Finding the Best Chocolate Croissant in Tivat: What Does It Take?
Research Question:
Of all the pekara in Tivat, which one makes the most consistently delicious chocolate croissants?
Background and Significance:
Pekara, or bakeries, are numerous in Tivat – pulling over their weight, so to speak, for a town as small as this. And every pekara offers croissants: whether they’re actually made on site or somewhere else, or simply resold from another baker, is not always clear. Whatever the case, during one of the interminable rainy, cold weeks in November, the importance of having a reason to get out of our warm, dry bed in the morning became increasingly clear, and we decided we needed to formalize our research. We believe the entire liveaboard community here in Porto Montenegro will benefit from our findings, which will become a practical guide for future liveaboards.
Method:
Priority Variables
To score well, a croissant should exhibit the following desirable qualities: a) a pure, buttery flavor, b) a “shatter” factor that is not so high that half of the pastry ends up in your lap, but high enough to confirm that its exterior is separate from the c) flaky layers underneath, and d) high quality chocolate and e) plenty of it.
Variable Ranges
Flavor: Oily to Buttery
Shatter: None or Too Much to Perfect
Flakiness: None to Perfect
Chocolate Quality: Grainy to Smooth
Low to High Cocoa Content
This range presents further complications for the chocolate category in that there is a widespread practice in Tivat of selling “chocolate” croissants that are in fact filled with Nutella. Most of the time this is not necessarily a bad thing, just a minor surprise. It does, however, beg the question of how to rate the quality. We decided that if the croissant presents with Nutella, we will simply eat it, score it on the quality of its pastry alone, and judge the Nutella category separately.
Chocolate Quantity: Too Little to Enough
As there is no such thing as too much chocolate in anything, ever, we chose to make the better end of the range “Enough” to indicate that while we would always welcome more, we’re satisfied that the balance of pastry to filling is excellent.
These criteria are rated from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), and the pastry with the highest ratings overall will be determined “Best Chocolate Croissant in Tivat.”
The Research: Test Cases
Pekara next to Verdura veg shop:
| Flavor | 4 |
| Shatter | 4 |
| Flakiness | 4 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | N |
Total = 15 (Nutella category)
Comments – this was the first pekara we stopped into after we moved here. It was about 1 pm, we hadn’t had lunch, and we’d been exploring. I opted for a chocolate croissant, of course, while Peter chose a large pig in a blanket. We ate while sitting on a park bench on the next block, looking out at the community marina in Luka Kamila, an inlet on the south end of the town. The croissant was an excellent combination of desirable qualities and was the impetus for the further pursuit of this research. The pig in a blanket was reportedly quite good too.
Pekara next to Franca supermarket:
1st visit
| Flavor | 5 |
| Shatter | 5 |
| Flakiness | 5 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | 4 |
Total = 22
Comments – this stop was also a spur of the moment decision made on an empty stomach. We’d met a “Marina Assistant” at the Town Hall at 8 am to submit our applications for Montenegrin residency, and since this was, by far, the earliest we had been out of bed AND off the boat, we were both a little stunned by the freshness and beauty of the wet but not rainy morning and by the gnawing emptiness of our stomachs. (Time that could have been spent eating breakfast before we left for the municipal offices was instead spent trying to eke just a few more minutes of warmth, er, sleep.) So it was early, and therefore when we bit into our croissant (we made the mistake of sharing just this one time) we found it delightfully warm from the oven, and outrageously delicious. The relatively low mark for Chocolate Quantity could well have had something to do with the fact that we each sneakily tried – and failed – to extract the most chocolate available with each bite and ended up feeling a bit deprived. Again, sharing was a big mistake.
2nd visit:
| Flavor | 1 |
| Shatter | 2 |
| Flakiness | 2 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | 3 |
Total = 11
Comments – This was a disaster. We returned to what, from early in our research, was our best croissant experience to date, and instead of the buttery near perfection we’d found the first visit, the overall flavor was dominated by an intense oily flavor and mouth feel. From the first bite, it was revolting, and worse, it came back to haunt me much of the rest of the day.
Pekara Davidović – Jadranska Magistrala:
| Flavor | 3 |
| Shatter | 2 |
| Flakiness | 2 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | N |
Total = 10 (Nutella category)
Comments – Despite the swank exterior of this bakery our experience here was less than ideal. The pastries tasted stale, and adequate chocolate (Nutella, actually) did not make up for the bland toughness that comes with old pastry.
Pekara Davidović – town center:
| Flavor | 4 |
| Shatter | 3 |
| Flakiness | 4 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | N |
Total = 14 (Nutella category)
Comments – Due to our previous experience at the satellite Pekara Davidović, we had relatively low expectations for our research trip to the original Pekara Davidović in town – and were duly rewarded with relatively better pastries. We took them to their outdoor but covered seating area for consumption and noticed that in addition to the multiple security cameras arrayed within the pekara, there were at least as many in the small patio as well. The rest of the experience was consumed with theorizing about why a bakery would feel the need for such high security. The croissants were good, but not THAT good.
