eamonnclarke

We have a philosophy - don't go to the same destination twice. Unfamiliarity breeds new experiences and that's served us well travelling. So how do we tackle Rovinj having broken our modus operandi and are now on visit number 3. So we have to avoid some great spots - best pizza around Istria (Pizzeria da Sergio), great seafood/sunset (Maestral), Snack Bar Rio (raw seafood speciality) or Kantinon (old fish merchant building with a successful focus on local produce).

Well, the Snack Bar Rio was just that - a snack bar on a corner of Rovinj harbour until two years ago it changed its offering and, sadly, not its name to challenge the other dining options around Rovinj's harbour. We were there two years ago and I was very impressed with the raw seafood dish. It was only its first week as a restaurant as opposed to a snack bar, so I was impressed. So much so that I wanted to break with our tradition and try it again hoping that two years establishing itself would serve it well. As it happened, the bread was fantastic with Mate olive oil from northern Istria, great raw and cooked seafood and a great outlook over Rovinj's harbour full of local fisherman boats.

Time now for it to drop its Snack Bar name and sell itself properly with a more apt name. And I believe it's supported by Rovinj's other sister restaurant, Puntalina adding to it's allure.Read more