Normally folk who request things on this blog get short shrift. Who do you think I am, Coldplay ?
But because Professor Pie Tin from Ireland, Ireland asked so nicely, here’s some nearly live blogging from the Marsaskala Labour Club. I’m in no fit state to blog, so this will probably be a rare typo-free post.
We’re staying in Marsaskala in the south-east of Malta, about 20 minutes from Valetta.
Like nearly all the towns here, it’s a fishing village of about 10,000, 1,000 of whom run convenience stores and 100 run bars selling John Smiths Smooth.
Here’s a nice picture of St Thomas Bay.
I’ve been looking for a locals bar, without much success, and the Labour Club looked my best bet. Who knows, it could be Malta’s Red Shed.
Mrs RM wasn’t at all convinced by the hidden appeal of this place, which I clearly should have reserved for a Valentine’s Day treat.
I told Mrs RM this is what she paid her £25 Labour Party sub for, and if push came to shove I could manage the tune to “Seven Nation Army“, which must be enough to gain honorary membership.
We peered into what resembled a warehouse.
Inside a small single room, a giant man in a pullover sat at the entrance writing in ledgers.
“It’s members only” hissed Mrs RM.
In fact, all that was needed was a smile.
“Hello. Come in”
“Do you want to see my CAMRA cards ?”
Within seconds we were seated at the bar by the Maltese/Irish barman, who assured us that a verse of the “Red Flag” was unnecessary.
In honour of our visit, he put on a mix tape that included Euro cover versions of;
- Uptown Girl
- Eye Level
- Save Your Kisses For Me
- Matchstalk Men & Matchstick Cats & Dogs (jolly version)
We let him choose our beer. After all, he was from Dunstable.
Here is our feast of Craft.
Some German beer named after a tennis player in cans that looks like it came from Aldi, Skol from Malta, a local Cisk. The Heinken tap was “just for show“, and a bottle of Duvel tantalising placed on the top shelf was “a present from 2006“.
Our host snacked on a jar of cornichons and his homemade Irish coffee, which eventually Mrs RM succumbed to.
The handful of locals were polite but ignored us, our Gentle Giant regaled us with tales of his time in Luton boozers. With the help of WiFi stolen from next door I was able to find the (keg) gems of his colourful past on WhatPub.
An hour later we’d got through 3 cans,1 bottle and a coffee with an excess of Sambuca in it, plus 3 cups of unfathomable crisps. He asked for £7; I gave him rather more.
It was the highlight of the holiday.
That bloke in the white specs. Dom Mintoff’s grandson?
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Are you getting warmed up for a trip to Greenock?
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Does Greenock have a Communist Club we could do ?
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More likely in Fife I would imagine. A trip to Lochgelly, or perhaps Cowdenbeath?
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I believe Cow has lost its GBG entry, if ever had one (a Spoons) ?
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It did but it was/is a normal hotel.
Cowdenbeath are part of a wonderful football rivalry with Alloa, whose fans have a wonderful song (to the Addams Family theme):
They’re diry and they’re smelly
They come from near Lochgelly
You’ll never see them on the telly
The Cowden Family.
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Alloa = the Mansfield Arms
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More or less, AFAIK none of the old Maclay bars sell anything real these days.
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All that way and you end up in an expat cliché?
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I can assure you there were no expats there, EP ! Even the Guvnor was a Maltese who had gone to Luton for love (!).
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Poor bastard. Lorraine Chase has a lot to answer for.
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Is Campari craft?
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No idea. What does Spoons say ?
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Everything in Spoons is craft. So your vouchers will cover your coffee refills in future.
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Professor PieTin won’t be fully satisfied until you’re transcribing and posting the Maltese banter seconds after you’ve overheard it. 😉
I do love the fact that they’ve got “a Heineken tap just for show”– they’re so unpretentious they keep it humble even when they’re putting on airs!
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Fair point, Mark. Prof will have to wait for Simon with his Periscope for that !
Not sure if the taps in some places are seasonal (and this is very out of season), it’s all bottles and cans here.
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“which I clearly should have reserved for a Valentine’s Day treat.”
If only because the sign was red. 🙂
“He asked for £7; I gave him rather more.”
[nods] I was like that in Bratislava, Budapest and (even) Prague. Get off the beaten track and the prices are just icing on the to complement the great atmosphere. 🙂
Cheers
PS – “But because Professor Pie Tin from Ireland, Ireland ”
Sadly I could not find Ireland, Ireland on Google Maps. 😉
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As in New York, New York.
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Tsk, tsk.
While there is a city called New York in the state of New York, I don’t recall a town called Ireland in the county (or country) of Ireland. 😏😁
Cheers
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Private joke. Look back a year and you might get it.
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Will do. Might be a few days as Wednesday is Valentine’s and I’m out of town all day Thursday. 😎
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Your hosts face in the top photo has one of the greatest expressions I have ever seen. Remarkable.
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I wish you’d been there. A real charm about the place generated entirely by the company. Trying to think of UK equivalent.
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Nice to see Skol back in the mainstream … underrated beer along with another underated gem… brotherhood of man 😉👍 I assume you and Mrs RM were dancing to save all your kisses for me?
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Matchstalk Men was the real toetapper for us oldies !
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Er … and here’s me thinking the highlight of your week was meeting up with me in “The Pub” in Valetta the day before?
The Partit Laburista, Nazionale and the Kazin Banda (band room) are always a cheap and friendly option in Malta, tourists are always welcomed. Quality can vary from basic to splendid, depending where you are.
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No, the highlight of my week wasn’t meeting a svelte articulate Yorkshireman and drinking magic rock.
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Oh ..?
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Is that the quality of tourist you’re referring to?
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Basic tourists for me everytime.
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Out in the sun all day so Boring, Brown and Bitter?
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I’ve never been to Malta, but my brother-in-law who goes fairly regularly has brought me back cans of Cisk and bottles of Farsons Blue Label, a light mild no less, both of which I enjoyed.
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Blue Label was good. Report to follow.
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Do Farsons still do their milk stout?
Interesting company – the old brewery was built on the profits of running the Tripoli NAAFI in WWII, and their full name, Simonds Farsons Cisk plc reveals their links to sunny Reading. Apparently they still use a version of the Courage yeast.
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Had that stout, OK. Bit like a weak dark mild.
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I’m surprised Mudgie hasn’t been on about the boulevardier enjoying his fag in civilised company.
Malta in winter looks every bit as grim as I imagined it to be.
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The smoking laws may have been flouted. I couldn’t possibly comment.
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