You got up early. Much too early. Just to get to the airport on time and suffer the first humiliations before breakfast. You sit on the plane and look down on the city you've lived in for a long time. Then you're above the clouds, and maybe you'll sleep a little longer. There's nothing going on anyway. Four hours and one change later, at an altitude of 10,069 meters, you look out of the window and see: the sea. Blue like the Adriatic. It is the Adriatic. At 848 km/h, the landscape glides past below you, which you will experience a little later at eye level - after landing, with the rented car exactly the same route along the coast back towards your destination: Korčula.
The first time, it's all still strange. The connections only emerge later. But you're always smarter when you leave the town hall. Preliminary research at home had revealed that the Sutvid restaurant could be a nice stopover on the way from Dubrovnik (or the airport, as it is called, but is located in the pampas east of the capital) to Vela Luka at the westernmost end of the island of Korčula. Hardly a detour from the calculated connection and somehow nicely described. The calculated arrival time seemed appropriate: just before one o'clock at noon.
The actual arrival time corresponded to the calculated time and was ideal. At our destination, we were greeted by a wooden shack house that didn't look particularly trustworthy. But at least it had a flag. And it was closed at ten to one. Inside, people were sitting and chatting, of course in the local language, which was to be expected. But for us: incomprehensible. I wanted to know if it was open (cautiously asking in English). Not yet, was the answer, also in English and therefore understandable for us. But they would open at one o'clock! So, alone in the parking lot, we strolled around a bit. The sign about peeing in the wild matched the ambience of the building, but the station wagon made us think for a moment: was this really the right place for a first meal in Croatia? And we dared to go in, even though it wasn't even one yet. We did the right thing, because the good seats - simply on stools by the windowsill - were quickly taken. The view of the offshore island of Otok Dubovak is pleasing to the holiday-hungry eye, the view from the window directly below gives an impression of the freshness of the oysters and mussels we ordered: they were taken directly from the sea, the oysters opened right below - the oyster and mussel farm is right in front of us, the boat on the jetty provides supplies if necessary. We now had the impression that this was indeed the right place for a first meal in Croatia!
The choice of a glass of wine to accompany the meal should not be difficult, as there was Plavac Mali under red wine and Pošip under white wine - at the time an equation with two unknowns for us, but easy to solve: white wine with the fish. 0.1 l for €1.20, also available in the 0.2 - 0.25 - 0.5 and 1 l variants. We did find bottled wine among them (€25/€35), but we wanted to keep going. The oysters (€2 each) and mussels (portion €12) were, as expected, heavenly fresh, which is half the battle when it comes to taste. The other half of the flavor rent was also fine, a little nuttiness in the shellfish flavor is always nice. Grilled calamari (€16) with potato salad as the second main course ordered fitted in well with the overall picture, even if zucchini on the salad was unusual at first - but hey, why not?
The story of Sutvid
The story of Sutvid is not just the story of a restaurant - it is part of the cultural and gastronomic history. Captain Stijepo Bjelovučić founded the first Dalmatian mussel farm - Kamenica i Dagnji - in the bay of Sutvid (near Drača) in 1889. The mussels from Sutvid quickly gained fame and won prizes, eventually finding their way to Paris, Vienna and Prague. Their reputation remains unbroken to this day, and it is at the Seafood Sutvid restaurant that you have the opportunity to taste the fruits of this long and proud tradition.
Today, the farm in Sutvid is one of the oldest and most important on Pelješac - it simultaneously preserves heritage, protects the environment and delights visitors. The restaurant that emerged from this history offers something you won't find in luxurious restaurants - the original beauty of a simple but perfect pleasure. [Story text taken from an Insta post by the restaurant]
When we went, Sutvid was filled to capacity at lunchtime. So if you're planning a visit, better make a reservation!
Info
Sea food "SUTVID"
Sutvid BB, 20246, Drače, Croatia
tel. +385 99 782 4522
