With this title, I am quoting my clients when I took them to
Kobaš bay on the south of
Pelješac peninsula the first day of our south
Adriatic sailing trip. I was a little upset by the “middle of nowhere” part of the quote but this place really is hidden. Kobaš bay is a small bay surrounded by mountains and hills on the far south part of the peninsula.
The central position of the bay hides a small pier and Niko’s fishermen house. Niko is the cheerful owner of this
tavern while his brother is in charge of
food preparation. Niko’s wife told me that Kobaš is much more than their tavern. Just beside their house there is
a small chapel and the
remains of a Betondić family summer residence.
The Betondićs were the
noble family from
medieval Dubrovnik, while the literature history remembers Jozo Betondić as the author who recognized Kobaš as the place in which he talked to the muses while writing his poetry in the 18th century. In the 20th century, Kobaš was known as a humble
fishermen’s village inhabited by only 7 families. They were all brutally killed by the aggressor in World War II. Visitors can honor the victims at
the monument built just above the shore.
[caption id="attachment_4186" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Source:
lukastaverna-kobas.com[/caption]
When asked about the life there, Niko’s wife told my clients that she was afraid of boredom when she decided to come to live in Kobaš (she was born in Poland). She realized that it’s never boring there because Niko always has something to do. His family has vast
vineyards and
olive fields to take care of while the fishermen tradition hasn’t died.
That was a perfect introduction to the menu offered by Niko. He serves his own
homemade red wine (Plavac mali) along with his organic
extra virgin olive oil, together with
vegetables from their own
garden and
freshly caught seafood. My Mexican clients were absolutely amazed by these facts and were just able to say ‘yes’ when Niko explained about the food he was about to serve. The menu started after a few moments with
raw oysters from
Ston, marinated
anchovies and
tuna fish, salted
sardines,
mussels’ buzara and
St. Jacob’s shellfish covered with melted
goat cheese. The amazement by the tastes was endless…
When the menu, mentioned above, was finished, my clients wanted to pay the bill and hit their beds but that wasn’t the end of the story. The main course appeared as a perfectly done
snapper from the grill. My poor clients did not expect that so they weren’t able to finish the fish. Since no leftovers are allowed on my yacht, Niko suggested we kept the fish for the morning when he would prepare a beautifully fresh
fish salad along with a hot
homemade bread.
I am always sad when I have to leave Niko’s place because his family and staff are so cheerful and friendly, not to mention
the delicacies on the table. Just before I released my mooring lines, Niko grabbed the spear and hit
the octopus, which swam in the shoal behind my stern, in the blink of an eye. He just managed to shout that I was missing a fine lunch by leaving. I just replied in a manner of the Terminator – I’ll be back!
I wish you a calm sea, a fair wind and a strong mast!
