Montenegro Archives — Travel with Gunst

Staying in the City Centre, we took advantage of walking around to try several places to have food. So we walk a few blocks from our apartment to The Living Room Lounge & Dining.

This place is between Kruševački Park and the University Park, only a few steps away from the Roman Square. We felt a lively atmosphere when we entered, with many local social gatherings.

The presentation of the dishes was excellent, and prices were average for places like this. I had the Octopus Salad that had a perfect amount of lemon, which is not always the case. I always complain about seafood salads that include lemon because some have too much and others too little. On the other hand, Ida had the Vegetarian Risotto, which included a fantastic mix of zucchini, tomato, onion and parmesan. The drinks were a bit pricey, but we tried a bottle of local wine; this is a must in every country. Prices ranged from EUR 18 to EUR 135 per bottle.

Pod Volat

Only two blocks after crossing the Morača River, we found another gem. This restaurant evokes an authentic atmosphere with many local dishes and incredible tastes. I had the lamb cooked under the bell with kebab while Ida tried the Dorado Fish. The prices were a good deal considering what we ordered and drank. The staff was amicable and caring.

I recommend booking in advance since the place was always packed.

Restoran Bar Desetka

You can find this place in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Montenegro. Desetka has high-quality food with a lot of variety and abundant dishes. The menu was in the Montenegrin language, but the guys were very kind to explain it to us in perfect English.

We ordered burgers and beers whose price was very affordable.

The place was packed, and I will also recommend booking beforehand. The good thing is that they were fast after we ordered.

Konoba Lanterna

Close to Pod Volat, Konoba Lanterna is a place dedicated to local food with a vast selection of Montenegrin wines.

I ordered the local veal cutlet while Ida ordered Cevapi beef rolls. We asked for local wine again because where on Earth will we meet this fantastic wine again.

Stara Kuća National Restaurant

Outside the city centre in the Zagorič neighbourhood, we visited the Stara Kuća National Restaurant, which in Montenegrin means “ancient house.” The place contains an elegant ambience with a combination of stone walls, designer decors and a magnificent paved garden surrounded by wooden gates.

We ordered the Grilled Haloumi with vegetables and the Tuna Tataki as a starter. I adventured to try the Grilled Horse Steak (Ida couldn’t try it), which was good. Ida ordered only a beef soup and a beefsteak salad.

Prices were higher than the average in Podgorica, but it is worth trying this place at least once while visiting Montenegro due to its fantastic scenery.

I didn’t have the next destination after living almost three months in North Macedonia. So, when I received Ida’s call, I said yes immediately.

“Benjamin, I will take a month off during the summer. Do you want to meet me in Montenegro?”

So I packed my stuff and took a bus from Skopje to Podgorica. I wasn’t super comfortable, but it was decent. While travelling, we had to wake up twice in the middle of the night; the first was to cross the border to Kosovo and the other to enter Montenegro.

This time I travelled solo since Martin stayed in North Macedonia. He wanted to get a visa to Toma to visit his mom in Canada, but the guy didn’t even have a passport. So he stayed there, helping Toma with everything.

Ida’s message came a few days after receiving an email from James Punjabi. He told me that Jessica needed urgent help. He said that she was in Lebanon, left alone.

“Thanks for reaching out, Mr. Punjabi,

Even though I had an adorable relationship with Jessica, I don’t know why I am the only one that can help her. Why don’t you call the police if you are constantly updated with information about her?

I hope Jessica can find what she was looking for in her chosen path.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin Gunst”

I didn’t receive any reply so far. So I continued with my life as if nothing had happened.

I went to the airport the next night to wait for Ida. She took a Scandinavian Airlines six-hour flight from Aarhus to Podgorica, making me rethink how big Europe is. Her cousin Mariana gave her a ride to the airport and sent me a bottle of Spanish wine with her. I smiled when I saw it. It was the same Tempranillo we drank last year at Ida’s place.

“How is Mariana?”

“She is in loved,” Ida replied, “It seems that they decided to form a triad.”

“Weren’t they before?”

“They were. But not romantically. After a couple of years, Mariana and Kristina also decided to establish a relationship.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! After all the recent seatback the world has experienced with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the United States Supreme Court derogating progressive laws, it is good to hear that love is something that is still moving forward.”

“That’s why I am here, Prince Charming.”

I couldn’t close my mouth for an hour because the smile Ida put in my face was impossible to remove.

We stayed in an aparthotel complex closed to Novi Grad in the City Centre to take advantage of the size of the city. We visited most of the tourist attractions while walking around.

On the second day, we had breakfast in a café nearby and told her about James Punjabi’s last email.

“I think you should go to the police. The whole communication with that guy doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know, but this doesn’t feel legit. I think Pietro is probably trying to scam me because he is jealous. It doesn’t make sense that he writes me every once in a while.”

“You have a point.”

In the meantime, we continue enjoying Montenegro and ourselves.