Food Porn/ Restaurants

Monte – October 25, 2019 (Rovinj, Croatia)

   

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful and magical setting for a restaurant than the top of the medieval village of Rovinj. With it’s sleepy fisherman village vibe, it’s shiny white stone alleys spiraling up the ancient hillside to the Church of St. Euphemia, the breathtaking seaside views. The feeling, the experience, is surreal. It’s hard to imagine such a place exists. But it does.

Opened in 2008 by chef Danijel Dekić, the restaurant Monte has managed to slip under the international radar until it received Croatia’s only Michelin star in 2017. Nestled in the upper Istria region, the restaurant has access to world class seafood, wine, and ingredients.

My expectations were high and I was not disappointed by this charming little spot. The ambiance was great, the service was very accommodating, and much to my enjoyment the cutlery was very creative and fun. I have a fondness for unique utensils and I found myself snapping picks and googling many of the interesting sporks and gadgets.

I had been wanting to sample Istria’s fabled wines and the pairing was superb. Great wine and well paired. The sommelier custom printed the pairing list at my request and like the thoughtful guest that I am I promptly forgot it at the table. I’m very sad about that.

The restaurant offers three tasting menus at six courses. A red traditional menu, a blue modernist menu, and a green vegetarian menu, each for 889 HKN or about $132 USD. Pairings are flexible at 67 HKN a glass or about $10. We chose the blue menu and I chose a glass for each course.

Before you’re even given the menu, you get two amuse bouche courses then a third after your selection. And at some interval in the meal, I suspect that the kitchen was running slow, we got another impromptu truffle shrimp bite that was excellent.

Our meal was well worth the $135.

   

Amuse bouche #1 – “margarita pizza”

 

Amuse bouche #2 – Two types of olives

 

Bread service with house made olive oil.

 

Amuse bouche #3 – Yogurt, horseradish, green apples.

 

Tongs to eat the first course.

 

First course: Three sorts of bluefish.

 

Second course: Scampi, shrimp, lobster, crab, crustacean sauce, chlorophyll, salad hearts

 

Small shrimp salad with second course.

 

Third course: Pilgrim scallop, baby scallops, bonito foam, nectarine, jerusalem artichoke

 

Fourth course: Monkfish, octopus, Basmati rice, zucchini, brodet of molluscs

 

Unscheduled snack: shrimp with truffles

 

Fifth course: Lamb from the island Cres, eggplant, peas, mint

 

Three types of cheese: cow, sheep, goat, with nut and fig.

 

Predessert: Grapefruit cream with grapefruit, popcorn, sweet corn, candied orange peel.

 

Sixth course: Sweet istrian fresh cheese, tapioka, vanilla ice cream, hazelnut, goose liver, orange.

 

Fruit with Grand Marnier cream.

 

Shortbread cookies.

 

Espresso.

 

Katy’s fresh mint tea. She said this was one of her favorite things. Sweet and minty!

   
 
   

You Might Also Like

2 Comments

  • Reply
    Unicorn
    October 26, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    So yummy! I really enjoyed this dinner ☺️

  • Reply
    Day 21 - Rovinj, Croatia - A sleepy medieval fisherman town. | the Wandering Hedonist
    October 28, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    […] sits just beneath the Church of St. Euphemia. A beautiful location and a delicious thoughtful meal. Read my full post here. Monte offers three 6 course tasting menus with a flexible pairing option. Great meal. […]

  • Leave a Reply