Rafel Sammut, owner of The Pulled Meat Company, opens new restaurant in Gzira

The culinary brain behind The Pulled Meat Company, Rafel Sammut, has just opened a new restaurant (replacing the PMC Gzira outlet) and it's a true ode to all that is local.

Briju, which is currently on soft launch since it opened its doors yesterday, offers tons of Mediterranean flavours with a massive focus on local produce. If you've ever eaten any of Rafel's dishes, you can expect quality, sustainability and passion on a plate.

The menu at Briju will change as regularly as the wind, however current starters include lampuki carpaccio and linguini local red prawns. The pumpkin ravioli (stuffed with mostarda di frotta, crushed amaretti, nutmeg and grana in a pumpkin jus, butter and sage sauce) sounds like a highlight for sure.

Mains come in the form of corn fed chicken (stuffed with local pork mince, wrapped in bacon and crispy chicken skin), braised lamb (with couscous and lamb jus) and pork belly (with sultana and pork jus).

90% of ingredients are from select local farmers which they buy every Tuesday morning and the pork comes straight from the farm. You'll be pleased to know that there will be a nice selection of dishes for vegetarians, vegans and pescatarians.

Some come to this industry out of interest, some come to it out of necessity, others out of passion and others from being born into it. Rafel Sammut is a case of the latter two.

One might say he is elbow deep in sourcing the best ingredients, working with suppliers who have a real love for their produce, be it pork, aged local pecorino or the prized ricotta that is made using the first milking of the morning.

If we can draw from Rafel’s dalliance with the Pulled Meat Company, delicious food is guaranteed.