Some four years ago GULULU Kcina Maltija, a casual Maltese diner, opened its doors on the waterfront in Spinola Bay, St. Julian’s. The restaurant has proven to be very popular with locals and foreigners alike. Julian Sammut tells us why he believes Gululu has been received so well.
“Of course the location is superb; surroundings are beautiful, in spite of some ugly recent developments around the bay. We set out at Gululu to cook Maltese food, similar to what we eat at home, what our mothers and grandmothers cooked, simply and without any folksy frills. Just good food using good ingredients and not just traditional food mind. Our chefs have a free hand to cook up special dishes using seasonal stuff as long as what they put in them is local. Our cuisine must diversify if it is to flourish. We must allow our young chefs to express their enthusiasm and flair by continuously creating new dishes. Our only rule is that if we are to retain a Maltese flavour, then typical raw materials must be used.”
During this month Gululu will once again be treating its patrons to a Festa tal-Ful, this is a special menu featuring dishes prepared only using broad beans, a very traditional product in abundance at this time of The Fula is indigeneous to most countries around the Mediterranean.
In 2013 Gululu installed a traditional Maltese baker’s stone oven and began to bake Ftira, the Maltese equivalent of Pizza, only more rustic in texture. “This has been a great success”, says Julian, “apart from a few bakeries in Gozo, this traditional bake had all but disappeared. We bake our Ftajjar directly on the stone oven base and this makes all the difference.”
Only last month Gululu inaugurated an extension and introduced another new concept, a Pulpetterija.
“We have wanted to do this for some time now and can happily say that it has happened. So here it is Malta’s own “burger joint”. Pulpetti are patties, cakes or little burgers if you like made from different kinds of fish and meat. The Pulpetterija’s menu is pretty extensive and includes some traditional fry ups and sweets too “Gululu is a happy place” concludes Julian, with a satisfied smile on his face, “we have a great team of staff, all of whom work with passion and pride. The satisfaction one gets from sharing all of this with our patrons takes some beating.”
