First special edition of the Gault&Millau Guide to the Kvarner region

Kastav, 20 July 2023 - On the initiative of the Kvarner Tourist Board (TZK), the Kvarner region has received its own edition of one of the most relevant gastronomic guides in the world - Gault&Millau (GM). For the first time, a bilingual (Croatian/English) edition of the guide, published in 1965 in France, has been published for the region. The Gault&Millau Croatia guide has been published in Croatia for six years, and the Kvarner gastronomic scene is continuously evolving. The Kvarner edition of the guide contains reviews and photos of 80 restaurants, taverns, restaurants, restaurants, cafés, restaurants and restaurants from the Opatija Riviera and Riječkog prsten, through the Crikvenica-Vindola Riviera, to the Gorski kotar and the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab. The wide range of the hostels' classification is based on the international motto of the Gault&Millau guide - "luxury is in quality, not in price". The guide also includes 10 wineries from the Kvarner region.

The promotion of the guide and the awarding of prizes to the chefs of the best-rated restaurants in the Kvarner region took place at the Kukuriku restaurant, in Kastvo, whose owner and chef Nenad Kukurin is celebrating 25 years of successful operation of the Kukuriku restaurant. A pioneer of slow-food in Croatia, he won the Chef of Modern Traditional Cuisine Trophy at the Gault&Millau Croatia 2023 National Trophy Awards.

The best-rated restaurant in the Kvarner regional guide is Chef Denija Srdoča's Nebo, with 4 points, or chef's caps, or 17/20 points. It is followed by ten restaurants with three points each. First in this set is Alfred Keller from the Alhambra Hotel in Losinj and chef Michael Gollenz with 16.5/20 points. Konoba Zijavica from Mošćenička Draga is the runner-up with 16/20 points. 15.5/20 points each went to Draga di Lovrana restaurant and chef Luka Goleš from Lovrana, Matsunoki restaurant and chef Orhan Cakiroglu from Bellevue Hotel in Lošinj, Nobilion restaurant and chef Daniel Skokić from Ikador Hotel in Iki, and Plavi Podrum restaurant from Voloskog and chef Mato Bebek. The owner of Plavog Podrum, top sommelier Daniela Kramarić, won a special Gault&Millau Croatia Trophy for promoting Croatian gastronomy last year. The 15/20 points were awarded to the restaurants Ganeum Food & Wine bar of chef Robert Benzija, who won the Grand Chef of the Year 2020, Johnson from Mošćenička Draga, Konoba Valle Losca from Voloskog and chef Harijo Benić, and Navis from the Abbey Hotel of the same name, whose chef Tino Sinožić won the GM Young Talent of the Year 2019.

"The publication of the Gault&Millau Croatia guide for Kvarner is one more indication that our rich gastronomic heritage is constantly being upgraded, because preparing good food is not just a matter of skill, but an art that in our region is based on a single philosophy: only the best ingredients for the best food. The unique combination of sea, island and mountains, and the interplay of sea and continental climate, make the Kvarner region a place of top quality cuisine. Our guests are always happy and proud to enjoy a rich and varied gastronomic offer, from top restaurants and taverns to popular places serving quality and tasteful food, and there is an enviable number of wineries in the region. Congratulations to all our hosts who are listed in the first edition of the Gault&Millau Guide to Kvarner, which further valorises the gastronomic offer of our region. I believe that the GM awards and recognition will be a testament to their commitment to even greater quality in creating an unforgettable one-stop gastronomic experience. Let us hope that this is one of the most important motives for our guests to come to the Kvarner region. To promote the first edition of the Gault&Millau guide, we would like to share two more excellent news: congratulations to our Kvarner wines on their new, great success and on winning 19 medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2023. The wineries of the Kvarner Wines brand, svakako su doprinos doledu reputledu destinacije, koja je deserved to become the European Region of Gastronomy 2026. godine" - shows dr.sc. Irena Peršić Živadinov, Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board.

Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, Director of Gault&Millau Croatia, emphasised that since the 19th and early 20th centuries Kvarner and its Riviera have been recognised as a lesser destination for sea and health tourism in Europe, and that local gastronomy has been enjoying a true renaissance in recent years. "It is not just about the wide range of hospitality facilities: from fine dining to classic restaurants, bistros, taverns and oyster bars, to wine bars and wineries. It is important that Kvarner has a cuisine of origin that attracts the highest number of guests, and that a new generation of young, creative and quality chefs has taken over the already established restaurants and chefs. We are proud that Gault&Millau Croatia is the first international gastronomic guide to dedicate a special edition to the Kvarner region" - said the Director of the Croatian edition of Gault&Millau.

The presentation of the guide for Kvarner was also attended by Mayor Zlatko Komadina, several hosts from the establishments listed in the Gault&Millau guide, as well as winemakers, sommeliers and several other guests.

The Mayor expressed his satisfaction that the renowned world gastronomic guide had recognised the rich and high quality of the gastronomic offer of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which has grown into one of the important and recognisable brands of the Kvarner tourist offer. The authenticity of taste and flavour, the fusion of traditional and modern gastronomy, the original recipes of our climate and the commitment of our chefs are a guarantee of success, and this has been confirmed over and over again. The recent title of Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy for 2026 and the first edition of the prestigious guidebook dedicated to the gastronomic scene of our county are great tributes to our outstanding hosts and I congratulate them from the bottom of my heart," said Mayor Komadina.

At the promotion, the visitors enjoyed the salty and savoury bites of the Kukuriku restaurant's cooking team, and the glamorous atmosphere was enhanced by a glazing programme. In addition to the printed edition of the guide, the featured Kvarner restaurants and wineries are also listed on hr.gaultmillau.com, where the guide's sales for the whole of Croatia are also available.

Gault&Millau has 2.5 million users and 6 million reviews, is one of the 2 most relevant gastronomic guides in the world and one of the biggest brands on the international gastronomic scene. It is especially well known in France, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia and distant Japan. The guide enjoys a great reputation among travellers and tourists, lovers of good food, who hear his recommendations with great enthusiasm. The hosts' facilities are appreciated by independent, anonymous customers who pay their bills, as do all other guests. Their main task is to tell the guide's customers what is waiting for them at a particular host facility. Good connoisseurs of the local gastronomic scene, food and terroir, they have been through the GM process and valorise the restaurants using a detailed methodology unique to all the countries where the guide is based. The chef's caps(toques/toques) awarded by GM to restaurants are a sign of prestige, and the GM label's recognisable stamps guarantee the quality of the food and service to the restaurant's customers.