Zlatna Skoljka

My dear readers, Croatia is a wonderland. It makes perfect sense why the Romans made this their vacation spot. From the sparkling white marble city of Dubrovnik to the rough alleys of Split, it is something for everyone. I had many a food adventure, but the one noteworthy dinner during my travels was on Hvar Island.

Zlatna Skoljka, which translates to the Golden Shell, touts itself as a Slow Food establishment. I made a note to try this out, after sub-par meals recommended by others in Dubrovnik. We wandered only a few feet past the main square in town and found the entrance. I usually tense up at restaurants that are virtually empty, which was the case here, following that old notion that it equates to bad food. Not the case here! We were seated in the back patio with a couple celebrating their honeymoon after a wedding on the island of Lake Bled (not bad, not bad!). Overall, I think the four of us had the best meal in Hvar that evening.

I found the key to eating on the Croatian coast was focusing on seafood. They also take a cue from eastern European and Turkish cuisine, but I just can't get on board with heavy, artery-clogging dishes. Don't get me wrong...I can get down with the best of them, but I do that in the right places (see upcoming Berlin write-up), not in a fishing village.

Our evening at Zlatna Skoljka started with an octopus salad. At this point in the trip, I fancied myself a bit of an octopus salad connoisseur. You need the right amount of char, balanced with a steady dose of acid to really make this shine...and shine it did!

I then moved on to the goat cheese soup and let me just say, that soup and goat cheese are unlikely bedfellows....this is one of those situations where one would wake up in the morning and do a double take....and not in a good way! Yuck. The goat cheese kind of clumped a bit and every sip was painful. I left this one alone, but didn't have the heart to tell the server, who would relay it to the chef (who I could see by the way the entire evening...open kitchen) that I detested his soup.

Its ok, because next came the Mussels 'Buzara', which is a garlic, tomato, bread-type paste that is then cooked with either shrimp or mussels. A great 'Buzara' should be neither too thick or thin, but just the right consistency to "get stuck" inside each mussel, serving as a flavor complement to the mussel. It was a beautiful thing, this 'Buzara' and Dave and I sucked it all down.

Lastly, came the main affair....Amberjack in a saffron sauce and Squid in a wild orange sauce. Both were truly beautiful. The firm meat on the Amberjack filet somehow soaked up the rich, aromatic saffron sauce....each bite had a heady golden aroma. The squid was again perfectly charred. Each piece was delicate enough for fork only and further benefited from the accompanying tart orange sauce. I must say I wanted to steal both of these sauces to add to my fish repertoire.

We didn't make it to dessert and in retrospect I'm sad. Instead we hauled ourselves halfway back to the apartment and broke down for sub-par gelato. I guess the beautiful blue azure waters made up for the failed sweet;)

Coming soon....Venitian Chicchetti!

Anchor & Hope

Dear London,

I have been terribly remiss in failing to write about any of the amazing food establishments you have to offer. Many years ago, I prematurely wrote you off as a city devoid of any real culinary treats, but boy was I wrong.

You are a wonderland. Every year I come back, you have new treats and markets and chefs that aren't afraid to re-invent British food, because hey, whats not to love about black pudding?

I am going to start my homage to you with this review of Anchor & Hope, one of the first and still, in my opinion, best of the early 90's "gastropub" restaurants to open in your fair city.

Now, while I work on this, if you can get to dealing with that perpetual drizzle, maybe we can work out a more permanent arrangement.

Much Love,
Sheila

So Anchor & Hope is my Persian family's get together spot. It always, without fail, ends up at the end of the night with a tug-o-war for the check, which inevitably leaves someones father or uncle in Iran or elsewhere disgraced for having his respective family member lose the grab. This place, therefore, has that special magic that only certain places can have....the perfect mix of great food, but more importantly the power to impart lasting memories. I have only to close my eyes and I am transported to the patio on The Cut, across from the Young Vic theatre and elbows deep with the London financial elite, partaking in some serious beer drinking.

This place is what I consider an off-shoot of the Fergus Henderson, St. John empire. You will find any number of traditional British dishes on any given night. The menu changes to reflect whatever is seasonal, so you will never have to eat anything that was not pulled out of the ground within the week or recently butchered.

This last trip turned out to be a food extravaganza. We had pork wrapped in prosciutto, leg of lamb that had been roasted for hours with rosemary, duck hearts, and so many other things that are now lost to the haze of wine and beer that was also consumed. What A&H does best is meat. This sounds horribly vague and overreaching, but its the truth. Gross meats and delicate meats all come out of their kitchen fork tender, glistening with the right kind of fat, and more importantly always melts in my mouth. To be fair, I feel like fish is not so much their forte...not bad, just not great.

You must also be aware that some things on their menu are quintessential British. Take for example, Potted Shrimps....what we thought would be some kind of shrimp salad of sorts, turned out to be a ramekin of the most pathetically small shrimp, with shells intact, that we then had to proceed to take apart to eat. Needless to say, that has been a pass in all subsequent visits. Now if we had been proper Brits, we would have known immediately what this dish entailed. So, tread carefully, and feel free to ask the waitstaff...they don't bite.

Then there is the desserts. What I recommend is asking them what they have on offer the minute you sit down so you can immediately order it. This place sells out of things within the first hour of service. Some of their puddings and trifles go faster. If they have anything of any interest, just go for it! If you are visiting, chalk it up to vacation, if you are a local, chalk it up to "can't make this bugger at home."

I can't leave this review without a few words about ambiance. Its not fancy. Its wooden tables and chairs in a dining room, but when this place fills up and people are talking and laughing and eating, it just has it. You feel that energy and it makes you want to come back for more. Its hard to put words to a feeling, but I can say that this place has my full endorsement. Just go with some of your favorite people in the world, get a bottle of wine, and let London show you what its got!