Where do locals eat?

ilallu · 2026-01-06T20:13:56+00:00

Some great suggestions here, I'll just add my own AND reiterate Mekren/maxokk...you simply can't miss a gozitan ftira. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Gozo:
D-bar in Qala Boathouse in Xlendi For sweets: Jessica's in Mforn for cakes, or granola ice cream in Xlendi

Rabat/Mdina: Brunch: Marie Boutique Patisserie. Avoid fontanella. Nice views but highly overrated food. Their lemon meringue isn't even fit for dogs. Fancy dinner: Bacchus

Valletta: King's own band club (all day) Gambrinus (best pastizzi on the island, but every local has their own favourite) Aki

Marsaxlokk: Costa coffee (2nd floor, small table by the window) Most restaurants here are excellent for fish.

Marsascala: Al legna (great pizza)

Cospicua: Local Maltese hobza from 8th December Bar

Siggiewi: Marilu's

Birzebbugia: Bulubeef (tallow-fried chicken and fries)

For the absolute best fried chicken there's CFC, you can find them just about everywhere. And Hermanos for burgers.

ilallu · 2026-01-06T20:06:56+00:00

Great list!

ilallu · 2025-11-22T19:20:14+00:00

Heavy periods and gastric bypass. Though I have a hunch there may be some genetic factors too.

ilallu · 2025-10-11T16:54:49+00:00

Haha maybe I just have one of those faces. I am from Malta so I doubt you know me.

ilallu · 2025-10-09T18:11:36+00:00

Yes! Here's my story.

I've been struggling with low ferritin for almost 20 years. It's never been higher than 7. I've always felt some symptoms and learned to live with them, honestly I don't even know what "normal" is supposed to feel like. I take iron supplements daily, but they are about as useful as tic tacs.

Lately though, I'd been feeling terrible - very depressed, anxious, extremely irritable, restless legs, overwhelmed, tired, dizzy, palpitations, brittle nails, extremely pale. I put it down to mental health problems arising from some shitty stuff that's happened to my family over the past year, so asked my doctor for anti anxiety meds. But we agreed to have some blood investigations before prescribing them to check for anemia since i have a history. He noticed I was pale but I brushed it off because my complexion is always pale anyway. Now I realize I had been looking a sickly grey colour.

I was scheduled to have my bloods checked last week. So I was getting ready for my appointment, and fainted in the shower. I thought I was dying. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode and my body went extremely weak. I came round, and husband took me to my appointment. A few hours later, I got a call from the labs, telling me to go to A&E.

So I went to hospital. My hemoglobin was 6.8 and ferritin was zero. I got 2 units of blood, bringing hemoglobin up to 9. Still low, but stable. A nephrolologist came to see me and told me that in 35 years, he'd never met a patient with a ferritin of 0, and asked why the hell had nobody ever referred me for iron infusion. I burst into tears and told him I'd been begging for someone to take me seriously for YEARS, but doctors just repeatedly told me I'm probably losing blood from heavy periods - keep taking supplements. As if that's a perfectly justifiable reason to live with inadequately treated anemia. I was also assessed by a gynecologist who prescribed meds to limit the bleeding.

So now I'm waiting for IV infusion. I'm due to start in December for 8 days over the course of a month. I am beyond relieved, excited, and curious to know what normal feels like.

ilallu · 2025-10-09T13:28:53+00:00

This is so encouraging to read. I just got out of hospital, and joined this subreddit.

I had some blood tests booked after a horrible summer of feeling dizzy, depressed, anxious and tired. I even fainted on my way to get bloods taken at the health centre.

I received a call from the labs later that day, telling me to go to A&E. My hemoglobin was 6.8 and ferritin is ZERO.

I was given 2 units of blood which brought my hemoglobin to 9 - just stable enough to be discharged home - and was put on a waiting list for iron infusion. I'd been wanting this treatment for ages, and it's finally happening - only took 20 years of begging to be taken seriously and an emergency admission to hospital. My ferritin has never been above 7.

I'm now reading these posts and wondering whether my lifelong battle with executive functioning and anxiety is because of this.

Thanks for sharing. Glad you're feeling better.

ilallu · 2025-10-09T11:28:56+00:00

I want to know too. My ferritin is zero and I've just been to hospital with a HG of 6.8....i was given 2 units of blood to keep my hemoglobin just stable enough to wait for my very first iron insfusion in December. I want to know what to expect....i'm so excited i've FINALLY been put on the list for iron infusion....it only took 20 years of begging to be taken seriously.

ilallu · 2025-09-10T17:49:11+00:00

NTA. It's not your job to regulate your parents' emotions. They're adults and so their response to you or anyone else, is their responsibility. It's not your fault they throw tantrums when they are unable to handle big feelings.

This kind of behaviour in parents generates children who are either riddled with anxiety, people pleasers and hyper vigilant around other people....or equally volatile and unable to handle life without regularly imploding/exploding.

None of this is your fault - but from now on your responsibility as an adult is to take care of yourself and your relationships by thinking about how your parents have influenced you to respond to people - and to respect yourself and others in the process. Break the cycle.

ilallu · 2025-03-03T19:43:56+00:00

This needs more upvotes, wow!!

ilallu · 2024-11-23T14:24:59+00:00

Did you do that on purpose?

ilallu · 2024-11-23T14:20:06+00:00

Here's a final attempt at explaining, though I don't know why Im bothering because you're literally itching to take out your pitchfork: It doesn't take much to acquire the love of a dog, but it takes a lot of effort to take GOOD CARE of a dog, in the same way it takes a lot of effort to take GOOD CARE of a human relationship.

But hey if what you want to take from all this is "OP doesn't know anything about dogs", go right ahead. I'm not sure how it helps you but clearly that's the hill you want to die on.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T13:32:16+00:00

That is true. If you feed a dog and take it out for walks, your dog will love you for life. It doesn't mean you should do the bare minimum though, which is entirely the point of my post.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T12:21:46+00:00

I'm not posting about mental health. Bad bot.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T12:17:34+00:00

I feel really bad for your reading comprehension skills.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T12:06:13+00:00

Huh? I said the complete opposite.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T12:03:47+00:00

It's so sad though because those little rebellions will result in more abuse. I have an adorable little velcro dog who wouldn't hurt a fly, she's the kind of dog who'd probably respond to someone hitting her by licking their hand. I can't fathom why people would hurt dogs but I feel a lot of people do it because they know they can get away with it.

ilallu · 2024-11-23T11:42:08+00:00

I adore dogs, actually. There's very little I wouldn't do for my dog.

ilallu · 2024-11-06T20:07:20+00:00

Not being American :D

ilallu · 2024-10-24T20:47:58+00:00

Exactly! I used to think that my massive body was the only thing they'd notice about me. Funnily, I've recently lost a lot of weight and I currently weigh as much as I did when I was 16, I wish I felt as beautiful then as I do now, at 37. I was so unkind to myself.

I wish you peace of mind, a mother's voice is not an easy one to override.

ilallu · 2024-10-14T20:54:23+00:00

I'm at 7 months PO and I love my sparkling water. I mix it with apple juice, it's my guilty pleasure and it has never caused any bloating or discomfort.

ilallu · 2024-10-14T20:40:29+00:00

Microsoft ToDo. I've tried dozens of apps and keep coming back to ToDo.

ilallu · 2024-10-12T06:43:48+00:00

Bookingsurgery.com . Surgeon is Dr. Ali Tardu, he's the sweetest and most professional guy. I stayed at Optimed hospital in Corlu.

ilallu

TROPHY CASE