that it was the best meal we had all week. I am sure that if we chose the a la carte foods, it would have been just as amazing. I would highly recommend Noni for a unique and delicious experience!