Hvar Night 1 - "Slow Food"

On our first night in Hvar, the biggest island in Croatia, we went to a restaurant I had found on Trip Advisor called The Golden Shell. They are known for their "slow food". What is that, you may ask? It is exactly the opposite of fast food. Everything is fresh and local, and the chef doesn't prepare your meal until you walk through the door. Well, actually, he doesn't even decide what to cook until you speak to him. We were the only ones in the restaurant for the first half of our meal. The chef came out, we asked him a few questions before deciding to go for the four course challenge. He asked if we had any "problems" which is nice for me as I have many food allergies. He also asked our preferences - sea or land animals, cheese, etc. and prepared everything to our liking. It is definitely a family run restaurant  - with the dad as the chef and the son as our waiter. We even overheard them bickering in the back during our meal!

I had falled in love with one of their local wines that I tasted earlier in the afternoon - a full-bodied red wine from Plavic Mali, a hillside on the island of Hvar, which is believed to produce the best wines of the Dalmatian Coast. I can't wait to enjoy this wine every night on this amazing island!

I started with an eggplant sesame paste, a marinated & fried anchovy, and black and red caviar. 

My sister started with a cucumber salad, roast beef and a baba ganoush.

Second we had a chicken satay with candied onions and...

shrimp risotto with Buzara sauce (both our favorite)

My main course was a white fish over potatoes with a tomato caper sauce.

Ariana's main course was a steak with chocolate mole sauce over potatoes.

My dessert was an almond semifreddo (amazing) and a chocolate cream

Finally, this was a chocolate lava cake and a carob cake.

One of the reviews on TripAdvisor said if we are "lucky" the owners will serve us homemade fig brandy. And lucky we were! We got to try this strong and sweet brandy to finish off our meal.

Montenegro

From Dubrovnik, we took a day tour to Montenegro. I had heard that this is the best time to visit Montenegro as it isn't very touristy yet but is developing rapidly following its independence from Serbia. Plus it is getting more popular since part of The James Bond movie, Casino Royale, was filmed here, and the exclusive Sveti Stefan islet (see below) was just reconverted into a resort by Aman hotels. According to our tour guide, the town of Budva, with a local population of 22,000, is now home to 500 millionaires!!! Many foreigners were interested in investing in the area in recent years, and paid large sums to local landowners, catapulting them to millionaire status.

Our first stop was the town of Kotor, at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor. The bright blue water in contrast with the lush mountains (Montenegro literally means black mountains) was quite a sight. We walked around their old town, surrounded by the palace walls that extend far up the mountain (over 1300 steps to the top). I felt like I travelled back to the Medieval era.

Bay of Kotor behind us

The largely untouched Old Town buildings

Roman Catholic church in a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country

Oldest water pump in Old Town, used to be a place to come gossip about town news

Entrance to the old city

Castle at the top of the mountain

"Green Market" just outside the city walls

Olives galore

Fresh produce

Selection of fresh cheeses

Cured beef leg

Seafood selection (they are known for farming mussels & oysters)

Below we are standing in front of Sveti Stefan, an exclusive island where celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles used to vacation. The resort disintegrated when Montenegro separated from Serbia. It was bought out by Aman Resorts in 2007 and was re-opened in 2009. It is now a completely private hotel, where all guests must be announced, and rooms start at 900 Euros during the summer season! 

Harbor in the town of Budva

Another fun fact: The old town of dubrovnik has an estimated local population of merely 300 people. The apartments in the area are now either owned by foreigners or rented out to tourists. This is a shame as it has changed the daily life of many local families, as more and more people are moving up into the mountains and leaving the old town as a tourist destination instead of a hub of daily life.

Seafood from the Adriatic Sea

Those who have visited the Mediterranean are well aware of the seafood-dominated cuisine of the area. Dubrovnik is no different and it's a great thing, because I am obsessed with any & every kind of seafood! I have had my fair share of grilled squid & octopus salad (two of my favorites) with some shrimp, mussels & oysters thrown in there. And don't forget the daily indulgence of gelato, a must! I have found my culinary heaven.

Waiter brings by daily selection of fresh fish & crustaceans

Chef at Posat brings an amuse-bouche of tuna & potato mousse

Octopus Salad

Pasta with Shrimp Truffle Sauce

Grilled Squid with boiled potatoes and kale

Grilled Squid @ the old harbour for lunch - my favorite

Sautéed Mussels with Lemon

Babic - A local red wine

Oysters, a specialty of the area

Konoba Dalmatino had one of the best reviews on TripAdvisor. We visited the restaurant tucked away on a small street in the old town, and we were not disappointed!

We chose two local wines - white was from Rukatac and Red was from Plavac. The red wine was my favorite.

Lobster Pasta

John Dory white fish with "Dalmatian sauce" and sautéed vegetables

In honor of the name of this blog, we found a cafe on our last night that served crepes. Just delicious.

Nutella crepe with crushed hazelnuts

The Beauty of Dubrovnik

My sister & I have been in Croatia for 24 hours and I think I am already in love. This is truly one of the cutest cities I have visited. The Old Town, protected by a 2 km wall on all sides, is situated on a cliff right on the Adriatic Sea, with green hills serving as a backdrop. The town is spotless and full of white cobblestones and orange roofs. We spent the morning walking the walls and then took a cable car to Srd Hill for panoramic views of the entire city. Not a single picture I have seen or taken does this place justice. Later, we went to Cafe Buza, which can be found through an opening in the city walls, situated right on the cliff for drinks with an amazing view. Though this is a popular spot for cliff jumping, which we were hoping to partake in, the weather today didn't allow for it. We will leave that for next time!

One of the entrances to the Old Town

The Old Harbour

Clock Tower

We saw cats everywhere around town

Walking the walls surrounding the old town

Overlooking the main street, Stradun, with tons of cafes & shops

Looking over at the fortress

The island of Lokrum, a former monastery, 600 m from Dubrovnik

Orange roofs of the town & Lokrum island beyond

Views from the Cable Car & Srd Hill

Cross on top of the hill

View of Cafe Buza from the City Walls

The only sign to find Cafe Buza

View from the cafe