Restaurants

There is no doubt that one of the most popular places in Split for tourists is the waterfront in front of Diocletian's Palace. Called Riva, it is a stunning and stylish location, with wall to wall cafes vying for your businesses. With such spectacular views in a historic setting, it is the perfect place to people watch over a coffee.

But what if you are hungry?

Riva is Cafe Central, and dining options are limited. I don't think I would be doing a huge disservice to Hotel Adriana by saying their restaurant food is a little way off Michelin Star status, and so it was great news to hear about the opening of a new restaurant on Riva - the first dedicated restaurant - earlier this year.

Brasserie on 7 has made an impressive start and is a welcome addition to the city's gastronomic scene. From breafast to brunch, fine dining to coffee and one of their excellent range of cakes, B7 as it is known to their growing number of regulars, offers perhaps the most diverse dining options in Split. In a prime, prime location. I am still salivating over the cold sea food platter at the recent photoshoot. 

Follow B7 on Facebook this summer, or salivate over some of the culinary offers in the pictures below.

Obala Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda
021 278 233
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Is the Split restaurant scene finally going a little more international?

For such a big tourist city, it has always struck me as a little strange there was so little choice for more exotic international cuisine. A Chinese restaurant, some spicy options at Bistro Toc and some sushi at Bote Sare - not a lot more.

And then, as we reported this summer, along came the Japanese with the first Japanese restaurant for the city. 

 And now something else a little exotic - the city's first truly Turkish restaurant! And with the huge interest in Turkish culture on the back of recent soap operas in Croatia, if the food is even half decent, it is destinted to be a smash hit.

I haven't been yet, so cannot comment on the food, but it will not be long before a pop in for a kebab and some lovely dips to check out the atmosphere. And if you are missing a little something for your sweet tooth, look no further. 

And the opening of Istah will solve another curious thing about life in Split. While many people prepare Turkish coffee at home, it is not - to my knowledge - available in cafes. Until now. 

The details:

Put Supavla 1, Poljud (ex. zgrada Jadranskog)
Phone 021 380 640
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Website http://www.istah.hr

Opening times:

Mon - Thurs - 08.00 - 22.00h
Fri - Sat - 08.00 - 23.00
Sun 10.00 - 22.00

So check it out and report back. It certainly looks pretty good from the website.  

Although I do not pride myself on knowing all the restaurants in Split, I did think I had at least heard of all the ones in the centre. Which is why I was a little surprised to walk past a place called Bisto Samurai on my way to a meeting this morning.

Bistro Samurai sounded about as Croatian as Friday night in a nightclub in Newcastle. And so it proved... 

Intrigued, I went to investigate further and came across something  I thought I never would in Split - seemingly a real Japanese restauirant with a range of enticing sushi.  

Open from 11 - 23, so it said on the door, so I hurried back later to see if I could glean any more information, and I was warmly greeted by a very engaging elderly Japanese gentleman who is the owner of Split's newest restaurant, now open for a full three days. Originally an engineer in the car industry, he first came to Split six years ago and has been a regular visitor ever since. There is something different about Split, about Croatia, an opinion shared by his nephew who was visiting from America, and his wife. The idea to start a business was born, and so the story of Split's first authentic Japanese restaurant begins... 

It is ten years since I lived in Hiroshima, and a flood of memories and yearnings came back as I scoured the menu with my luncheon partner, herself an accomplished sashimi maker from her fishing past in Australia, and also suffering from sushi depravation. 

One of the first things that struck me about the restaurant was how clean and simple it was in its layout - appealing. Some nice authentic Japanese touches. It is quite small, perhaps 8-9 tables, but the simple ambiance was definitely an attraction.  

In addition to the sushi offerings, there is also a daily menu, with prices a lot less than I was expecting. 

Some impressive fusion - Dalmatian prsut meets Japanese sushi... 

We opted for a bowl of miso soup each, and a portion of the tuna and salmon nagiri, washed down with a beer and water respectively. Wasabi... a taste I have missed. The food was very good and, as we left with a total bill of 95 kuna, it will not be long before I am back for a more extensive examination of the menu.

It is great to see such an international addition to the Split gastronomic scene, which is a little limited in its international choices for such a big tourist city, and I wish the owners well in their project. Given the recent opening, websites etc are a little premature, but to reach Samurai, go to Prokurative at the end of the riva and Bistro Samurai is in the street behind Hotel Bellevue in at the front of the square. A nice find.  

(Poljička cesta 11A; 21310 Omiš; +385 21 735 557; www.hoteldamianii.hr) 

In the past few weeks, quite a few eateries have popped up in and around Split as the summer season kicks off and rumors of new openings keep spreading. I have been on eating duty to find out what’s new, hot and tasty in Split and I was particularly excited to be visiting a restaurant out of town that more and more friends in my foodie network were praising as THE gastronomic gem of Split!...even though it isn’t even in Split! 

