This past Spring we were inspecting Monte Mulini hotel in Rovinj for some of our future guests and clients. Of course, part of the inspection trip is to dine at the hotel restaurant. The “Wine Vault” Restaurant at Monte Mulini has already gotten quite a bit of attention as this is one of Croatia’s most prestigious hotels so the restaurant had to be up the standards.

The restaurant has a wonderful indoor space as well as small terrace overlooking the pool area and the beautiful bay where Monte Mulini is located.
In early May, when we were there, the hotel had only about 20 guests so no reservations were needed. Since we made plans for that evening, we decided to have lunch at the Wine Vault and test their cuisine.
First impression is when you get the beautiful menu in hard (wooden) cover with each menu page wonderfully illustrated.
The menu is predominantly international with emphasis on French cuisine which was a bit surprising knowing how Istria is proud of their cuisine. Nevertheless, most meals sounded very inviting!

We started with smoked salmon with honey which was a delicious combination! Of course, we paired everything with great local wines although the Wine Vault boasts the selection of 500 award-winning Croatian and international wines personally selected by one of Croatia’s leading sommeliers, Mr. Emil Perdec.

We continued with main courses: Duck breast and chanterelles and Escabèche of dentex although this was VERY hard to pick among numerous intriguing choices on their menu!
See the whole menu here.
However, that same day we were planning to go to Monte restaurant so we did not eat too much.

And of course, we had to leave room for desserts although this part sounded least exciting.

Of course, the price matches the service and the location as Monte Mulini is one of the most expensive (but also one of the best!) hotels in the country. More on the hotel you can find http://www.montemulinihotel.com/wine_and_dining/wine_vault and the restaurant also has it’s own web site.

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