Danijel Đekić

When Danijel Đekić’s restaurant Monte, in the charming town of Rovinj on the Istrian coast, was awarded a Michelin star earlier this month, it became the first in Croatia to receive the accolade. Đekić, who runs Monte with his sommelier wife Tjitkse, creates clever and innovative dishes from ingredients bought at the local market. Expect plenty of seafood, all manner of foams and an achingly romantic al fresco setting among the labyrinthine streets of the old town.