We stayed in Kruja, Albania for two nights at the “Hotel Panorama”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/accommodation/200192-review-hotel-panorama-kruja. On the first night, we arrived too late to eat, but the following day, whilst walking up to the “Castle”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/200217-review-kruja-castle, our guide Mary pointed out a restaurant, “Kroi”:https://kroirestaurant.com/, which she said was owned by the Panorama. She recommended a couple of traditional dishes and having later met her sister-in-law, Violetta, who worked in the kitchen, it seemed a must.
The large interior room was empty, as everyone was on the terrace enjoying the stunning views of the illuminated castle tower and museum. Having found a table and confirmed we were eating rather than just drinking, the table was laid with cloth, cutlery and condiments.
The extensive menu had traditional and international dishes plus the ubiquitous pizza. However, as this was our first meal in Albania, we followed Mary’s advice. The first was an appetizer of spinach pie and the second was tave dheu, veal with cottage cheese, onions, garlic and peppers. We noted that the pie was more expensive than the main but at 500 Lek/£3.70 and 300 Lek/£2.22 respectively, both were incredibly reasonable.
Both dishes were served together, so we shared. However, the pie was huge, so we concentrated on the filling, leaving some of the pastry. The veal was a smaller portion but very tasty. We were too full for pudding, even ice-cream.
Earlier in the day, we’d taken a photo of me with Mary and Violetta. On showing it to our young waiter he immediately recognized Violetta and told us her husband had taught him geography and had been a superb teacher. By now, Violetta had left but we asked him to pass on our regards.
We shared a half litre of white wine and sparkling water and our bill came to 1,400 Lek/£10.37 with tip. We thought if this was an indication of what was to come, it was going to be a good trip.
