We have just returned from the wonderful province of Istria
in Croatia, the rugged North, adorned with forests and national parks it joins
Slovenia at it Northerly most point and across the tiny strip of sea is
glorious Italy. The town of Rovinj (
http://www.rovinj.co/ ) is right opposite Venice and you really sense that the land here
ripped in two all those thousands of years ago, the landscape and food are so
similar to Italy and it’s clear that the similar climate and soil has shaped
the cuisine on both sides of the Adriatic.
 |
| Motovun Town |
 |
| Motovun Town |
The trip was a mixture of relaxing with food and the
stunning Istrian wines; the highlights being crisp and cool while Malvazija and
ruby red Cabernet Sauvignons, and visiting the stunning little medieval hilltop
towns on the hunt for truffles and oils, which I have brought back and will definitely
be using in some dishes inspired by the region. Istrian cuisine is very similar to its Italian
counterparts across the tiny ocean, rich
with truffles, green virgin olive oils, and an abundance of seafood. It has a
delicate approach which is mighty in its flavours!
 |
| Istrian Wines |
 |
| Local Produce |
We stayed at the stunning contemporary ‘Lone’ design hotel
http://www.lonehotel.com/en/ which is situated
on the edge of a national park, with clear turquoise sea and is a gentle 20
minute stroll from the small fishing town of Rovinj. Lone has some fantastic
restaurants and bars within, however our favourite was ‘L’. Here we sampled some beautifully
crafted dishes, my favorites being a pumpkin risotto with mushrooms and
truffles which was velvety and delicate and balanced perfectly, a wasabi and
oyster beef tartar with quails egg which was bold and loud and gregarious, and
a starter of giant king prawns in a fiery hot coconut broth that made us want
to lick the plate clean (not the done thing in a nice restaurant!) The Lone is
such a wonderful place with very professional staff, beautifully designed rooms
and gorgeous amenities, we will be back again I am certain.
 |
| Pumpkin Risotto |
 |
| Wasabi Beef Tartar |
We also ate a fantastic eight course menu at the neighboring
Wine Vault in the Hotel Monte Mullini (part of the same chain)
http://www.winevault.com.hr/en/
which was one of the best meals I have had in a while. My highlights were a starter
of homemade fois gras terrine with apricots and smokey lardon, and incredible
wagu beef carpaccio served in a delicate Asian broth of lemon grass and
radishes which was light and elegant and
made me smile for a good hour! Christians highlights were a spicy prawn tempura
and a risotto of shellfish, stunning!
 |
| Seafood Risotto |
 |
| Fois Gras & Apricots |
Rovinj itself has some beautiful restaurants, we ate at the
coveted “Blu”
http://www.blu.hr/, a tiny place
which served us stunning local fish in delicate mango sauces and gorgeous
truffle covered dumplings. And we wandered the cobbled backstreets and ducked
in to tiny restaurants which were more like being invited in to the locals living rooms and had
generous bowls of linguine with olive oil and truffles and plenty of fresh
seafood served simply with olive oil and lemon juice.
 |
| Prawns With Coconut |
I will be back to Croatia for sure, it is a beautiful land with so
much variety and it’s vibrancy meets you in its people and in its food. Do let
me know if you are heading to the area, I have so many tips which I didn't put
on here (I could waffle on all day!) and I would be happy to share them with
you.
 |
| Dumplings with Truffle |
No comments:
Post a Comment