Peacefully, the fishing village of Kobaš dozes in the evening sun. Crickets chirping. Herbal and pine scents merge with the aromas of the sea to create the scent of freedom. Anyone who travels by ship in the Croatian islands knows this moment: soon the crew will go ashore, order fish from the grill in a konoba and eat like "Mama Dalmatina". Can't be topped? Yes, it can - at Gastro Mare, for example. Here, globetrotter and top chef Ante "Toni" Bjelančić is at the stove, assisted by his partner Spomenka Selmanović.

Celebrity insider tip

With the highly decorated "Uncle Toni & Papa Giovanni", the returnee revolutionized Italian cuisine in Stavanger, Norway, in the 1980s; "Bocuse d'Or" world champion Geir Skeie (2009) was his student. And although every now and then a yacht worth millions is anchored in the small bay of Kobaš and celebrities such as Caroline of Monaco, Francesca von Habsburg or the Ikea owners have enjoyed Antes legendary fish soup (Brodet), the restaurant is still an insider tip. It can be reached by boat or by car from the mainland coast via the worth-seeing salt-mining town of Ston, which surrounds Europe's longest fortress wall. Near Ston, Ante also runs its own shellfish garden, and in the south of the peninsula, Dingač and Postup are the best sites for the local grape variety Plavac Mali.

"Like in the Caribbean"

Sailors will find dreamlike anchorages at Sveti Klement northwest of Hvar. "It's like the Caribbean," enthuses Michael Kern, who has been traveling the Dalmatian islands and the Kornati Islands for many years. "Sveti Klement consists virtually only of bays. Waking up in one of them and looking out to sea - heaven!" Also good to know: If lubin (sea bass), fratar (bream), gof (yellowtail mackerel), rošpo (monkfish), trilja (red mullet), tuna (tuna), Šampjer (Peterfish), ugor (conger eel) or tabinja (cod) are on the menu, it is highly likely that local fish is being served. The air-dried ham Pršut is traditionally smoked in Dalmatia, and the spicy fish stews Popara, Brudet and Gregada as well as the crème caramel called "Rožata" are among the regional delicacies.

Art and creative cuisine

With about 150 years of tradition in health tourism, the island of Hvar is one of the most popular destinations in the Croatian island world. The restaurant "Giaxa" offers a melange of Venetian ambience, art, creative cuisine and exciting wine list with international drops. What to eat. Marinated shark with pignoli and raisins or a delicious braised veal steak? "Kod Kapetana" is one of the high-traffic eateries on the dock. Sheep stuffing with lavender, tuna steak, grilled lamb from the island of Vis are on the menu here. Culinary more valuable is the "Garifa". Located by the small lighthouse on the Riva, it offers chic and flair in addition to individual cuisine.

The fertile gardens of the sea

At the ancient marina of Vis, one of the most outstanding restaurants in Croatia spoils its guests: "Pojoda", which means "safe harbor", offers the same for open-minded gourmets. Barley risotto with shrimp, shark in wine sauce and fish stew with chickpeas are the specialties here. Romantics, on the other hand, moor in the dreamlike garden of the "Villa Kaliopa".

You should also not miss the unique play of light and color of the Blue Grotto of Bisevo - one of the most beautiful natural phenomena of the Adriatic, to which excursion boats also sail from Split and other islands. The ancient Venetians called Croatia's islands "Giardini di Mare" - beautiful to the eye and extremely fertile: fishing, sheep and goat breeding is practiced on and between the more than one thousand islands, vineyards and olive groves are planted on the stony terroir, fig and carob trees, lavender and laurel bushes thrive magnificently. Everything in apparent originality, which you can feel also when enjoying the goat and lamb dishes in the "Konoba Kopačina".

Fresh fish at the island gastronome

With the five-star Hotel Martinis Marchi Šolta is home to a luxury oasis against the backdrop of a wild and romantic karst landscape. You know the images if you have ever seen a Winnetou movie, because Šolta served as a filming location for these strips. Bizarre and bony, 150 almost uninhabited islands rise out of the turquoise blue Adriatic Sea in the Kornati Nature Park. "Fishermen who have leased bays and laid buoys run tiny inns there in summer, where the crew best check in at lunchtime to eat the day's catch in the evening," skipper Michael Kern explains a local feature, adding, "The business acumen of the island restaurateurs is considerable, however, which is why you should agree on the prices of the menus and wine beforehand." For meat tigers, really good steaks await at "Mandrać" on the dreamy island of Iž. In the fish restaurant "Fešta" on the island of Žut you can choose your lobster in the sea water basin.

Istria - peninsula of gourmets

Almost everywhere in Croatia, the most valuable culinary ambassador of Dalmatia is on the menu: "Paški sir" - sheep's cheese from the island of Pag. International awards have caused an enormous demand for years. However, the 35,000 small island sheep cannot supply nearly as much milk as would be needed - which opens the market for plagiarism. But in the restaurant of the exclusive boutique hotel Boškinac in Novalja, cheese handmade by Pag farmers is certainly served. At the end of our trip, a visit to Istria is obligatory. Among gourmets, the peninsula is no longer an insider tip: White and black truffles, wild asparagus and snipe, spicy pršut, scampi from the Kvarner Bay, sole from Novigrad, spider crab from the waters in the south and specialties from the Istrian ox "Boškarin" are kept ready here, furthermore oysters, other mussels and sea bass from aquacultures in the Limski and Raša estuaries, world-class olive oils and the best selection of quality wines in Croatia.

The quality supplier Adria

As a hotel with great tradition and attractive present (wellness program Tjitske Đekić takes care of service and wines in the "Monte" (Rovinj)included) is recommended Miramar in Opatija. If you want to head for the most innovative gourmet restaurant in the whole country, you have to set course for Rovinj.

On the hill of the city waits the "Monte", the peak of pleasure. A tasty alternative is the "Milan" in Pula (three generations of high quality), and in Novigrad you should definitely try the sashimi menu at "Damir & Ornella" and the fresh Adriatic cuisine at the restaurant "Čok". The "Konoba Batelina" in Banjole is considered a place of pilgrimage for lovers of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. The Kvarner coast in the northeast of the peninsula is also home to such a fresh fish Eldorado: the restaurant "Johnson" - its first supplier of quality besides the in-house garden: the Adriatic Sea.

Wine tips: Wine tour through Croatia

Croatian wine has experienced a tremendous boom in the last decade. Today, the range of high quality wines is as diverse as the landscape.

In Istria, Malvazija is the success variety par excellence. These fine fruity white wines are an ideal match for the dishes of the local cuisine. Specialists in this variety are the wineries Kozlović, Roxanich, Matošević and Bruno Trapan.

A spicy, red complement to Malvazija is found in the deep dark Teran from the karst areas. Top producers are Roxanich, Arman, Cattunar, Tomaz. 

In the continental climate of Slavonia grows very good white wines, especially the variety Grasevina (Welschriesling). The best come from the region around Kutjevo and from the wineries Krauthaker, Enigni, Galic, Adzic and Ivan Enjingi.

In Dalamatia, the island world offers a wide range of substantial red wines from Mali Placac such as Dingač and Postup (Saints Hills, Bura-Mrgudić, Korta Katarina, Zlatan Plenković), which are most enjoyable when allowed to accompany a substantial meal. Croatia is also making considerable progress in the field of organic wines, it is worth trying.

From Falstaff Magazine No. 05/2012