Unexpected flavours at Tully's Fusion

“Everyone told me because it’s the south, it’s not going to work. No, it’s different. It’s fusion. People won’t like it.”

But luckily, they were wrong. If you thought the south was just burgers, pasta and pizza, you need to take an evening to enjoy Tully’s Fusion – a healthy fusion concept switching things up and opening taste buds in Senglea. 

I admit it. I did a little TripAdvisor scan to see if it would be worth the journey to Tully’s Fusion. With only glowing reviews about quality and price, with some going as far as claiming this was the best restaurant in Malta, I knew I had to try Tully’s Fusion for myself.

Upcycled palette furniture and a striking black and red sign caught our attention immediately. Tucked unexpectedly along the Senglea waterfront looking out towards the majestic Fort St Angelo, we found Tully’s Fusion and Chef-Owner Jonathan Tully taking in a breath of fresh air before settling into the kitchen for the evening. 

With an ever-changing menu, based on seasonal produce, I asked Chef Tully to surprise us. After inquiring about any food allergies, intolerances or choices, he hurried to the kitchen. He would bring us a vegetarian mixed platter.

Now, I tend not to think twice about mixed platters and I’m sure most of us can relate – having nibbled from the same mixed platter time and time again around the island. When Chef Tully brought out this beautiful mixed platter towering with fresh mixed fruits, cheeses, olives, hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, herbed flatbread, dolmas, dates, baked falafels and all this fresh goodness, I just don’t have words to give it justice.

The three of us dining at Tully's Fusion chatted away in the medieval paradise that is Senglea and picked at our gorgeous platter, wishing it would never end. 

Trained as a computer engineer, Chef Jonathan Tully’s love of food has kept taking him back to the kitchen over the last 16 years from small restaurants to Corinthia’s Rickshaw Restaurant to privately serving high profile clients around the world. His diverse upbringing and life abroad has gifted Tully with the imagination to try new things in the kitchen and keep creating, picking up Asian, Arabic and Mediterranean influences along the way and further mastering the art of fusion cuisine.

A year and a half ago, family-run Tully’s Fusion was born in Senglea where guests can enjoy fresh, locally sourced ingredients in genuine dishes at incredibly reasonable prices.

We couldn’t go home without trying a main and the day’s catch was line caught tuna. Jonathan Tully whipped up some Asian fusion magic with his take on Mediterranean spaghetti aioli, expertly marrying the two cuisines. From first glance, the dish appeared to be a traditional spaghetti aioli complemented with fresh chunks of tuna, but after a few bites, I started to taste this subtle freshness and zest.

“What am I tasting?” I asked.

“I added mint, basil and lemon zest right at the end to give the traditional aioli an Asian twist. You have to touch people through their stomachs. Why not make a twist? People are bored of the same recipes again and again.”

For those wanting to master the art of fusion for themselves, Tully’s Fusion offers cooking classes and team building.

Tully's Fusion

64, Triq Dingli Cornelio, Senglea

Tel: 99627301 Facebook: tullyfusion