Dubravkin put

The location of Dubravkin put is fantastic: in the very centre, yet somewhat secluded, in the forest close to Tuškanac. In warm days, when you can sit on the terrace, there is simply no better location to have a lunch downtown. “Who is your ideal guest?”, I asked Željko Bročilović, known as Carlos to everyone in Zagreb. “Ideal guest is the one who believes you, shows respect and trust.” Carlos is not only a sommelier in Dubravkin put, he is capo di tutti. He has a long experience working in Italy, knows best Italian restaurants very well, including the ones with Michelin stars. However, he describes the manner in which Dubravkin put is organised as more German. The standards are set high. This place was completely renovated and actually reborn in 2010 and the interior is now wonderful, making it the most attractive restaurant in the Croatian capital, with also incomparable wine selection.

 

Yet, an occasional guest might ask for a menu more typical of the former fish restaurant. Don’t make this mistake. The cuisine of today’s Dubravkin put tells a completely different story. The young chef Vanja Vrkljan explains “My philosophy? I leave the ingredient be what it is, the point is in simplicity, in not changing the basic savour.” Presentation is modern, dishes international, with a slight accent on Mediterranean cuisine. The dish chef prefers and chooses as indicative of his cooking philosophy? “Maybe brill in fennel sauce with vegetables and shiitake mushrooms. Or a sea terrine stuffed with prawn, salmon, European sea brass and vegetables. Glazed veal shank in parsley sauce, with couscous.” Try Adriatic tuna tagliatta served on spinach and wasabi cream. The cake itself is worth coming for, perhaps apple cake millefoglie.