Second visit:
| Flavor | 4 |
| Shatter | 5 |
| Flakiness | 4 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | N |
Total = 16 (Nutella category)
Comments – this was a desperation move. I was sick with a cold and had to walk in to pick up some antibiotic eye drops for the conjunctivitis I’d also contracted. Miserable despite the sun, knowing that since I was in town anyway, I should really stop at the shops for groceries, I spied Davidovic from down the block, and every step I took towards it, I was that much more convinced that a chocolate croissant was going to make the whole excursion out of my warm bed worthwhile. And I was right. This was a good croissant. I do prefer the good dark chocolate filling to Nutella, but again, I was desperate, and… Nutella? Inside a good croissant? What’s not to like?
Pekara Zupa:
| Flavor | 4 |
| Shatter | 3 |
| Flakiness | 4 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | N |
Total = 14 (Nutella category)
Comments – We stopped in at Zupa during one of our neighborhood exploration walks. I requested croissants and coffee, and the young woman behind the counter handed me the croissants, said something I didn’t quite catch, and turned to a new task. I asked for the coffee again, she said something again, and then I heard Peter calling from the table outside that the coffee was available in a machine on the patio. We inserted our euro coins, made our selections, and Nescafe lattes poured into little paper cups. It didn’t exactly detract from the experience, but it didn’t add to it either. On the other hand, the sun had come out, and even sitting on a slab of concrete next to the busiest road in town drinking instant coffee couldn’t dim that bliss. It probably made the croissants taste better, too, but we’re sticking with the score.
Gourmet Corner at The Regent:
| Flavor | 3 |
| Shatter | 2 |
| Flakiness | 2 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 2 |
| Chocolate Quality | 5 |
Total = 14
Comments – Very high expectations are partially to blame for the disappointment of these croissants. We’d been discussing our research with Steve and Judy, of S/V Fair Isle, and Steve said without hesitation that The Regent has the best croissants in town. I was extremely excited to hear this and determined that we would head there to investigate at the earliest opportunity. The bakery, like the hotel, is very chic, and very expensive. We put in our order, found a table next to a large window, and sat down to find a whole twitching flock of sparrows suddenly on the back of the settee outside the window all lined up staring at us, turning their heads this way and that, and shouting, “WE WANT CRUMBS!” Given the surprisingly meh quality of the croissants, we were absolutely fine with filling our napkins with ripped up pastry and laying out a spread for them. This is an indictment in and of itself: if the croissants’ shatter factor and flakiness had been decent, we could have just emptied crumbs into our napkins instead of tearing our breakfast into little bits.
Second visit:
| Flavor | 3 |
| Shatter | 4 |
| Flakiness | 3 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 2 |
| Chocolate Quality | 5 |
Total = 17
Comments – it was a gorgeous morning. I was walking Rosie, who I was dog sitting, and went past the Regent. On my way back, I walked along the waterside side of the Regent, so was going right past Gourmet Corner. And the aspect of the outside settees was perfect vis a vis the aspect of the sun, and the view was spectacular, and Peter was in Denver and I deserved a chocolate croissant. Bob’s your uncle, I had a chocolate croissant. And it was better this time! Still not fabulous, although the quality of the chocolate really does raise the bar for other pekara. And I got to sit in the sun and feel like a queen for half an hour. Worth it.
La Parisienne:
| Flavor | 4 |
| Shatter | 3 |
| Flakiness | 3 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | 5 |
Total = 18
Comments – this score seems a little higher than these pastries may have deserved. They were good, but not great. The chocolate quality helped, even if they were the classic dark chocolate “logs” that most pastry chefs seem to go with. (And the logs never seem to melt at all – high cocoa content, yes, even if the texture is left wanting.) We’re going to stick with it though, because it was mid-afternoon and that isn’t really fair since they were older than most of the others we’ve tested. On the other hand, it’s also La Parisienne – these fuckers should be fantastic. Another test may be needed.
Stara Boka – Jadranska Magistrala:
| Flavor | 2 |
| Shatter | 3 |
| Flakiness | 2 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 3 |
| Chocolate Quality | 4 |
Total = 14
Comments – Oh, how I wanted to love these. I’ve had a tendre for Stara Boka for a while, but since it’s a little outside of town I’d really never had a chance to indulge it. But I’d just dropped off the rental car at the airport, and my route walking home took me right past this cute little place. Why not?? A lovely older woman (and that means older than ME) took my order, we rolled our eyes and giggled conspiratorially about the loud, boasting, preening young male bakers, at least one of whom had to be her son or grandson, and she said she would bring my croissant to me at a table. And then the first bite was devastating. Doughy, almost tough, with decent chocolate but very low-quality pastry. I ate it, of course, but it was a real disappointment. One other customer came in while I was eating. An elderly man (and that means a lot older than me) looked at me from the door with a look that was somewhere between askance and annoyed and took a seat at a table nearby. Then as I rolled up the napkin, wiped the few crumbs off the table, and got up to leave, he also got up. As I moved away from the table, I realized he was coming straight for the seat I’d just vacated, and I realized that was HIS seat, and I’d had the temerity not to know it and then take advantage of the fact. The woman behind the counter winked at me as I left.
