A restaurant serving top-quality pasta has opened on the Šibenik waterfront, on the site of an old 19th-century mill, and will be open year-round. - News
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CONTENT SOURCE: Putni Kofer

A restaurant serving top-quality pasta has opened on the Šibenik waterfront, on the site of an old 19th-century mill, and will be open year-round.

Dalmatia, as we all know, is a region of olives, fish, wine, klapa songs and romantic stone. But did you know that Dalmatia was once also a region of top-quality flour that was used to make pasta, as they call it here, and exported all over the world? On the site of the first such industrial plant in Dalmatia, right on the Šibenik waterfront, a restaurant opened this summer, celebrating the history of its location. Restaurant Mlin Montanari is a relaxed place, with fantastically friendly service and top-quality food. And the star of the menu is, of course, the pasta, which is handmade and served with imaginative and delicious sauces.

THE MILL WAS OPENED ON THE PRESENT ŠIBENIK WATERFRONT IN 1850

The steam mill was opened in Šibenik in 1850, and was owned by the Italian Giovanni Montanari. In the second half of the 19th century, the Montanari mill was the largest industrial plant in the city. Over the decades, Montanari bought and renovated buildings and gardens in today's Šibenik city center, and it was in his luxurious salon in 1875 that a ceremony was held for the political and military elite during the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph I to Šibenik. The new owners wanted to tell a part of that history with their restaurant . And from what we saw, they certainly succeeded.

THE OWNER SEARCHED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUILDING'S HISTORY IN THE MUSEUM AND CITY ARCHIVES

“When the space was purchased, we didn't really know anything about its history. I started researching, went to the city museum, dug through the Šibenik archives, and talked to people who know the history of the city very well. When I found out the story of the mill, everything fell into place, we chose the name, the story, and the direction in which the restaurant would go,” told us the director Lucija Ševerdija, originally from nearby Zaton. All of this was preceded by an extensive renovation of the space, which had been empty for a long time, and it all took about a year and three months.

THE RESTAURANT WILL NOT CLOSED IN WINTER, AND THEY ALSO ORGANIZE GUESTS BY FAMOUS CHEFS AND CONCERTS ON THE TERRACE

Lucija Ševerdija tells us that the entire facade had to be decorated according to the instructions of the conservator, nothing on the facade was allowed to be touched, and the team that restores the facade of the Šibenik Cathedral worked on the stone arches in the interior. However, patience paid off, and on the first day of July, the restaurant opened its doors. It was quickly recognized by tourists, but also by the local population. And that is perhaps even more important because they plan to be open all year round.

THEY MAKE THE PASTA THEMSELVES, WHICH IS THE STAR OF MONTENARI'S MENU

“The menu is not very extensive, we wanted to concentrate on a smaller number of dishes that would then make us recognizable. The star of the menu is pasta, of which we have seven types and we make it ourselves. There are also meat dishes, a few fish dishes, bruschetta, carpaccio… The kitchen is headed by two people from Split, chef Luka Kovalenko and sous chef Marko Rodin, and the rest of our workers are all from Šibenik and the surrounding area,” Lucija tells us. Considering that they will not be closing in the winter, they are constantly coming up with additional events, guest appearances by famous chefs, concerts on the terrace… There are also plans to open a shop with local products that should eventually operate as part of the restaurant.

CONTENT SOURCE: Putni Kofer