We left Dubrovnik early Tuesday and had a guide drive us into Montenegro and give us a very quick tour on our way to pick up our rental car in Tivat. We stopped in the Bay of Kotor which was lovely and beautiful - very calming and peaceful compared to the hustle of Dubrovnik. Our driver dropped us off in the small charming down of Perast which is right near the Bay. The whole town can take you about 15-20 minutes to walk around but it was just such a nice departure from what we had been used to that we took our time walking around. Don't get me wrong, there were tour groups there as well but they literally came and stopped by for 5 minutes and then were on their way. We spent a good 2 hours here just relaxing (mostly drinking and eating) and taking in the beautiful scene.
We stopped at the Hotel Admiral for what we thought was going to be some drinks but we ended up staying for more. We sat right by the water soaked it all in. The waiter was super kind (he told us he was Serbian and thanked the US for our help), much like the service in Croatia. We had been told that people in Montenegro were not as nice as those in Croatia and so far that wasn't true (although it did prove true later). Again, the menu is your standard seafood and pasta line up. April and I inquired about the fresh fish (I mean, we were literally right on the water) but the waiter brought out this scary looking fish with angry teeth that even I, a pretty adventurous eater, had to take a pass on.
Instead I opted for the seafood salad and a tomato soup. Even though much of the food on the trip was the same, I loved that everywhere you went you could always get a fresh seafood or octopus salad and eat it as a main course - it's just not something you find very often in NYC.
The tomato soup was just ok - it had a bit less flavor than the one Amy had in Taverna Otto and didn't taste quite as fresh. However, I did love the seafood salad despite there being bits of the fake crab meat, which is something I usually don't love. They made up for it with TONS of pieces of fresh octopus and mussels doused in red onions, garlic and lemon juice - very simple yet delicious. Krush got the octopus salad and it looked amazing and April got a squid ink risotto that she really enjoyed. Even though it's not a fancy place and the food on it's own wasn't unique or Michelin star worthy, there was just something about the combination of the physical beauty, kind service and simple food that I really enjoyed and savored at the moment. Plus compared to some of the other meals we had in Montenegro, this was definitely a highlight.
I'll be the first to say that when my friends suggested Montenegro as a destination I was a bit skeptical, but if you do the proper research, you'll find a some true gems in this country. Total bill with wine and tip: $130 USD for 4 people
Stari Mlini Ljuta b.b., Kotor 85330, Montenegro 3 Forks
There aren't a ton of "fancy" restaurants in Kotor but Stari Mlini seems to be the most well known. It used to be a 16th century water mill, so the scenery and surrounding decor is quite beautiful. Even though we went at night, you could tell that it was a pretty and unique setting. We sat near the water and it was a tad bit chilly. Unlike at Panorama, where they already had blankets waiting for you, we had to ask if they had anything for us to wrap ourselves in, which luckily they did.
Unlike our experience at the Hotel Admiral, the waitstaff here just wasn't as effusive or outgoing. April had asked about the fresh fish of the day and the waiter left in a huff and brought out the sad plate of fish and then proceeded to put his hand all over every single one of them. There were 2 huge ones and then a pile of smaller ones, none of which seemed right for a single entree but he didn't say or explain what any of them were which was a bit frustrating. Again, the menu here is similar to every other place we've been to with fresh local seafood from the Adriatic Sea being the main focus. We split the Greek Salad for the table and I got the squid stuffed with giant prawns. Everyone else got some kind of seafood pasta or grilled seafood.
The Greek Salad was fine although we all commented on how their version of feta cheese seems much closer to cream cheese than feta. My dish was fairly large in size and as were the actual pieces of squid and it was jammed packed with lots of shrimp on the inside. It was a pretty unique dish that I hadn't really had before and it was quite tasty from that stand point. While I enjoyed my dish, I don't think most of the other girls really did. Most of them found their dish to be mediocre at best. I'm giving this place 3 forks because I liked my actual dish and because the surrounding area is lovely but there are definitely improvements that can be made to make it a nicer experience when you're visiting Kotor. Total bill with tip and wine: 162 Euros for 5 people
Photo Credit: Kotor.Montenegro.Travel.com
Jet Ski Somewhere along the water in Dobrota 3 Forks
I wasn't sure if I was actually going to write a review on this place since it was the most random meal we had on our trip but I figured it was worth a mention. April, Krush, Amy and I were getting ready for our big hike up the fort and we knew we needed to get some breakfast before hand. There aren't a lot of breakfast/brunch places like we have in the States, but we were totally fine with ducking into a local cafe and eating whatever they had on the menu.
On the walk from our Airbnb to the Old Town, there are many waterfront cafes that line the streets. We picked one randomly and sat down. It was mostly locals sitting around drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. We noticed that no one was eating but they did have a breakfast menu so we ordered food anyways. There isn't much on their breakfast menu - Amy and I both got the omelette (mine had ham it in and Amy's didn't) and Krush and April got the Jet Ski breakfast which had 3 large fried eggs, bacon and potatoes. Throughout the morning, we were still literally the only people who ordered food and it felt like they must have gone out and farmed the eggs themselves because it must have taken over 40 minutes for our food to come out. I did feel bad for our waitress since she was the only one working the entire space but we were dying of hunger at the end.
We were all shocked at how legit and tasty our breakfast was. The omelette was huge and had lots of cheese, ham and veggies inside - with veggies hat you would not think of to put in an omelette like zucchini and another kind of squash like veggies. It was also served with sour cream - which turned out to be a delicious combination with the eggs. It also came with a side of juicy, red, ripe sliced tomatoes. I loved how fresh the tomatoes are in this country and love that it was served everywhere. While I enjoyed my dish, I longly looked at Krush and April's dish because their "bacon" looked aaaamazing. It was closer to Canadian bacon in that it looked was super thick and fatty - it was much heftier than regular crispy bacon.
Overall, the food hit the spot and definitely fueled us for our long hike up the fort. If you do ever find yourself here, please do yourself a favor and check out the inside of the restaurant. The place is apparently also a club/lounge at night and it's got this crazy spaceship like interior that you have to check out yourself to believe. Total bill with tax: $17 USD for 4 people
Photo Credit: Facebook
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