Dining Review: Giannino – Rovinj, Istria (Croatia)

Dining Review: Giannino – Rovinj, Istria (Croatia)

July 2021

Dining Review: Giannino – Rovinj, Istria (Croatia)

Our final dining slot in Rovinj! This was a tough spot to fill because at a certain point, all the restaurants start to sound the same – finding a unique characteristic to make a decision was getting tricky. Luckily, Giannino rose to the top of the list and while they are still serving up a similar seafood menu, we were hoping it would be different enough from our other meals.

We arrived to a small corner in the streets where Giannino had set up a lovely outdoor space. They also have an indoor space, where I assume their pre-covid operations occurred – but this outdoor space was really nice. Once again, very grateful to have reservations ahead of time as we witnessed many people getting turned away without one.

Cossetto Malvazija

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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.

We each were boring and got a mixed salad but it was something that our bodies craved. They were enormous (excellent value) and very fresh!

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Pljukanci local Istrian pasta with shrimps and little scallops

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Delicious pasta and seafood mix. Pasta is hand rolled, chewy, perfect for absorbing the seafood broth. Would highly recommend.

Octopus tentacles with potato cream 

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The final dish I was looking to try on this trip was octopus tentacles so I was pleased with my ordering habits thus far to allow me to try all the things I was looking forward to on this trip from a seafood perspective. This was an incredible dish – the octopus was cooked perfectly with some crunch on the outside but tender on the inside. The tomatoes were a great addition and I loved that they were seared as it complimented this dish. There was creamed potatoes under the octopus and what I liked most is that they did not dominate the plate and were a manageable portion, as well as being delicious. And lastly, there was smoked paprika scattered throughout the plate that brought a great smoky flavor. I absolutely loved this dish!

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Two dessert kind of night to send off Rovinj – Mille-feuille and semifreddo

We have had some fantastic Mille-feuille on this trip and this dish was no exception. Multiple layers of cream and pastry and fruit – it was lovely and light. The staff indicated that the semifreddo was the best ever so of course we had to also give that a try. Compared to the other semifreddo we had in Motovun, this was definitely the winner. It was super creamy and the nuts filling were plentiful. I can understand why the staff endorse this dessert!

I am so happy we ended up finding Giannino’s as it was such a great meal offering their own flare on the seafood scene in Rovinj. It had a more polished feel in the presentation that did not detract from the quality and the flavor all without a premium cost. Highly recommend!

Continue reading about our time in Rovinj – here!

Continue reading about our trip to Croatia here!


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