One of the things that always amuses me when we write about the opening of an international cuisine restaurant in Dalmatia is the inevitable negative local reaction.
People should be eating Dalmatian food when they come to Dalmatia. Dalmatian food is the best in the world, why would anyone want to eat anything else here? It happens every time, and it is an argument I don’t quite understand.
To follow it to the argument to its conclusion on a global scale, one would then have to visit Tokyo to try sushi, Italy to try pizza, and those poor Brits hop on a plane to India to discover their genetic love of curry. There is a reason why the phrase ‘variety is the spice of life’ was coined.
Ah, spice. I love Dalmatian food, its freshness, local origins, simplicity and old grandma recipes, but when you have it every day for years, the palate does yearn for something different on occasion. Spicy food is not a main feature of Dalmatian cuisine, and for a boy weaned on the curry houses of Rusholme in Manchester, it is something I do appreciate when the opportunity arises.
I had a wry smile to myself a few years ago when a huge new Asian restaurant called Spice opened on the main square in Hvar Town. I could just imagine what those Dalmatian cuisine purists were commenting at the time. In terms of location, absolutely prime, with a great view of the historic cathedral from its generous outside space. Now firmly established on the Hvar scene, the restaurant has improved immensely in recent times (I can only imagine what it must be like trying to get all the ingredients to cover the menu), and it now offers a refreshing change for people looking for a spicier hit than they are getting in Dalmatia’s excellent menus. And, people, it really is not that unusual for tourists to eat food that they are familiar with back home – it is one of the reasons an enterprising Korean businessman opened a Korean restaurant in unfashionable Kastela near Split Airport. His target group? Not locals for sure, it was hardly ever open, but Korean tour groups, who all made sure of a visit when coming to Split.
The one thing which surprised me most about Spice was the wine list, which heavily promotes the wines of Hvar (unlike many Hvar restaurants, which I find a little sad), with several lesser known Hvar wines available by the glass. I have not yet had the chance to visit Spice this year, but I noticed that the gourmet loving bloggers from Go Hvar were there yesterday, when they posted on Facebook:
We have a new favourite Thai restaurant! Wonderful veggie green curry for lunch today with a glass of Vujnović rosé to wash it down. Very tasty!
They know a lot more about food and wine than I do, travel the world and have been eating Asian food on a regular basis, and so I was keen to hear more details on their visit. This is what I got back:
Only place on Hvar island with Thai food.
Great location right on the main square.
We tried prawn skewers with satay sauce, chicken and coconut milk soup, green vegetarian curry and red chicken curry.
The taste was as authentic as we have become accustomed to in the UK and US. Vegetables were fresh and still crispy, the sauces tasted home made, and the rice was nice and fluffy.
The wine list was a pleasant surprise. As well as the house wine, there were several varieties from Hvar winemakers, available by the glass, including the rare Kurtelaška.
Will definitely go again.
Also gado gado, teriyaki, and sweet and sour, and a Chinese soup. Mainly Thai with some Indonesian/Chinese/Japanese influence.
Check out the menu below or on the Spice website here.
