I heard about his place for so long that when the opportunity came, there was no way I could say no to it. This is a Croatian restaurant located in the Annex that serves great fish and seafood dishes. The owner (Joso) moved back to Croatia many years ago and the restaurant is run by his son (who it happened to be there during our visit). Our server told us that the music varies according with the manager. We had Joso’s son when we were dining so we had the pleasure to have some quiet lounge music.I have to confess that I was not thrilled by the kitsch decoration but I knew that I was up to a treat. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what mattered at the moment. The food. If you cannot pass through the decor, unfortunately this place is not for you. The service is made of gorgeous Croatian women dressed to kill (to say the least), which I am sure it is a great treat to the eyes of the male patrons.
We had a bottle of Pinot Grigio that came chilled and it was left in a bucket of ice throughout the meal. The servers were always very attentive and replenished our glasses when needed. We were asked if we wanted to see their fresh fish platter where they bring fresh fish from different seas and you can chose the fish that you want to eat. Of course our answer was YES!!! They claim their dishes are made to be served in an European family style, so we shared all the dishes.
Appetizer: Steamed octopus. They probably had a fancy name for it but I just remember how we ordered. It came cut in small pieces, drizzled with olive oil, garnished with capers and olives. I usually prefer grilled octopus but the steamed version was not a disappointment at all.They “steamed to perfection”.
Mains: We went for the Escorpio (gorgeous red fish) from Portugal. All fish is cooked on the grill with salt and olive oil and then they garnish with parsley and lemon. The fish was fresh and perfectly grilled. The server came and helped us to debone the fish, and she even taught me how to get the meat out of the cheeks. It was extremely tasty.
Spaghetti a la Leonardo was my favorite dish of all. Be mindful that I am a pasta lover and there is nothing more attractive to me than the combination of pasta and seafood. This beautiful spaghetti was made with shrimp, octopus, and fish (I hope I did not forget any of the main ingredients). It had this lemony fresh flavor coupled with white wine. I cannot wait to have it again.
Dessert: We did skip dessert but my friend had a Turkish coffee (not in the menu BTW).
The crowd: It was very diverse. Families with their young adult kids, couples of all sort of ages, artists, etc...
The bill: We spent 104CAD per person after tips. (I would spend it over again. It was a fantastic meal) I guess I have to put Croatia on the map of my gastronomic adventures. Hvala Joso!