Just before sunset, two friends and I ventured 25-minutes south of Split to the coastal village of Duće. Duće is, well, just a coastal settlement dotted with holiday homes popular amongst the Splićani for its beaches. The deluxe four-starred Hotel Damianii is located in Duće along the coastal highway and houses Restaurant Goldcode, our destination for the evening. The boutique hotel’s interiors are Fendi design-inspired with swanky fittings and upholsteries in cream and black tones.

The prim and proper restaurant interiors put you right into a fine-dining mode with plush booths, deep chairs, designer lamps, and panoramic windows that lead you onto a wide terrace with pool and sea views. Although the building is set back on the land plot from the road, the sound of traffic disturbs and throughout your visit, you wonder WHY would anyone with a sense of business place such a luxe product in a destination without any tourism offer other than a nice beach and a noisy road.

Despite the hotel’s rather odd location, our jaws dropped when we skimmed the tasting menu; the dishes sounded so tempting and original that I once again had to double check whether I indeed was in the Split-Dalmatian county! I then learned that Chef Špiro Pavlić who once worked in Dubrovnik’s famed Restaurant Nautika and trained in the world-renowned Noma in Copenhagen, conquered the Goldcode kitchen…in Duće! Ok, enough about Duće and on to focusing on what matters, the food!

Goldcode will launch their a la carte menu in late June but we had the pleasure of being presented with two tasting menus; one of three courses for 220kn and the other of five for 330kn. Skimming the wine list I spotted many of my favorite Croatian wines but I found that the prices were indeed much higher than in the city; for instance, Pošip Čara was priced at 260kn where in town the price averages 160kn. We opted for a versatile rosé, the sassy Dingač St. Heels from Saints Hills Winery. As the friendly and perhaps slightly over-formal waiter took care of all the details, he informed us that we could combine any courses from either of the menus according to our liking so we all combined a varied menu of three courses each. 

As we waited for our starters of cuttlefish salad, a trio soup and a tortellini, we devoured the warm breadbasket of hearty buns with truffle, bacon and onion in the mix and the amuse bouche, a cold vegetable soup with Parmesan sticks.

My cold salad of cuttlefish with mango, olive oil, honey and citrus emulsion was light, sweet and acidic; a refreshing early summer combo to open up my appetite.

My dining partners in crime enjoyed a trio soup and a tortellini. The waiter poured a shellfish cream soup over julienne vegetables and apple purée at the table. Otherwise slightly reluctant when it comes to creamy soups, this was a winner, a soup for the senses that was not over-creamed; hearty and smooth, this was an Adriatic flavor bomb! The veal-stuffed homemade tortellini came with an intricately spiced mustard sauce which won the heart of my foodie friend.

As a main course, two opted for the Best of Veal, a wintery dish of veal fillet with sherry sauce, potatoes dauphinoise, mashed peas, and beetroot. Although the waiter didn’t ask how well done we wanted our meat to be prepared, Chef Špiro’s execution of an otherwise classic dish was spot on.

The table’s third diner went for the Macaroni and Shrimp, a homemade tri-color pasta, indigenous to the island of Korčula, in a flavorsome (thankfully non-creamy) shrimp sauce topped with a shrimp skewer. Although wholesome, this rustic plate was a little out of place and could do with some added flair or re-interpretation…perhaps a deconstruction.

The moment we had all been waiting for, dessert! We all opted for the Tonka, a milk chocolate cream with tonka (a rare bean similar to vanilla but distinctly fruity and spicy rather than floral) topped with Amaretto jelly and gold-leaf on a macaron. This naughty little dessert blew our socks off; the sweetness of the macaron and chocolate were well contrasted with the tang of Amaretto…and it all just melted in your mouth.

We were so thrilled about the dessert that we just had to try the other dessert also on offer, the Caramel Mousse with almond and hazelnut cream covered in a chocolate glaze. This creative semifreddo re-interpretation is something I urgently need to have on stock at home; Špiro! I am ordering a batch!

Before drifting back home to Split, the humble chef came out to greet us with a sweet platter of lemon jelly, homemade Rocher, and choco-cornflake bars; the perfect icing on the cake after a spectacular experience for my taste buds. 

Restaurant Goldcode truly offers a unique gastronomic experience however, its odd location is a pity as it is out of view and out of the way for customers; there was actually only one other table of guests in the restaurant. I look forward to my return when Chef Špiro Pavlić launches his a la carte menu so I can flavor some of the things he has in store for us this summer.

