Sharma Ethnic Cuisines is located in the iconic walled city of Mdina and housed in Casa Magazzini, an ancient building tucked away in a quite side street.
Mdina traces its origins to the time of the Romans, who made it the island's administrative centre. During the Arab period the city flourished and got its name, which in Arabic means 'city'. In the Middlle Ages and throughout the period of the reign of the Knights of St. John, Mdina established itself as Malta's capital, amongst others housing the palaces of Malta's nobility and the ecclesiastical authorities, including Malta's cathedral.
The restaurant is the result of a concept brought to life by proprietor Frank Cachia, who believes that Malta, and Mdina in particular, provides the ideal setting for a restaurant focusing on ethnic cuisine. "Ever since the Phoenicians established Malta as one of their Mediterranean trading posts Malta has been at the crossroads of civilisations, at the centre of trading routes which stretched from Morocco to Afganisthan. Trade enouraged interaction amongst cultures, including cuisines, and at Sharma we strive to provide patrons with a gastronomic experience which reflects this interaction".
He also highlights the importance of providing a holistic dining experience: “Apart from the attention we give to the restaurant’s ambience and the way this enhances the diner’s experience, we also have lots of repeat business, and we therefore try to ensure that patrons at our restaurant always find something different at Sharma, whether it’s an art exhibition, ethnic music or dancing, or an original recipe prepared by a guest chef.”
Sharma serves an A La Carte Menu for lunch and dinner while on the terrace there are tables available for dining and other areas (sofas and low tables) for platters, wines and drinks. Orders for takeouts are also accepted. However, the restaurant does not offer deliveries.
Sharma also gives you the opportunity to bring your own wine and just pay a corkage fee of EUR4.90 per bottle. The wines offered on the restaurant's wine menu are priced at retail prices which you would normally pay in a bottleshop or supermarket, plus the corkage fee. This makes consumption of wine with your meal much cheaper than would normally be the case with most restaurants.
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