Review: Croatian Cuisine @ Dubrovnik
>> Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Date: 14 October 2009, Wednesday
Venue: Dubrovnik Croatian Cuisine, Solaris Mont Kiara
Occasion: Food tasting
Overall comment: Lovely ambiance, interesting & delicious food, & friendly service. The price may be slightly high, but for the quality that you get, it's worth paying the price to try out something different :)
Halal: No
George Bernard Shaw once said "Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik", as well as, famously, describing it as "the pearl of the Adriatic".
"Dub- what?" Haven't heard of that word...? Don't even know what it is? Haha...for a person like myself who isn't very "geographically equipped", those were my 1st few thoughts. I don't know "the world" out of Asia! *sigh* I need to get out of Asia...anyone willing to sponsor my travel expenses? :D *sits & hopes*
"Dubrovnik, is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Dalmatia, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001 down from 49,728 in 1991. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites." - taken from Wikipedia
By just browsing at photos of Dubrovnik, I felt the madness within me, working out some crazy plan to pack my bag, purchase a plane ticket, & be on my way to Dubrovnik. Bummer. I need the cash & time! *pout*
Since I don't have such amount of cash nor do I have the time to travel to such a 'far-away land', I was exceptionally delighted & thankful to be invited by Dubrovnik Croatian Cuisine Restaurant, through Alice George, their PR Agency, for a food tasting event cum sumptuous dinner! *drools in anticipation* I would also like to extend my thanks to Jek Tan & Lisa Lim from theqguides.com for extending the invitation to a bunch of us food bloggers :) Truly, without these lovely people, PerutBesi may still be roaming around on her own without meeting any foodies like herself & enjoying meal after meal with a group of food enthusiasts! :D *joy joy*
PerutBesi made it to Dubrovnik! ... at Solaris Mont Kiara :D
Believe it or not, it's my 1st time at Solaris Mont Kiara *pai se* I haven't traveled so far & deep into Mont Kiara, so when I got there at last, I was "wow-ed" by the development that has taken place! It's a whole new city tucked inside Mont Kiara area!! *wheeeeee* I'm a "kampung girl" :D I didn't find the need to drive all the way from Shah Alam or Cyberjaya alone or just to meet up with friends. Perhaps you could say that I was just too lazy...hahaha...not last week ;)
The Dubrovnik Restaurant was very nicely designed. It's simple, neat, & has a cosy-homey feeling. The restaurant's owner, Dina Djumic (also the chef's daughter), was there to greet us that evening, alongside Rahayu & Alice George herself from the Alice George Communications. It was a pleasure meeting them & some new faces as well!
Stairway to the dining area upstairs
Note: Mocktails (M), Cocktails (C). All drinks are labeled from left to right.
(back row): Cranberry Palmer (M), Malibu Surf (C), Peacharita Croatia (C), Tito's Foo Foo Drink (C)
(middle row): Croatian Limoncello Margarita (C), Blueberry Smoothies (M), Ananas Refresher (M)
(front row): Macha Soy Milk Blended (M), Adriatic Mudslide (C), Mummy's Hope (M)
We were given a straw each to try out the drinks. A rather strange way of communal drink-tasting. I couldn't really taste the uniqueness of each drink as the same straw goes into every glass & is passed round the table & tried by almost 20 people. Feels quite eeky actually...hahaha... all I could recall is that the Malibu Surf tasted bubblegum-ish, the Macha Soy Milk Blended tasted bland & green, the Croatian Limoncello Margarita tasted like lemonade, & the Adriatic Mudslide tasted like chocolate drink with some added alcohol. Erm... I really can't give any proper comments since I didn't really taste each drink to its fullest.
We were very fortunate to have Dina introducing the dishes & giving a short introduction of the restaurant before the wonderful dinner spread begun.
Bok from Taufulou, Becky from The Nomad Gourmand, May from Cumi dan Ciki. It was my 1st time meeting taufulou & ciki! *happy*
Here comes dinner! *drumrolls*
Note: New dish yet to be placed into the menu
Nope, this is NOT Risotto. That was my 1st impression 'til Dina told us that it was orzo, rice-shaped pasta!! *yums* I love pasta & the texture of orzo pasta is indescribable... it's certainly not like macaroni nor spaghetti. Very unique. The prawns accompanying the pasta were fresh & I luuurrve the taste of the tomato-based sauce - not too sour, not too sweet, slightly salty - just delicious. Dubrovnik should put this up on their menu!!...and I need to hunt for orzo pasta from the supermarkets! *wheeee* (p/s: I just found out that there's such a thing as 'rainbow orzo pasta'! I must find it!)
