Simple and easy-going, Danijel Deni Šabalja welcomes us with a glass of Žlahtina on the terrace of his restaurant Bracera, a beautiful classical konoba in Malinska, on the northern coast of the Krk island. His humble and welcoming smile hides a man of many talents: from a restoratuer in Malinska, where he also owns a wine bar just across the Konoba Bracera, to the family boutique hotel in nearby fishing village of Porat, and to his love for local Dubašnica tradition that fami

When you have an inn that runs as family business since 1933, then you really have something to tell to the world! The restaurant Most is such a place. It is situated just beneath the old town of Buzet, along the bank of the Mirna river. Its name, meaning bridge, explains its position just across the bridge that divides Buzet from the small neighbourhood. A big three-floor house was an inn even before it became a property of Marinac family. The history is visible on the wall,

Perched on a clifftop overlooking the gorgeous Plomin Bay, the old town of Plomin is often overlooked as sleepy small town next to the huge electric plant chimney. The position may be unfortunate for Plomin, but it is unfair to say this is not a splendid destination on the eastern coast of Istria. So, don’t be lazy to stop over and walk within the medieval walls of Plomin and it you get hungry to not hesitate to visit the restaurant Dorina. This place is far more than a casua

If one wants to grab a beer in Rijeka, there are plenty of places to do so, but Brasserie As, in the very centre of the biggest Croatian port, is the unavoidable point for every Belgian beer fan. Still, there are is also a wide range of Croatian beer present and, of course, wine. But, not to have another gastronomy report that started with alcoholisation, we would like to stress that our arrival here was part of de-toxication therapy with asparagus! And, as it usually turns o

Riva Boduli is historically one of the major docklands in Port of Rijeka. For hundreds of years, it was a place where ships were loaded and unloaded, while in the background still vibrates the main Rijeka’s market. This market is simply called Placa, a Slavic version of ever-present European name for a town’s belly: Piazza in Italian or Platz in German, all meaning (market)square. Both Italian and German influence is traceable, in cuisine and architecture, lifestyle and herit

If you follow the road from the centre of Ajdovščina into the mountains, you will pass the Youth House and end up in front of an impressive waterfall of the river Hubelj. In the ancient times, Romans called it the Cold Water and it was the source of life in the valley. Next to this rock surface is the lowest mountaineer hut in whole Slovenia (only 210 metres above sea level) that is named exactly after the river: restaurant “At the Hubelj’s Spring” (Pri izviru Hublja). The Pi

It is a rare treat to pick behind the kitchen’s door in a splendid restaurant. We tend to enjoy fine dining in a peaceful setting of a rural gastronomy point, enjoying the tastes and aromas of culinary heritage, and thanking the chef that has just arrived from kitchen with a quite clean apron. Seldom do we think of the kitchen place and food preparing, those nitty-gritty stuff that makes a cook’s everyday business. But when one enters this realm, one cannot separate creative

The sun is shining, scent of spring is all around us, and the Asparagus days are in full sway in a picturesque town of Lovran on the western coast of Kvarner Bay. It is the biggest spring festival in Lovran, present already 17 years. The Asparagus Days begin with a big egg omelette with asparagus (fritaja sa šparogama), and continues in several Lovran’s restaurants. One of these is Knezgrad, situated right in the centre of the town, in a beautiful park next to the town’s only

Asparagus is one of the most appreciated plant varieties growing in the Adriatic, and it is high season now. From mid-March to late April the homes and restaurants of Croatian coast will make omelettes, soups, homemade pastas and risottos, as well as the ingenious combinations with meat and fish. This wild plant grows in less accessible places, often within thorny bushes, rocks, and macchia, and requires expertise, an eye of a hawk, lots of scratches on hands, and iron will u

A specific Krk pasta – šurlice – became a signature dish of this northern Adriatic island, the biggest one in Croatia. Many local restaurants and taverns have šurlice on their menus, preserving it as one of the highlights of the Krk gastronomy. In fact, there isn’t a simpler dish. You just need flour, oil, and water. Some add salt, some don’t. Easy, isn’t it? Well, quite the contrary. The form of šurlice is made with very skilful hands, coiling on the small wooden stick. Some