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.