July 8, 2019 - A much-loved restaurant, which has done much to raise the culinary scene in Jelsa on Hvar, turns 10. Congratulations, Me and mrs Jones!
Just over ten years ago, my wife told me that we were invited to a new restaurant opening in Jelsa. Her cousin, Josipa, had decided to take the plunge and open her first restaurant with husband Amadeus.
The name - Me and mrs Jones.
(Photo credit for first three photos - Secret Dalmatia)
I raised my eyebrows. This was a little unusual for a town not famed for diverting from the traditional fare.
It was quite a location, on the Jelsa waterfront. And quite a party, as friends, family and seemingly everyone else in Jelsa that night descended upon the new restaurant to enjoy the very generous free opening.
While the name of the restaurant was somewhat unusual (taken from the song of the same name, the song which was playing the first time the couple met), the decor was something else. Bold, to be sure - here was a restaurant which was going to push the traditional boundaries on several levels.
"Great food and lovely place," commented one expat that night as he tucked into another plate, "but they will never be this full again."
He was wrong.
Word spread about a very friendly restaurant in Jelsa which was aiming to raise the bar. and people started to hear about it in Hvar Town. And they got in the car and came to investigate. With the wide choice of restaurants in Hvar Town, there are not many which can get diners to drive 30 minutes out of town. But this was one.
Word spread. The team from Secret Dalmatia, Croatia's leading luxury boutique tourism agency, came to pay a visit and left VERY impressed. You can read the 2011 Secret Dalmatia blog here.
The restaurant moved across the water to the other side of the harbour to its current spot, arguably the best location in all Jelsa. A great place for a meal, but also for a glass of wine, watching the laganini pace of life in Jelsa harbour go by.
It quickly became a favourite restaurant for many in its new location, and especially so for sailors who could moor up right in front of the new Me and mrs Jones.
I am as useless at taking photos as the owners are at posting them on Facebook, so here is a shoulder season view, before the boats come into the harbour. Idyllic.
Although she is family and perhaps I have to say nice things, cousin Josipa is genuinely one of the warmest hostesses in the Croatian culinary scene. I was trying to find the right phrase to describe Me and mrs Jones a few years ago, when a reporter from Croatian National Television summed it up perfectly. We had been filming at the restaurant for some tourism programme, and she so enjoyed her first visit that she went back every day until she left:
"Everything in this restaurant is done out of love."
And it is.
Right down to their signature presentation of their food.
There is another aspect to Me and mrs Jones that tourists are not normally aware of - the small events they hold during the winter season when almost all other restaurants are closed. Their Valentine's Day dinner has restaurant owners from Hvar Town driving their loved ones to Jelsa, and celebrations such as International Women's Day on March 8 are welcome additions to a quiet winter life.
And Me and mrs Jones is one of the few places where you can try a rare Hvar speciality (you need to order at least two days in advance) - 'puh' or edible dormouse, a speciality which is eaten only in three places in Croatia - Dol on Hvar, Dol on Brac, and Gorski Kotar.
The attention to detail and personal service are often mentioned by guests - and how many restaurants would give you this kind of support after your team had just been relegated from the Premier League?
We had dinner last night, and Amadeus came over to say hi and showed me a poster - it was the opening poster from that inaugural night over 10 years ago - the date, May 6, 2009.
"I found it while I was going through things. It seems we are ten years old and didn't notice."
So, we may be a couple of months late, but Happy Birthday, Me and mrs Jones, and a huge thank you for your incredible contribution to Jelsa over the last decade. Thanks for the memories and may you continue to prosper.
You can follow Me and mrs Jones on Facebook.
