The essence of OyOy Restaurant begins long before the stove is lit. It starts on the shoreline — with the day’s catch — in small Maltese farms, and in our pocket-size kitchen garden beside the terrace. Many of the herbs, edible flowers and baby leaves you see on your plate are cut minutes before service. This is our approach to Mediterranean fine dining: fresh produce, transparent origin, and deep respect for seasonality.
A Small Garden with a Big Impact
We grow, at micro scale, aromatic herbs (basil, lemon thyme, tarragon), baby greens (rocket, mizuna) and edible flowers we harvest daily for dressings, infused oils and finishing touches on the pass. The goal isn’t to replace local growers, but to complement them with a living, ultra-fresh accent only possible when an ingredient travels metres, not miles.
Proximity to the Sea: The Catch Leads
We work with trusted cooperatives and fishermen, prioritising responsible methods and seasonal sizes. That’s why our broths and raw plates evolve daily. Freshness reveals itself in texture, sheen and natural salinity; we honour it with swift cooking, clear broths and precise use of citrus and herbs.
Local Footprint: Farms Across Malta & Gozo
We source vegetables, fruit and dairy from small island producers. We care about traceability and regenerative practices: living soils, crop rotation and minimal water footprint. The result? Heirloom tomatoes with true flavour, fragrant island citrus and samphire picked at dawn for a distinctive briny lift.
How We Choose (and Why We Sometimes Say “No”)
Seasonality first: we’d rather wait for peak ripeness than force an ingredient off-season.
Quality over volume: small batches, multiple deliveries per week.
Culinary criteria: each product is tasted technically (texture, aroma, sweetness/acidity, umami).
Real sustainability: minimal packaging, short routes, whole-use philosophy (peels for oils, stems for stocks).
Not everything is right all the time; you’ll see rotations and limited runs accordingly.
And on the table?
Rather than list dishes, we speak of flavour marriages: tomato & whipped burrata with garden basil; fennel & white fish with a light velouté; mushrooms & fresh ricotta; citrus & blue-shellfish. For today’s full proposal, browse the current menu.
Conscious Cooking: From Zero Waste to Plate Design
Whole-use mindset: citrus peels for oleo-saccharum, bones for stocks, outer leaves for green juices.
Salt and time, not gimmicks: quick cures, gentle pickles and quiet ferments that extend life and complexity.
Nutritional balance: noble fats (extra-virgin olive oil), vegetables at varied doneness and restrained seasoning so the ingredient leads.
If this resonates, you’ll enjoy Slow Food’s “good, clean and fair” philosophy.
Visit Us — Taste Origin in Real Time
Curious about what arrived today from sea or land? Ask for the specials and for herbs freshly cut from the garden.
Book your sea-view table and savour Malta’s season at its peak.
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