Pricey Voli:
| Flavor | 5 |
| Shatter | 2 |
| Flakiness | 2 |
| Chocolate Quantity | 4 |
| Chocolate Quality | 5 |
Total = 18
Comments – Another desperation case. We’d each had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, then decided afterwards that it was the perfect day for a hike. Our route was going to be largely new to us, and it would be longer mileage than we’d done to date. So, as we set out I suggested we stop at Pricey Voli for our croissants – we knew they had them, and it was on the way. They were the small ones, also new for us, so we got two each. Sure enough, they were twice the cost of those we’d bought elsewhere (other than The Regent). But they were decent croissants – not great pastry, but the chocolate quality was so good that it balanced out the low marks for that. It was a gorgeous deep, dark chocolate brown, beautifully melty, and the taste of high cocoa content without the waxy texture. In fact, we theorized that it had the texture of Nutella – could it have been a ganache? And this was VOLI – do they make their own croissants? That is, could we get these little babies at one of the non-pricey Volis? And if they don’t make their own, who makes them? And how do we get them fresh from the oven? Inquiring minds….
As background, Pricey Voli, also known as Posh Voli by the liveaboards from Across the Pond, is at the opposite (northern) end of the marina from our dock, and essentially right at Jetty 4. For a very long time, Jetty 4 enjoyed the reflected glamor of being the home dock for the massive Black Pearl – a 350 foot sailboat with over 32,000 square feet of sail. The Pearl required the length of Jetty 4 to secure it, and fenders the size of tractor tires to keep it from damaging said dock in a good northerly. (Legend has it that in an exceptionally strong southerly a few years ago, the Pearl’s pull away from the dock tore the boulder sized cement pollards right out of the jetty. Ooops.)
In addition to the famous Black Pearl, Jetty 4 has four or so additional docks for a hundred or more “smaller” craft, and several other super yachts. The implication of all this size is that there are a lot of very wealthy owners and attendant crew hanging around Jetty 4. And if Pricey Voli weren’t there, the closest decent supermarket to Jetty 4 is almost a mile away, and the closest better than decent supermarkets are several miles away. So you can get all kinds of things at Pricey Voli that you don’t see at any of the other markets: very good Scotch, for example. Italian coffee. Organic fruits and veg. Whole grains. Good cheeses. Haagen Daz. And because they’re catering to such a well-heeled crowd, the prices are, well, pricey.
Results:
| Cases | Scores |
| Pekara next to Franca – 1st visit | 22 |
| La Parisienne | 18 |
| Pricey Voli | 18 |
| Gourmet Corner – the Regent – 2nd visit | 17 |
| Stara Boka | 14 |
| Gourmet Corner – the Regent | 14 |
| Pekara next to Franca – 2nd visit | 11 |
| Cases – Nutella | Scores |
| Pekara next to Verdura | 15 |
| Pekara Davidović – town center | 14 |
| Pekara Zupa | 14 |
| Pekara Davidović – satellite | 11 |
Discussion:
There are definitely some stand out chocolate croissants here in Tivat. In a surprise development, my go to chocolate croissant became Gourmet Corner at The Regent, which I’ve visited several more times since the research phase. The return trips may have more to do with occasionally feeling like a queen than the actual quality of the croissant though. It’s all about the experience there. I have every intention of returning to La Parisienne again also, this time earlier in the morning, to confirm the high rating of our initial experience there – that, and its position on the town wharf provides a spectacular view of the bay. Hmm. Experience is the thing there, too, I guess. And in the last month or two I’ve found all kinds of reasons to walk past the pekara next to Verdura, and though the fare is Nutella-filled, the quality of the croissants calls to me like a siren.
The biggest surprise however, is that we now only rarely go out to pekara for croissants. Quite by chance, we learned that the frozen chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat, to be more precise) that you can buy by the bag at Pricey Voli are utterly delicious. About 11 minutes in the air fryer, and hot damn. Excellent chocolate, the perfect shatter quotient – the only thing we can find to dock them on is that if they don’t bake long enough the insides can be just that little bit gummy. It hasn’t deterred us: every Sunday morning we pull the bag out of the freezer, toss a couple in the air fryer, and wait for the magic to happen while the coffee brews.
Limitations of the Research and Conclusions:
And while the lucky discovery in the freezer section of the Pricey Voli didn’t stop us from seeking out the opportunities for very good croissants in very nice locations other than on our boat, it did bring the research phase to a screeching halt. Given the lack of any scientific rigor at all in this study, we’re not getting too upset about the fact that we never went to each pekara twice, or that the real story of our croissant research in Tivat this winter was just that: the stories. Each experience told us that the baked goods are just an excuse to get out, get off the boat, walk around town, and talk to people. I can only deduce that our satisfaction with our Sunday frozen croissants means that we’re finally more comfortable on our boat these days. It’s not as oppressive when the weather is a bit better. It doesn’t feel as small, dark, or cold. It was a long winter, and croissants helped get us through it. Not sure what our excuse will be once summer arrives but watch this space. We’ll come up with something.