On a long day’s tour through the Istrian Peninsula of western Croatia, we stopped in for lunch after a swim in the cool, emerald waters of the Adriatic. Restaurant Najade (M. Tita 69) sits astride the tranquil almost imperceptibly moving water. Our first course was a nice risotto with a firm but chewy cephalopod.

Next, we ate the main course of crunchy calamari, head-on prawns and a dragonfish fillet.

The local white wine, Malvasia, had a well-balanced flavor to match the seafood, with an unbeatable view.

Our dessert, piling on top of way too much food, was soft chocolate crepe and a cherry pie.

Later in the night, when the food had settled and we were looking for a place to relax, I was thirsty and found a rather poor Croatian gelato to pair with the excellent and fun to say aloud beer, Ozujsko.