Aiyo...blogging this makes me SO hungry lah.... :( how nice if I have some good food & good company for dinner tonight....
Alike the spaghetti aglio olio, this pasta is a lighter pasta style from the Prawn Orzo above. Simple pasta with olive oil, chopped parsley, chopped garlic, prawns, & white wine. The taste was good - light & "easy to eat". I still prefer the Prawn Orzo though...hahaha...
The texture of this dish is like the mashed potato - thick & creamy. I kinda liked it. It's supposed to go well with meat.
I love mushrooms, cooked in any form & style. So this dish was pleasing to me, though it's a very simple dish. I enjoy the texture of the mushrooms - "springy" :D
The potatoes were so well baked til the cheese toppings were crispy & tasted like shrimp-shells to me!! *lol* Just imagine the fragrance of the cheese topping - too delicious 'til it caused PerutBesi to be 'hallucinated'... potatoes, cheese, & me = happy :D
This is a Croatian gourmet meat dish, where the lamb is prepared under the baking bell with open fire & fresh young meat. "Peka is a domed clay or metal pot placed in an open hearth and heaped with hot coals. Concentrating flavors and aromas under its top, the peka produces exquisitely savoury dishes. It is delicious way to cook meet, poultry, seafood and even great testing bread. Fresh young meat and Mediterranean herbs give this dish ancient flavour of distinguished beauty and simplicity. This dish is the most appreciated meat dish in Dalmatia region." - taken from sinisabornic.com
I enjoy mushrooms & veggie. This dish was more than welcomed on a table filled with meat dishes!
Juicy lamb paté tucked into bite-size home-made burger buns. The unique touch on this dish was that each lamb paté contains "da bomb"/gem - feta cheese! I felt that my burger was slightly salty, but FBB loved his & thought it tasted really good!
To some, it's lamb, to others it's beef - which is which, I really have no idea as the smell & taste of the cheese over-powered the meat :D I like this dish (maybe it's because I love cheese), but it's certainly a very rich dish & could only be taken in small mouthfuls.
After a full-fledged Croatian dinner, it was time for dessert. I was very full by the time dinner came to an end. Dessert was nevertheless something that we looked forward to having :) The chef himself came up to prepare the dessert right in front of us. Ah, you could just imagine the excitement that each foodie has upon seeing the chef walk up to the dining area :D *clap clap clap in excitement*
(L-R): thenomadgourmand, bangsar-babe, cumidanciki, yatz (in red shirt), taufulou (in light yellow long-sleeve shirt), super wilson (in front of taufulou).
Large amount of butter, sugar, orange juice, loads of orange rind, & generous amount of Cointreau and Brandy added into the orange sauce to give the dessert a "kick". Yums! I'm sure this is very fattening considering the amount of butter & sugar used for the sauce :S
A lovely dessert to end the night on a "high" note ;)
I'll surely want to pop by the restaurant again. Prices of food may be slightly higher than other places, but hey, where else can you find authentic Croatian food in KL/PJ? When there's such golden opportunity to indulge in some rich Croatian delights right in KL itself, seize the opportunity lah... ;)
View PerutBesi in a larger map
Dubrovnik Croatian Cuisine Restaurant
J-0G-14, Solaris Mont Kiara
#2, Jalan Solaris
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (+603) 6203 6780
Fax: (+603) 6203 6780
Email: ddjumic[at]gmail[dot]com (Dina Djumic)
Website: http://www.blogger.com/www.dubrovnikrestaurantkl.com
Note: The restaurant is opposite Starbucks & is on your right as you enter Jalan Solaris.
Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2
Overall:
- Ruth
Posts
7 comments:
i love love love their food, wish to be invited for such reviews, all looks so yummy
->Vivien: Yeah, the food there is quite good ;) I'm sure your opportunity will come some day to be invited for such reviews :) Thanks for the comment! Cheers!
Good review. I may pay a visit there some time!
Hate to be nitpicky, but it's "seize" the opportunity, not "cease". :P
->Me: Hsu! Thanks for the comment & correction :P Seems like my command of the English language is going down the drain *sigh* The only time I speak & write in English is when I chat...my main spoken language in office is Mandarin! *gah*
the food looks very good.
esp those with butter, cream, cheese and all. :)
hehehe ..potato n cheese. i can die happy as well.
->J2Kfm: I loooove potatoes & cheese as well!! Perhaps this explains why I'm not losing any weight :(
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