I am stating right off the get go, I am not a food blogger. There are far more talented people out there doing that. However, this is a glimpse at what we encountered in our three weeks in Albania. Spoiler alert, the food was great.
We found this very nice out of the way seafood restaurant in Vlorë. I had no idea what I was ordering, however this is what Red Mullet looks like. It was excellent, and the raki I ordered was very nice.We did breakfast at the lounge called Bitter in Tirana. All I’ll say is the pancakes were awesome.As was the French toast.Our first exposure to Albanian beer was at the restaurant at the top of the cable car in Tirana. If you’re a beer drinker, try it, it is quite nice. I had the dark version and I liked it.My first try at Albanian traditional food was this. Directly translated it is Soured Milk Casserole. Don’t let that put you off. It is a bit bland, but no where near as bad as the name implies.I apologize. I started eating breakfast in Vlorë before I remembered to take a picture. Something we quickly came to appreciate in Albania was the practice of serving fresh tomato and cucumber with breakfast and it happened a lot. When travelling veggies seem to be a rare commodity so when they appear they are very much enjoyed.Sea Bass is a staple in Albania and I enjoyed it on a number of occasions. The other item they do very well is grilled vegetables. Delicious with a bit of balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.This seafood casserole we tried in Sarandë was perhaps our least favourite meal in Albania. It was simply too much work and too many random items in the mix. The taste was fine but it would have benefited from being run through some type of strainer before serving. Not a hit with us.Back to breakfasts. As long as you are not offended by oils, they do a great job with omelettes and once again, love the veggies. This one in Sarandë was a hit.Perhaps the best bruschetta either of us has ever tasted was in Sarandë. This stuff was insane. Delicious.I can’t imagine being a vegetarian in Albania, though I am sure it is possible. They do love to grill meat here, and they generally do it quite well. If you are looking for the starches, that will usually be found in the bread basket which is typically supplied with every meal.While Karen was enjoying her grilled pork chop I was tucking into my order of grilled lamb chops with grilled veggies. Let me just say, I was a happy man.I got a chance to order some moussaka in Ksamil and it was very good. I would definitely do that again.In Ksamil we got a chance to try trileçe. All I will say is if you get a chance, try it. Simply delicious.Our first morning in Ksamil was a bit disorganized so we ended up grabbing a crepe from a street vendor down from our hotel. As we were in the shoulder season there, she was not ready to accommodate us, but like a true business lady she made it happen. As it was filled with Nutella it would have been difficult to go wrong. I loved it. And it was incredibly inexpensiveStuffed peppers are a regular item on menus in Albania. Our experience was the peppers were consistently good.The stuffed eggplant was less enjoyable for me. Just not to my taste.The other lesson we learned was get off the main thoroughfares. The small restaurants are much more appreciative of your business and usually serve better food at a lower price., So make sure you check them out. This restaurant in Gjirokaster was the embodiment of that. Such a good experience.Our final culinary experience in Albania was at the bus station in Tirana. Tasty spinach pastry with local beer. What better meal to set you up for a 3 hour bus ride.
The bottom line is, get out there and try different places. By no means are we anywhere near as adventurous as some people we know, but we still manage to find some gems. Make that your goal next time you go out for a meal whether locally or in a strange country. Live a little, you won’t regret it.
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