by Cedric | May 19, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
Let’s talk about Azur. We were in Dubrovnik one Friday lunchtime and were driven inside by torrential rain. We hoped and prayed that once we were out from lunch, the sun would emerge. Thus, we descended into the depths of Azur, which was recommended to us by a startling young artist we’d met among a throng of stray cats.
First Azur was opened in 2010 in Zhuhai, China by Chef Vedran Perojevic. Two years later, Vedran decided to come back to his hometown and brings flavors of Asia into Dubrovnik, and the whole concept of “Mediterranean cuisine with an Asian twist” was born. Azur Vision
Louise opened with pork belly as well as chicken and chorizo tacos. Sadly, this was a Lenten Friday and in order to make up for an array of other sins, I tried to be a good Catholic. No meat for me, alas. But I can tell by the look on Louise’s face and the slow deliberate way in which she chomped on this masterful dish, that it was to die for. She didn’t die, in case you were wondering.
St Nick went for the salmon. Now as I don’t care for fish, I couldn’t tell you how it tasted. But I did try the vegetables which were a revalation. It was as though they were cooked just for me, and that is what I aim for in my cooking. St Nick kept muttering his signature phrase “superb” under his breath, so I could see he was enjoying the salmon.
Suberb
St Nicholas Jenkins
Now here comes my dish. The famed amaranth and zucchini balls in coconut curry sauce. There is a notice on the menus asking you not to add anything to the dishes because the chef aims to make them as balanced as possible. They succeeded flawlessly with the zucchini balls. Observe how finely the chilli is shredded. The consistency of the zucchini balls themselves was soft as anything. I felt as though I was biting into a dream, the concluding euphoria of which was found when dipping it in some of the coconut sauce. What a treat indeed! I cannot recommend this enough.
Dessert was another achievement. Azur’s Baklava is something to watch out for. Wonderfully moist and seeping cinnamon. The layers of chopped nuts were held together by the most sensational syrup. A dish not to be missed.
Conversely, a dish which would be missed is the coconut tapioca. There wasn’t much flavour there and the consistency was a tad sickly for me. I would say in its defence that I had not had one before and am unlikely to ever have it again. So it might well have been divine for tapioca lovers, but not for me.
Overall, Azur is a restaurant of undeniable and overwhelming quality. The prowess of the chefs and the attentiveness of the waiters go a long way. They made a strong impression on this blogger. It is rare to be treated this well in a restaurant. If you’re in Dubrovnik and find yourself craving something a little more high brow, Azur is the place for you.
by Cedric | May 13, 2019 | General
After a wonderful time in Kravice Waterfalls, we decided it was time for some grub. The best restaurant nearby, according to a quick scouring of the web, was Pizzeria Colombo. Now, Bosnia is not part of the EU. The first shock we had on entering was that there were people smoking next to us in the restaurant. Madness to us Brits!
Nonetheless, we ordered in the haze of lung destroying ash. and what pizzas! The pictures below shall speak for themselves. The first is the four cheese pizza.
Astonishing crust, great depth of topping. The quality of the cheese was superb and the whole ensemble was superbly impressive.
I ordered the Pizza Colombo, the special of the restaurant. It ought to be noted that parma ham goes hard when heated, not soft. This was a tad difficult to cut up and eat in a civilised way, but then who wants to eat pizza civilly? The egg in the middle was cooked perfectly and the ingredients were of a great quality. Overall, a winning pizza.
Before re-ordering the Colombo special, Louise feasted on the ham and cheese pizza. Aside from the generous slices of cheese garnished upon the pizza, one cannot help but notice Colombo Pizza’s generous sizes. They were huge pizzas, we had to share the last one because we were so full.
There’s nothing like a copious and high quality pizza. Pizzeria Colombo is a great lpace to stop by after a visit to the waterfalls or the shrine. They are cheap, the service is super and the pizzas are huge.
by Cedric | May 10, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
Hidden in a side street off the main road through Old Dubrovnik, far from the maddening crowds is situated Toni. Toni’s story is quite noble. A lovely young waiter called Luka, from Medjugorje, told us that Toni, too, once served tables. He worked his way up the ranks over the years until he became the owner of this fine establishment. Now, onto the dishes.
