17 January - adventurous solo dining

This morning's market didn't prove very helpful on the food front - mostly knocked-off trainers and tat, with just a few basic vegetable stalls of the onion and carrot variety - no fresh bread or pastries or other solo self-catering treats. On my way back to the flat, I dropped into one of the tiny shops for at least some 'plastic' toasting bread, only to see the bloke in front of me buying the last loaf of fresh local bread ... the shopkeeper explained apologetically that you have to get there early for it!

It was another chilly day, so I headed to Mdina, the ancient walled city in the centre of the island, with the intention of having a bit of a wander then warming up over a nice, long lunch. I got there though to realise - thankfully, before I'd gone into a restaurant - that I'd left my purse in my other bag back at the flat!! Thus, I wandered around a bit more until I was really too cold, then drove back to the flat for a late lunch of couscous, tomatoes and some parma ham. It's definitely been a challenge to self-cater for one without just eating the same thing all week.

This evening, I decided to try out Sugo, the little restaurant just across the street from the apartment that gets rave reviews in the visitor's book for Maltese cuisine. It turned out to be my most adventurous solo dining experience yet! When I arrived at 8.15, I was the only person there and was presented with a choice of tasting menus!! My first reaction was to move on, but the really friendly chef persuaded me to stay, offering a simpler starter + main combination and to my relief, five minutes later more people turned up, so it wasn't completely private dining! The food was pretty good - more bigilla as an appetiser, then some really tasty baked rice to start (with onions, tomatoes, pork mince and liver), apparently a traditional Maltese dish. For my main, I had beef stew which was in a lovely rich gravy, although to be honest, the meat was a bit chewy. All accompanied by a couple more glasses of really good local wine - I'll definitely be taking some Maltese wine home with me if I can fit them in my Ryanair baggage allowance!

Sadly, being in a similar old stone building, it was just as chilly as the flat, so despite all the warming, wintry food, it didn't do much to warm me up. At least it's not just me though - the other two female diners didn't even take off their jackets and scarves!

13 January - calamari in valetta

I ventured into Valetta today, determined to have some proper Maltese food for lunch. The places with tables out in squares were tempting, but despite the sun, I was feeling a bit too chilly to sit outside. So I fell back on my guidebook and sought out Rubino, a restaurant recommended for modern Maltese cuisine. It was a bit tucked away and difficult to see in from the street, But I just took the plunge anyway. It was full smartly-dressed businessmen taking clients out to lunch - a good sign - and the waiters were welcoming.

I went for just a main from the menu scribbled on a blackboard in a mix of English and Malti. As I waited for my calamari, I was served with bread and little crackers to dip into some bigilla - a Matli dip made of spiced crushed beans - tasty and quite moreish. When my squid arrived, it was huge - three whole grilled squid with a herby sauce and spicy roast potatoes. It was very good and great to have some fresh seafood. I didn't quite manage to clear my plate though and needed a good strong espresso before I went off to spend the afternoon exploring the city!

While I was out, I managed to gather a few bits and pieces of food, so supper back at the apartment consisted of some couscous already mixed with Mediterranean spices, some fried courgette, cherry tomatoes and a bit of mozzarella. After a filling lunch, it was all I needed and with more Maltese wine ended the day pretty well.