“Cupcakes, Coffee and Champagne: What More Do You Need?” Danish Hygge at Mettelina Café and Mette Lorenzen’s Guide to the City

Mette Lorenzen came to Malta in 2009 for love, and the man she met is now her husband. For thirteen years she climbed through Kindred Group, ending up as Director of Global Customer Service with a team of more than 300 people. Then, during the Covid lockdown, she sat on some stairs in Valletta, saw a “For Sale” sign across the street and booked a viewing she hadn’t planned.

Today that space is Mettelina, a small boutique café on St Paul’s Street шт Valletta serving cupcakes, coffee and champagne, with a lot of Danish hygge. She told us why she jumped, what the change cost her, and the Valletta street most visitors walk straight past.

I moved in 2009 because of love. I met a Maltese man, who is my husband today, and he was the main reason I stayed in Malta.

Leaving iGaming to Open My Own Café

I had been thinking about it for years and always knew I wanted to start my own business one day, but I loved my job at Kindred, so it was a hard decision. I finally made the jump when I had to decide whether to go for another opportunity internally. Instead, I decided not to go for it and to quit so I could start my own.

It was not an easy decision, but I knew that if I stayed at Kindred I would give it my all, and then Mettelina would remain a dream. So I simply decided it was now or never, and did it.

“I simply decided it was now or never, and did it.”

A Cupcake That Tastes as Good as It Looks

Well, yes, kind of. I have always loved and appreciated good food, and my passion for baking, specifically cupcakes, started when I tried my very first cupcake 18 years ago. It was very beautiful, but it tasted so disappointing: too sweet and heavy. So I made it my mission to make a cupcake that would taste as good as it looks.

My inspiration was always ice cream, as I have a deep love for it. I wanted to create a cupcake that was lighter and not as sweet as the usual cakes, a bit more like ice cream.

Cupcakes, Coffee and Champagne in Valletta

Simply because I love my cupcakes and I love champagne. In Malta, it was difficult to find a good-quality place where you can enjoy champagne by the glass, unless you go to a Michelin restaurant, so I knew I wanted that on the menu.

I didn’t want to create the usual coffee shop, but a place where you feel you are really spoiling yourself with delicious gourmet products, and only the best is good enough for your little moment of sweetness. Cupcakes, coffee and champagne: what more do you need in life?

“Cupcakes, coffee and champagne: what more do you need in life?”

Why St Paul’s Street, Valletta

I love Valletta and find it cozier than Sliema and St Julian’s, so I used to come here a lot just to explore. It was quite a coincidence, though, that I ended up finding exactly this place for my café.

I was sitting on the stairs across the street during Covid, when everything was closed, and I saw a “For Sale” sign. Without planning to buy anything at that time, I booked an appointment to see it. I can’t explain it. It just felt right, and I went with my gut feeling.

Mettelina’s Most Popular Cupcake Flavors

Most of my customers are local regulars who have known my cupcakes for years. There are also regulars who work in Valletta and visit me during the week, and tourists, of course, especially in summer. Our customers are usually 30+, I would say.

Some of the most popular flavors are salty caramel, pistachio and raspberry, but many of our regulars also enjoy trying our newer, more innovative flavors, as we usually have different flavors every week. My personal favorites are liquorice with white chocolate and raspberry, and sweet potato with pecan nuts and caramel. Salty caramel is pretty awesome as well.

A Danish Café in Malta: Hygge and Mediterranean Flavors

Yes, definitely, because I am Danish and I wanted Mettelina to be authentic to who I am and what I love. Everything in Mettelina is inspired by my roots and history in Denmark and my love for Malta.

I love Danish design, our gourmet candy and the small details in Danish homes that make them feel welcoming and cozy, which we call hygge. And I love the fresh ingredients from Malta, like lemons, mint and fruit, and the flavors typical of the Mediterranean. Basically, I love quality, and a lot of the things I know and like happen to be from Denmark.

“Who Am I When I Am Not Mette, the Director?”

What surprised me most was the feeling of losing my identity. After so many years in the corporate world, I felt my job and my title were a big part of who I was. When I suddenly didn’t have that anymore and had to start from scratch with something new, something of my own that wasn’t even fully established, I felt a bit lost at first and had to rediscover my identity. I had to ask myself: who am I when I am not Mette, the Director?

“I had to ask myself: who am I when I am not Mette, the Director?”

A Different Malta to Do Business In

It is, yes, and I feel a bit like the new kid on the block. I still don’t know that many people in my new industry. After so many years in iGaming, you know a lot of people; everyone knows everyone, and people move from one company to another. Both worlds are great in their own way, but it has been really interesting to discover Malta in a new way after so many years.

My Valletta: Where to Eat, Drink and Shop

For a good meal, I would take a friend to The Harbour Club or Noni. If it’s more casual, I would go for a glass of wine and tapas at Iber&Co, and then to Nduja for some good Italian.

Sip & Sail has excellent cocktails, and for live music, perhaps Bridge Bar in summer.

There are not that many hidden gems left in Valletta, but I like to go to Iber&Co and Nduja when I want something more casual, and Lot61 for good coffee.

The Street Most Visitors Miss: St Paul’s Street

St Paul’s Street! There are a lot of small independent shops and cafés on St Paul’s Street and around it, but most visitors walk along Merchant and Republic Street. St Ursula Street and East Street are also cozy. For shops, I recommend any visitor go to The Designers boutique and Hollywood. I like their concepts and their unique local crafts.

More from Locals Insider

• Eating out across the harbor: our Tora review in Sliema, with champagne, watermelon duck salad and a view of Valletta.
• Living in Malta: what we’d buy now for private health insurance after four years on the island.
• Another Danish story: Kunstsalonen, who turn private homes in Copenhagen into galleries for one weekend.
• More from the island: all our Malta guides.