(Poljana Grgura Ninskog 4)

When a friend of mine uploaded an image of him enjoying a Croatian microbrewery beer in Split, I was quick to pop into Konoba Korta, a new tavern on a quiet square in the palace.

I was positively surprised to see that Konoba Korta did not try to replicate rustic tavern interiors and instead had more retro-country accents such as flowered tablecloths, polka-dotted pots, and fresh herb pots along the kitchen windowsill.  

Their authentically Dalmatian menu also had a little more flair with loved classics such as squid with barley, cuttlefish with broad beans and homemade pasta, a chickpea side dish with a Dalmatian spin. The desserts were a little more American inspired such as a vanilla-bourbon mouse, a parfait with vodka and peach, and somewhat mediocre signature Korta cocoa-pancake.

Obviously, I had to go right ahead an order my San Servoli Svjetlo Pivo from Buje in Istria. It’s been a while since I have had a micro, and the first time I’ve tried a Croatian one so I was glad to try this Istrian brew; an unfiltered lager re-fermented in the bottle. In my glass was a cloudy yellow-brown liquid with tiny (but many) sizzling bubbles…a grassy, soft malty bitterness made it a perfect drink on a warm pre-summer day. San Servoli also make an amber beer (Crveno Pivo) however, they are currently out of stock but Korta promises to get their hands on them soon again.

Beer aside and over to the food. Before our starters we got the amuse bouche on the house; a chickpea pate (hummus) with bread on the side. As a side dish salad with went with chickpeas and motar (a special wild herb that grows along the coast) seasoned with Dalmatian herbs and olive oil; a great refreshment which could be enjoyed as a light lunch too.

We opted for the authentic Dalmatian dishes rarely found in konoba menus nowadays; squid with barley and a cuttlefish with broad beans and homemade pasta. The squid with barley dish has been made famous in the Pojoda Restaurant on Vis so it was nice to see something similar in Split; Korta’s version is a little more wholesome and ‘thick.’ The hearty cuttlefish dish came with homemade green macaroni and I liked that the dish wasn’t over soaked in ink (as I often find in many places). Although tasty and with admittedly large portions, I found that a price tag of 95kn per main dish was a little over the top for a casual eatery.

My dining partner didn’t need to convince me to try some dessert although I was completely full. Always eager to try an eateries ‘signature’ dishes, I opted for their “Black Bag Korta,” a cocoa-pancake with vanilla ice-cream and marmalade packed like a parcel; not sure what is so ‘signature’ about it other than the addition of cocoa as every restaurant in the city has pancakes on the menu. We also had a slice of parfait with vodka and peach; a refreshing bite with a slight tang of vodka, but I was disappointed that the peached were canned; perhaps a Dalmatian twist could be rakija peaches…

All in all, I was glad to have discovered a new eatery in Split that has put a focus on retro Dalmatian dishes from yesteryear and a quirky addition of local microbrewery beer. The charming courtyard setting and its cute décor makes it a clear favorite of the two eateries on the square, which is the home of the grand Church of St. Phillip Neri.

(Iza lože 9) 

Located right next to the 15th century City Hall on the famous Pjaca (Narodni Trg), the urban chique décor of this al fresco café and bistro definitely draws curiosity and as you flick through menu crafted by Croatian masterchef Željko Bremec, you are definitely tempted to have a seat.

Željko Bremec is from Istria, known for its culinary richness, but moved to Split with his family to work in some of the best restaurants in the city. He has now entered the kitchen at No Stress and given the menu an overhaul. The Mediterranean menu has true bistro flair with dishes found nowhere else in the city. For a light lunch, there is a delicious selection of creative sandwiches, handmade pastas, and explosive salads. For a fish fiesta, try the herb-crusted fish fillet or why not one submerged in Champagne sauce? For lighter fare, nibble on the Stress Tapas…or perhaps the No Stress Tapas is more your thing.

Boškarin Istrian Ox

What No Stress has become famous for is their Boškarin and being one of (if not the only) to serve it in Split. Boškarin is the name for an ox with enormous horns that is indigenous to the Istrian peninsula. Boškarin is an Istrian delicacy and is an important ingredient in Istrian gastronomy and in fear of the species’ extinction, breeding programs exist for the protection of the Boškarin. In order to serve Boškarin on your menu, you need to be certified and educated in the proper preparation of this supreme delicacy from cutting, thermal treatment, spicing, ageing and the likes. Additionally, a restaurant must be a contributing member to the Agency for Rural Development of Istria (AZRRI)

On the No Stress menu you will find both Boškarin steaks and carpaccio. For creative cuisine and an urban atmosphere, sit on Pjaca and let life pass by as you take in the flavors of the region.