ULU and the Lake Mursi: Passion with Dreams

If you’re a traveler and a foodie, have you ever thought that if you want to add a pop of color and flavor to your day you have to visit Liqeni i Mursias and you go home with vibrant dining experience from ULU at the Lake Mursi?

Because of the deep ancient also agricultural heritage of the region, the best things to develop the local opportunities start with tasting local food. Saranda area is known for producing mussels, vegetables, citrus, and wine.

About 20 minutes away from Saranda rather jump into a lakeside secret garden than the water. Under the leafy trees you can enjoy the warm Albanian welcome hospitality and relax.
It doesn’t sound that special, and it’s really not that complicated, but without respect and extreme knowledge of the ingredients, it doesn’t work either. No doubt the cultural history of Southern Albania is determined by the ancient Butrint. The results of archaeological excavations undertaken in 2010 on a hilltop at the northern end of Mursi, Murisias, a small town situated 6 km southeast of Butrint.

The Mursia is a plain bordering the Butrinti Lake; it extends 15 km south-east to Konispoli at the Greek border. The Mursia plain was mostly marshy and in part densely covered by shrubs and alluvial forests,  with elm, ash, willows. Reclaiming was carried out after building a new bed for the river Pavllo, moving it towards the foot of the southern hills and away from Butrinti Lake.

The Mursia reservoir, was built upstream of Pavllo river; it is one of the biggest in Albania with a water volume of 4.5 million and an irrigation capacity of 20 km. The Butrinti lagoon and the Pavllo river play important roles in the flood control and sediment trapping, preventing heavy flooding in their upstream areas. Also it is a main water supply for citrus and mandarin fields in the region.

ULU is the Albanian word for «sit down»! also it is a great place to enjoy the local business of a German designer, an Albanian beekeeper and a school principal from Switzerland who opened a restaurant together on a dreamy lake in the fruity hinterland of Saranda.

The wonder, the power of surprise, and the wow effect that you can see on the guests’ faces. The team of Kristina, Mira and Stefan, likes to give more than they expect. ULU is a brand new picturesque garden restaurant with recycled furnitures and garden deco, what opens not just for summer but for all seasons from birthdays to weddings to business gatherings, this venue offers the perfect setting for any occasion.

The Albanian gastronomic destinations generally offer traditional cuisine; contemporary gourmet; but ULU is kind of fusion mixed of traditional & gourmet style.
Tradition is not a permanent thing, but rather a value, a point of alignment in continuous change. We will be self-identified only if we are able to renew ourselves from time to time while keeping our roots.

This is true innovation. ULU believes in its task is to present the best form of local ingredients needed for a given dish. To create the situation and moment in which everything comes to the table in its best form. It doesn’t sound that special, and it’s really not that complicated, but without respect and extreme knowledge of the ingredients, it doesn’t work either. Saltimbocca alla Romana, Paella Dinner, Albanian specialties with an international twist all go together on the menu.

At our first visit we had warm welcome and a selection of light lunch options from the delicious fish soup to handmade pasta to Middle East flavor falafel with green garden herbs. Fresh salads, cool vine under the shade, what else would we need for a lazy weekday lunch? Dessert, yes please! Layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts, honey, and spices. It is generally accepted that traditional baklava consists of at least 33 layers of filo pastry, which gives it a flaky-crisp texture. Eighty layers of walnuts handmade baklava made by  Mira’s grandma.

ULU definitely found their niche market here, because if you are looking for peaceful countryside atmosphere and gastro experience during your holiday, because ULU will give it to you.

Conatct:
ULU
Mursia, Albania
069 208 8567
https://www.facebook.com/ulu.mursi
ulu-mursi.com