Villa Kapetanović – restaurant Laurus, Opatija
Did I tell you guys the story when my people took me to that Opatija? I didn’t? Really? Well, now I’ll just tell you all about it…
It should’ve been just a normal spring day, when She called me to come to her and put my harness on. “Well, well, well”, I thought, “now what? It’s not even time for my walk yet!” It turned out not to be a walk, because I was just able to take a few steps and lift my leg to relieve myself a few times, they just picked me up and threw me in the car. I basically do not mind the car, it’s just that sometimes I get a bit sick in it. And I prefer just walking and sniffing around.
- “Well, OK, we’re probably just going to see Mona”, I thought. But, about 20 minutes later I realized that we should’ve been there already, if that’s where we were going, but the car was still going, the familiar slowing-down, several usual turns (three right and one left) were missing. We were still going straight, and the car’s hum and gentle rocking led to my eyes shutting for just a sec, so I nodded off a bit. A pretty sharp turn the car made woke me up. A good yawn and a stretch later I could smell that big, wet, salty thing I first met last summer. Ten minutes and about a dozen turns later we were stopping and the engine was finally quiet.
- “We’re here”, He said. Then they grabbed me and took me out from the back seat, still a bit sleepy. You know, they often treat me like some kind of package, carrying me around, here and there… They say that they do it because I’m blind like a bat. What can I do, I don’t mind, as long as they give me my food and treats, and sometimes a nice bone and soup! Boy, I love soup, and stews and soup… Sorry, drifted off for a second.
- “Wait here, you guys” He said and disappeared somewhere. She took me for a short walk and a sniff-around. Boy, there were a lot of new smells around here, but the strongest one was the thing my people always put when they’re cooking beans. She later explained that it’s called laurel, and that this Opatija place where we were is famous for it, because it grows everywhere around here.
When he came back, they took our stuff from the car and through the garage we entered the elevator. You know, I really love elevators! I don’t necessarily understand them, I mean, you get into the box or a closet and then something bangs and buzzes and then you exit at a completely different place? Is that maybe this quantum physics and parallel universes stuff that She sometimes talks about when some weird people come over to our place for a barbecue? You know, I really love barbecues! Here I go again, digressing… Sorry :/
“We got a room at the second floor”, He said just before the quantum elevator door opened again and we entered the hallway. I can tell you, it smelled brand new! And I remember, it was really nice and soft under my paws!
The room was awesome. My people loved it, and they went on and on about the view. I’m sure Mona would’ve liked the room to. She is a very fine little dog, you know, always looking for extreme comfort and coziness; I think she’s starting to act like an upstart and a snob! As if I don’t know that she was born in the barn! I’m not at all that demanding, just about anything is fine with me as long as my people are around.
Then She very enthusiastically left and went to that wellness place I asked He to explain to me what that was (I get curious sometimes when I don’t get what they’re doing), and from what he told me I understood only that it’s similar to when I lay on my back and they rub my belly. She came back an hour and a half later, all happy and in a good mood, telling us how it was great, and this was excellent, and that was perfect, and that the place was pronounced to be the best small wellness in Croatia a couple of years ago. Then He left, because he liked what he’d heard from her. When he came back he was all wet, and said that the pool was great and that he had a beer, then took some sun in, then dove into the pool, had another brewski… And while the two of them enjoyed all those weird human pleasures, I just took a nap. I often do that, when there’s nothing better to do.
My stomach was just beginning to churn a bit, and I was wondering if we were gonna have some dinner, when they combed me down nicely, put my harness back on and we were on our way down the nice hall with the soft carpet back to the quantum box. I knew this was going to be a good dinner, because it smelled of food, and good food! As soon as we entered the place where all the nice smells were coming from, I thought they’d put us on the terrace, you know, with me being a dog and all. But, guess what, they gave us a table at the main restaurant hall. It was really nice there, pleasant, there were a few people already eating and no-one seemed to mind that I was there as well. They were more curious to see the big aquarium that had a few lobsters in there, swimming innocently, not even remotely aware of the fact that they would soon become someone’s meal.
Soon I heard clacking of plates, glasses and utensils. I really do not understand those humans, eating with all those contraptions just to make sure they don’t get their paws dirty! As if there’s anything better in this world than licking your front paws, after you held a sweet meaty bone with them!
That night I found out that I love a lot about the human food. OK, to be honest, asparagus risotto – not so much; they couldn’t eat enough of it but for me, from the beginning the idea of rice with some shrubs didn’t sound promising. But carpaccio! Oh boy, do I love carpaccio. Well, who doesn’t start drooling to the idea of nice piece of bestest raw meat, tuna or beef, on rocket and topped with the finest grated parmesan cheese? As soon as I remember that, I start to drool. My nose was really hard at work that night, and I was really happy when once in a while my good He put his hand under the table and let me have a taste of those wonderful things they were having.
The dishes just kept going, one after the other, one better then the last one: ravioli on the reduction of Kvarner shrimp with fennel tartar sauce, monkfish fillet with malvasia, orange sauce and curcuma dip, lamb stuffed with seafood, caneloni with pork loin, goose liver and goat cheese, veal stuffed with porcini mushrooms and chestnut honey, tuna steak with sweet potato and goose liver, deer stew with cuttlefish ragu…
My people explained that those are called “courses”, they mentioned something called “degustation menu”, and I was thinking how, if they asked me, I’d just have it all at the same time, and be done with it in no time! But, no, they had to sip different wine with every course and chat with Kruno and Andrea. Those are, you know, the pair who own this restaurant and the hotel, nice, young people, fun to hang around. From what I could see, their only flaw is that they don’t have a pooch of their own! 
Then it was time for deserts, and my people couldn’t stop talking about how great pumpkin creme with flambéed tangerines, ice-cream with 4 types of seeds and pumpkin seed oil, and chocolate mousse with olive oil were. There was more of that, but I can’t remember, I’m not much of a dessert person, if you know what I mean. I’ve been known to enjoy an ice-cream or a fruit yogurt from time to time, but I usually prefer more substantial specialties.
It was well after sundown when we left the table, and my people were giggling quite a bit, and it think the path we took for our evening walk was not very straight 
. And, next to my people’s feet (they do wash them before bedtime, luckily!), lying comfortably in a really soft bed I thought that it was a really special and a good day…
Tomorrow morning, after having a great breakfast (it was way to early for me; I prefer sleeping until noon if possible), I decided that Villa Kapetanović and restaurant Laurus deserve – a high five!
Hotel Villa Kapetanović i restaurant Laurus
Nova cesta 12a, HR-51410 Opatija, Croatia
e-mail: laurus@villa-kapetanovic.hr, hotel@villa-kapetanovic.hr
Phone: +385 51 741 355 | Fax: +385 51 741 356 | Mobile: +385 91 2210 971