Cafe Orlando, Dubrovnik 10-2012

Location on the very main central road of Dubrovnik Old Town would ordinarily mean beware. If it wasn't for a specific recommendation I read to have breakfast here, I wouldn't have come.

The prices are made for location and perhaps aimed towards lazier people. I must admit it is an outstanding place to people watch as the hordes filter through the town surrounded by the amazing buildings of Dubrovnik Old Town.

Considering the drinks were priced well beyond what I was willing, I opted for the sole item of Omelette with Dalmatian Smoked Ham HRK72. Smoked Ham is another well regarded gourmet item throughout the region and so it seemed the perfect opportunity to have breakfast, eat at this recommended cafe, people watch and try this meat.

The omelette  itself was very well made with a soft luscious creamy egg interior. The smoked ham was a revelation - beautifully smoked and cured and equivalent taste to some of the best jamon I've eaten. Wow that was unexpected.

Next time I would order the same Omelette with Dalmatian Smoked Ham. If you prefer to keep off the main road, there is another cafe just up from Kamenice in the market square that lists the smoked ham as a breakfast option with or without eggs and other things.

Kamenice, Dubrovnik 10-2012

Located in one of the major town squares of Dubrovnik (which also has a uninspiring market during the day) was a place recommended to me specifically for mussels from a local elderly lady whom I was renting a room from. The staff at Kamenice are lovely - because there is only outside seating, it is in their interest to ensure guests are comfortable. On this cold windy day, my reluctance to eat outside was met by the loan of a large thick blanket to wrap around my shoulders and body. It helped a lot to break the wind.

Oysters from the nearby town of Ston are particularly noted and as such I had a few. The flavour is mild and sweet, but they consist of very little meat being extremely thin.

The Orni Rizot HRK70 (cuttlefish risotto) was a large serving of rice, basic salty flavour assisted by lemon, but with only small pieces of cuttlefish littered throughout.

The Musule na Buzara HRK60 mussels were the highlight of anticipation. I counted 63 mussels in the serving. What was most prominent was the white wine flavour was intensely strong with a slight bitterness that actually made the dish more memorable than the standard Brussels equivalent. Unfortunately as tasty and generous as the serving was, the mussels were not debearded properly (or at all) and so each mussel required separating the beard or spitting it out. Not a complete deal breaker, but something to note.

Next time I would order the same trio again. The oysters are cheap and worth trying. The risotto is a nice staple. The mussels are the main feature and as long as you don't mind the beards too much, they are delicious and different.

Passarola, Hvar Town 10-2012

Picking a dinner place in Hvar Town was difficult. There really isn't much information online to separate places from one another. The best restaurant region seemed to be up the stairs to the eating streets behind the Park Hotel.

Passarola was not my first choice - in fact I didn't even have it on my list. Given that it was the start of October (and that many restaurants shut when September ends including Marinero and Lucullus) the first places I tried were closed. Dalmatino is Tripadvisor #1 and was open but the menu was quite remarkably more expensive than the others around. The last on my list (slow-food restaurant Golden Shell aka Zlatna Skoljka) was in fact open and had a delicious sounding lobster tasting menu. However because they had no guests, the chef wasn't even in the restaurant. The manager recommended Passarola as an excellent place for quality seafood similar to those I had been looking at.

I later discovered the chef at Passarola is well renowned for cooking fish directly over a bed of charcoal in the restaurant's open oven and won many awards for this previously having being featured in magazines.

My hunger had overtaken my brain and so I ordered excitedly and wildly.
- starter of bread with smoked fish
- Octopus Carpaccio with Sea-Urchin Sorbetto HRK90 (carpaccio od hobotnice sa sorbetom od mors) - perhaps the only disappointing dish. Ice-cold octopus (some of the centre slices were stuck together suggesting this was frozen ahead) that was nice but with a sorbet that lacked any semblance of sea urchin;
- Cream Scampi Soup with Truffle HRK40 (krem juha od skampi s tartufima) - rich scampi flavoured broth with an unexpectedly good strong truffle flavour intermittently coming through;
- San Jacques Scallops in Truffle & Saffron Sauce HRK95 (capesante u umaku od tartufa i safrana) - sweet pan-seared scallops, cooked through and accompanied by a creamy sauce with only a hint of truffle;
- First Class Fish on Grill HRK200 (riba na zaru 500g) - fresh fish of the day was tuna cooked over the coals. As I salivated and watched this cook, I was slightly concerned. The cooking time seemed much longer than I would usually expect for a fish fillet, especially as I like seared outside and rare pink inside. I should never have doubted the expert chef - the tuna was exceptionally cooked, with a charred lovely surface housing a warm but otherwise rare delicate flesh. Olive oil and red peppercorns lifted it majestically. One of the best fish dishes I've eaten;
- Paradizot (Milk, Biscuits, Eggs) - a type of ice-cream and biscuit slice served with a berry compote and some sweet floss. 

