Well, let’s be honest. Georgia is a fantastic country, but for traveling across this picturesque and mountainous Caucasian region one needs to have nerves of steel. Motoring out of Tbilisi is a smooth ride, with cars usually sticking to the imposed speed limits. The newly renovated highways financed with EU development aid money are filled with speed cameras taking high-resolution photos of vehicles and drivers alike, some of such quality, they'd be worthy of Instagram.

However, the fun is soon over when reaching the end of the highway about mid-country, where a divergence forces  drivers to go onto a hilly road to Kutaisi through Zestafoni, an industrial mining town ornamented with enough Orthodox churches to make people believe their hardship below-ground is just an omen from God. The more satisfying it is, then, to escape the pious propaganda through the delicacies of the Georgian cuisine. It the middle of the road, a little restaurant pops up as if hearing your calling, itself seemingly lost in nature.

Named Jargvali, the restaurant is located near the town of Khevi at the source of the Tsakva River. A handful of light brown huts make up a small compound area offering wooden tables on which you can relish the Georgian cuisine. Some tables are placed directly over the river, leaving you with a sense of hovering over the rapids. The menu offers all the Georgian dishes your heart could desire, ranging from the famous khachapuri and a light cucumber-tomato salad, to all kinds of stews. The idyllic location encapsulates the beauty of the region and of the country, helping visitors to quickly forget the dreadful car journey. The tranquility rather forces one to take a second look at the map, wondering if the right divergence was taken, yet the realization you're on the right track comes quickly after allowing the enjoyment of the meal to proceed as planned.

WHERE to eat:

No address, but these Google Maps coordinates will get you there well enough: 42.093318,43.422806

By Benjamin Music

Image source: Info Batumi / tikatours.com