5 /5
Rating
★
★
★
★
★
Visited as a couple for a romantic dinner after reading excellent reviews. My wife loves fine food, especially sea food. Me too, but I am also keen on value for money. We liked the place the moment we entered. It is quite small with maybe 15 tables. It was very full at 8pm on a Friday night and we were lucky to get a table. It was warm and atmospheric. More traditional than young and trendy. Definitely a Mediterranean feel re-enforced by the personal warm welcome by the owner and his wife. We were offered the menu but didn’t read it. Based on previous reviews we asked for the chef’s recommended 4 course degustation menu, which the owner described with obvious enthusiasm.The food, from the busy, well-organised open kitchen was excellent. I am not qualified to judge whether it deserves any Michelin stars, but it was certainly that type: food prepared with an obvious passion, combining excellent fresh ingredients, wonderful presentation and some unusual, almost experimental, flavours and combinations.First course was a seafood anti-pasti with sesame-tuna, scallop, octopus, superb prosciutto, etc. Next was some kind of truffle filled ravioli which was truly mouth-watering, then some superbly fresh tuna (which was so unbelievably good it made that in the first course seem a little second rate). Fourth was an excellent scorpion fish fillet (again fresh from Croatia that day) and finally a dessert on the house. Overall a truly wonderful culinary experience. Although a degustation menu, each portion was of quite a decent size. We were certainly not left feeling hungry.All was washed down with the owner’s recommended Croatian white wine. Very light, crisp and dry. Very subtle, a perfect accompaniment to the food as it didn’t overpower it.Throughout the meal there was a warm, lively ambience from chatting guests, but never too load to stop us talking. A bonus was some live music which very much added to the Croatian taverna atmosphere. We usually dislike live music in restaurants as it often too loud and soulless. But this worked perfectly as appropriate, lively, atmospheric background music.In terms of value, the food was exceptional. The 4/5 course degustation menu was only EUR 42 per head. An absolute bargain for that quality of food, service and atmosphere. If I had one tiny gripe it was the wine, which although ideal for such a meal was quite pricy at EUR 32 per bottle given that it was so very light.Overall an excellent experience I would highly recommend.