Definite recommendation for any time of year and especially so in the off-peak season when many other options close.

Next time I would order anything served from the grill. There is a large seafood choice - let the staff guide you to what is recommended and fresh and local.

Bistro For, Hvar Town 10-2012

Walking along the waterside in Hvar Town, I was beckoned to sit down on a bench by a male in the late 20s or early 30s. I was a bit unclear about his intentions - could he be touting me for a tour or trying to lure me into a brothel given the off-season had just started? He started asking where I was from and what I was doing in town. He introduced himself as a local and proceeded to give me information about the place - sites to visit, directions to walk, recommended times of day to go to places, even directed me to a place to have my sunglasses fixed. Part of the conversation naturally included food, and he suggested For restaurant for simple local food that people eat at home.

Thanking him for his recommendation I went past several hours later and noted the menu included Gregada, which I was specifically determined to try. Gregada is simply recommended described online as a type of fish stew that originated and thus is best eaten in Hvar.

For's version was a locally caught Gilt-Head Bream HRK116 for 290g (recommended choice by the waitress) braised on sauce with olive oil, onion, white wine and potatoes. It came with a refreshing bowl of salad HRK15 (mala sezonska sala) and bread to soak up the juices. The flavour combination (as you can gather from the ingredients listed) is certainly not unique as I'm quite sure various regions of Europe have influenced each other. The sauce was surprisingly mild with light fishy taste accentuated by a hint of white wine. The fish was fresh with soft flesh easy to eat. I savoured every part including the cheeks.

Next time I would order the Gregada although with more people a larger meatier fish could be used. Additionally the price of Gregada at For is approximately 30-50% cheaper than other places, especially those restaurants along the port and the more upmarket/expensive ones behind on the other side. There is a good selection of other seafood dishes, pastas and risotto also to try.

Na Kantunu, Rijeka 10-2012

After taking the train from Slovenia to Croatia, I was looking forward to my first meal in this well-reputed but still much less popular country. Most people know about the far south Dubrovnik and the islands of Dalmatia. The northern Istria region is known as a food haven with much influence from the adjacent Italy.

Although not strictly in Istria, I hoped to find Istrian white truffles in Rijeka, but after much walking around I wasn't able to find any restaurant which sold dishes with them (maybe I was a little too early in the year) nor any shops that had any fresh to sell. Therefore my backup was to take advantage of the fact that Croatia has the highest proportion of seaside coast than any country in the world, and eat seafood.

There isn't much information online for dining in Rijeka - it is probably more of a town people pass through or take ferries from than anything else. After much walking, I settled into Na Kantunu for its location in a quiet area near the waterway, there were only a few diners this cold, raining evening and there was some nice space to rest before my overnight bus.

From the recommendation of the host for whatever was most fresh and local that day which seemed focussed upon cuttlefish and squid.

The Black Risotto HRK30 (rizot lignje mala) was delicious - beautifully al dente rice, thick black salty sauce, and tender delicious cuttlefish pieces. The best version of this dish I've had throughout Australia, Mediterranean and even dare I say Spain.

Following the theme of freshness that day, I also had the Small Cuttlefishes & Squids HRK45 (lignje domace) local, boned and fried whole. These were thick pieces of whole squid fried until crispy. A squeeze of fresh lemon complemented the oil and salt well. It was served with a kind of mash mix of potato and spinach - for a bit of balance and to fill you up.

Next time I would order the Black Risotto again. The Red Risotto sounds delicious also, but the host specifically recommended the Black which is why I settled upon it. I think there are many places in the world that can fry seafood well, so I would stick to other cooking methods here. Unfortunately they didn't have Shells that day else I would have ordered that. Fresh local fish of the day is also a good looking alternative.