GARGANELLI WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE SAUCE
(Various wild mushrooms in a cream sauce)
Now, this dish did not photograph as well as it tasted. My hands must have been shaking rather. What a delightful combination of flavours. Perfectly cooked pasta, as we had come to expect. Really excellent dish overall.
CHICKEN FILLET WITH DUKKAH AND PAPPARDELLE
(Marinated fillet of chicken stuffed with Cheddar cheese, pistachio pesto, cream, Ricotta cheese, and dukkah)
Louise’s dishes was a real show stopper. Pistacchio pesto, dukkah sauce and ricotta. We were bowled over. Tenderest chicken mixed with such accompaniments and pasta on top. There’s nothing quite like this dish I think. Absolutely worth trying.
GREEN PAPPARDELLE WITH MARINATED STEAK SLICES
(Gorgonzola and cream sauce with garlic)
Being a Thursday in Lent, I knew I would have to forgo meat the next day. Hence I stocked up on meat at this dinner. The beef strip pasta was as copious as it was delicious. The gorgonzola and garlic worked magically. I was seriously impressed by this dish. Really excellent.
We shared a Tiramisu for dessert. We were so full from lunch in Bosnia that we could only stomach one. This was not sugary enough for me. The flavours were subtle and well balanced but there was something missing. A small hitch in an otherwise flawless restaurant.
The Plavac wine we feasted on was light and flavoursome. It was almost too easy to drink.
Overall I was really impressed by this restaurant. Tucked away, excellent waiters, great food. And in the end it was not too expensive. I cannot but recommend Spagheterria Toni.
by Cedric | May 7, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a wonderful evening seeing one of my two musical heroes, Todd Rundgren, I needed something to de-contract. Afternoon tea in Kilburn set me right. I met a dear old friend at Maison de la Vie. There was only one cream scone left as we arrived rather late. Being a gracious host, I ate it before telling her.
I jest I jest, I let her have it. The tea leaves were infused with gin & tonic which made for quite a delightful cup of tea. As you might be able to tell, the texture of the scone was really quite unbelievable. Beautifully toasted, well made and good quality cream. What more could one ask for?
With my English Breakfast tea, I opted for the apricot slice. I had to eat it little by little because it was so delightful. Beautiful pastry, well marinated apricots. Full of flavour and not too filling, which is a winning combination in a dessert.
On a separate note, I saw this on my way into Kilburn and found it most amusing.
But overall, Maison de la Vie did give me back some life. I felt as infused as the tealeaves, but with joy rather than gin. This was a deeply impactful afternoon tea during which I came to admire the quality of time one can spend with their friends. I recommend it to those in the area who want an economical and good quality afternoon tea. You won’t be disappointed.
by Cedric | May 4, 2019 | Food and Drink, General
After a long day of walking around Split and recovering from the massive amounts of alcohol consumed at lunchtime, the gang and I decided to dine at Buffet Fife. Just to clarify, I am not the head of an infamous Croatian gang, I was merely referring to my friends.
Fife is characterised by its proximity to the harbour and the copious portions of its food. I was impressed by the quality of each of the dishes, especially the one I ordered.
Sauerkraut. There’s nothing quite like it. This dish takes forever to make and moments to consume. Fife did it wonderfully well, the dish was soft and not too vinegary. The pork and mashed potato worked beautifully together. This is a great choice for a light evening meal in Split.
The other two in my criminal(ly handsome) gang had fish dishes. Now, those of you close enough to me will know that I loathe fish. In light of this, I looked on wearily, casting my mind back to a solemn youth where fish was forced upon me. A scene flashed before my eyes when I was chased through a Carrefour by an octopus wielding fishmonger. That, if any, was the moment I decided fish was not for me.
From the muffled positive groans, I could tell they enjoyed their sea bass and prawns respectively. Now, the gnocchi I did try. As you can see from photographs above and below, they were homemade and quite delicious.
Try the Pašticada with the gnocchi. It fairly gnocched us out. See what I did there?
In summation, Fife was the perfect place for an evening meal. It was cheap, well located and excellent quality. The portions were copious and the service was relatively good. Do go there if ever you’re in Split.
