Nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the mountainous range of Orjen and Lovćen, the Montenegrin town of Kotor is gaining popularity amongst travellers from all over the world. Secluded in its own Bay of Kotor, the town is hidden behind the century old fortifications, built during the Venetian period.
From the outside, the walls surrounding Kotor make it look rather sleepy and insignificant, but once you are through the gates, the town comes to life. Visitors find a maze of narrow cobbled streets, architecture combining Roman, Byzantian, and Venetian heritage, squares flowing with live music and modern cafés, and cats, many cats snuggled under the laundry filled-balconies looking over the busy streets.
In a place full of so much life and vibrancy, it’s hard to find a spot where you can just stop and soak it all in, but Restaurant Galion offers the perfect refuge for your post-exploring recharge in the face of a secluded fine dining spot offering the best of Mediterranean and Montenegrin cuisine.
The setting
You will find Restaurant Galion located on the edge of the Bay of Kotor, just outside the city walls, away from the bustling Old Town.
My guest and I were welcomed warmly and taken through the restaurant’s main area, which opens to views of both the overhanging limestone cliffs and the stillness of the Adriatic Sea. A low raised glass wall surrounds the restaurant ensuring that visitors can soak up the stunning views of the bay from every angle.
The serene ambience of the open-air restaurant somehow lifted the tiredness we felt from a full day of exploring. Perhaps it was the snow-whitely dressed tables, or the view of the mountains against the sea, but after just a few minutes we felt the peacefulness coming through.
The food
We were handed the wine list which cheerful stated that ‘a day without wine is a day without sunshine’, so we, of course, opted for some of the local white wine which was proudly recommended by our friendly waiter.
Once settled, we were offered a basket full of home-made focaccia-style bread served with tzatziki and olive oil. The bread is a very important part of the Montenegrin cuisine and wherever you go it is almost always homemade using a special family recipe. After we finished eating more bread than one should eat before a three-course meal, we finally began our culinary adventure.
Starter
As recommended, we started with the two specials – the tuna ceviche and the beetroot gravlax. Both starters were arranged in a very aesthetically pleasing way, topped up with brightly coloured fruit and veg, making it a perfect choice for the Instagram generation. But food isn’t just about the looks and when it comes to taste, well, both starters were divine.
The beetroot gravlax was inspired by a Scandinavian classic dish featuring thinly sliced beetroot and sugar-cured salmon with a delicious dill, honey and mustard sauce. The tuna ceviche, also inspired by foreign cuisine, had its own local twist accompanied by avocado cream, orange, cucumber, tomato salsa and black crumble.
Main
For our mains, we continued the seafood theme and went for grilled octopus served with sautéed Swiss chard, potatoes, a very buttery green pea puree and rice chips, which was mostly for decoration but, dipped in the pea puree, it was pretty delicious. The other main of choice was a crispy grilled salmon fillet on a bed of roast potatoes and green vegetables. Though the restaurant specialises in seafood, you can also find a great range of meat-based meals including Wagyu Kagoshima steak, Iberico Pluma and a variety of freshy made pastas.
Dessert
Oh, the dessert! A small but mighty treat which was the perfect finish of the Galion experience. A frozen chocolate mousse served with a warm chocolate sauce, yes, that is correct, it was chocolate on chocolate and it was idyllic. You can also indulge in a less chocolatey but equality delicious classic apple crumble served with creamy custard sauce, or Galion’s take on the traditional Italian panna cotta but in a deconstructed form.
Factbox
Address: Šuranj bb , 85330 Kotor Montenegro
Email: book@galion.me
Website: galion.me
