Kantinon

The reopening of the much-changed harbourfront favourite was accompanied by much expectation in summer 2013, not least because the chief menu consultant is Tom Gretić, high-flying chef at haute-cuisine Wine Vault just round the bay. Main aim of the re-styled Kantinon is to offer high-quality, fairly-priced Istrian cuisine with the best fresh ingredients – so although prices here are lower than in the haute-cuisine places in town, they’re (justifiably) higher than those in some of the neighbouring taverns. The menu revolves around local seafood, fresh pasta such as pljukanci (hand-rolled twizzles), and a few new takes on old-fashioned country recipes (seafood stews with barley, fillets of fish topped with slices of Istrian sausage).  Kantinon also works perfectly as a wine and Croatian-tapas bar, with an expertly-chosen list of local wines, many of which are available by the glass.