July 2021
Dining Review: Snack Bar Rio – Rovinj, Istria (Croatia)
One spot that came up searching for spots to eat was Snack Bar Rio. While it was down along the harbor, it was still well rated. I was willing to give it a try despite the tourist location but hey, when its waterfront sometimes its better. We were still out of the Old Town area and if it was a rip off, the locals who recommend it were getting ripped off too. While they do not have a website, they were very responsive on Facebook to snag a reservation.
When we went inside to check in, I assumed we would be sitting at one of the tables outside the restaurant but instead we were lead to tables right on the harbor. The view was amazing! I could not believe this is where we were eating.
Cossetto Malvazija
I was so excited to see this wine on the menu! This was one of the vineyards on the list that I wanted to get to but due to the location and the fact that we were wine tasting over a weekend, we were unable to get to Cossetto. I did not even think that the wine tasting journey would continue at a restaurant – and at a restaurant as far south as Rovinj. It was really excellent wine and I wish we could get this bottle at home.
Raw fish selection
As simple as the name states, a set of three raw fish tuna, shrimp, sea bass. Each had a fun accoutrement to pair with the raw fish. The tuna had a celery relish, the shrimp was tossed in some sort of thick, sweet, clear sauce, and the sea bass was served with apples. Each was very good and it was a nice light appetizer.
Calamarata (pasta with squid)
This was probably my favorite pasta dish throughout the entire trip. Simple tagliatelle cooked perfectly al dente with squid. Had to remind myself to slow down and savor it, so delicious.
Pan grilled calamari with polenta
I knew once I checked giant DIY prawns on this trip I would be moving onto squid in some form. Today would be calamari. When the plate arrived, I knew I picked correctly. I love the simple preparation of grilling and serving, nothing too fancy is needed. They were not overcooked and the portion size was large. I loved to polenta addition for this dish too to add a little bit of sweetness. So good!
Chocolate molten cake
Again, not the fanciest dessert but you can never, ever go wrong with a chocolate molten cake. And there was a vanilla custard on the bottom of the plate that was plate licking good. They even brought our a candle on a wine cork for Kevin’s birthday!
All the servers were wonderful in making our experience here memorable. Would highly recommend this spot – they are open for lunch and dinner so take advantage of the time slot works for you. This place did get crowded so make sure to make are reservation through Facebook. I love how simple all of our dishes were yet they were so well executed that is made it feel like we were eating a much fancier dish.
