Dubrovnik Restaurant, in the heart of Mont Kiara is just about the only Croatian restaurant in Malaysia. Owned and helmed by Chef Zoran Djumic, the main concept of this restaurant is to stick to the traditional way of European/Croatian cooking without compromise on quality. Offering authentic European Mediterranean dishes, Dubrovnik uses traditional recipes from Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Croatia, of course.
The name “Dubrovnik” is actually a city located in the southern side of Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea coast and in 1979, Dubrovnik is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Stunningly beautiful, Dubrovnik’s postcard-like city boasts of lovely architecture with sculptural details, spectacular churches, monasteries and churches.
I have never been to Dubrovnik – both the city and the restaurant. It was my first time stepping foot into this stylish yet cosy restaurant. Occupying 2 floors, the restaurant’s white-themed walls and exposed brick facade on some panels give it a rustic touch and a charming Mediterranean feel.
My Dubrovnik experience kicked off with the Sarma…
Sarma (RM38) – traditional Croatian sour cabbage rolls filled with minced beef and rice cooked in a light tomato gravy and served with baked mashed potatoes. This dish really reminded me of my trip to Greece a couple of years ago and this is such a typical Mediterranean dish! Yes, I remember the Greeks love their sour cabbage rolls and the stuffing can be any meat, ranging from veal to lamb to chicken! And yes, rice too. I don’t recall the Greek version with gravy… the cabbage rolls were served on their own, sans gravy. I like Drubrovnik’s version, with the light tomato gravy – it kinda balances out the sourness of the cabbage rolls.
Marco Pollo Pasta (RM28) – Penne with mushrooms, smoked chicken and cooked with a dash of cream. I’m not a great fan of pasta actually and penne ranks towards the bottom of my preferred pasta list, to be honest. The pasta range served in Dubrovnik is quite diversified, with most pastas covered, so if you are a pasta fan, rock on.
The Kobase, when served, received exclamations of delight… a long coiled-up shiny sausage will elicit that kind of reaction, I tell you!
Kobase (RM30) – homemade chicken sausage served with saute’ed potatoes and roasted capsicums. I like the tight and dense texture of the sausage – a real indication of it being home-made, as compared to commercially produced ones.
Then came the highlight of the meal – the Lamb Peka (RM55) – a well-known and popular Croatian dish which is served in almost every traditional restaurant in Croatia. Prior to dinner, we were shown a video of how Peka is cooked and watching the entire meticulous process had us waiting impatiently for this dish.
Peka is a traditional way of cooking meat or seafood with an open fire. “Peka” is actually a bell-shaped metal cover that’s used to cover the meat/seafood before it’s put into a woodfire oven. Firstly, meat, poultry or seafood is well seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary and other spices and then placed in a metal or clay pot. Vegetables, onions and olive oil are added to enhance the flavours. The peka is then used to cover the pot and then placed inside the woodfire oven for 2-3 hours. With the hot temperature and the heavy peka covering the meat and vegetables, you can be assured that all the flavours will be sealed in, resulting in a nutritious dish with meats that are tender, juicy and very tasty. Needless to say, the Lamb Peka disappeared very quickly from the dining table!
We had 2 desserts and my favourite was the Royal Chocolate Cake…
Royal Chocolate Cake (RM17) – rich bitter chocolate mousse atop a delicious layer of crunchy hazelnut praline base. I think I like the hazelnut praline base more than the chocolate layer – nothing beats the superbly rich nutty flavour of fresh hazelnuts cooked in caramelized sugar!
Crepe Suzette (RM24) – crepes in a tangy citrus orange sauce, flambe’ed with Cognac – a very popular and typical European dessert.
An Appetizer trio of Smoked Chicken Bites, Beef Bacon Asparagus Wrap & Baguette stuffed with French Salad
Dina Djumic (General Manager of Dubrovnik) with guests
Now, you can get a taste of the above and other Croatian dishes because Dubrovnik Restaurant wants to throw you a party for free! Now, isn’t that the best news ever? Yes, Dubrovnik will host you and up to 14 of your guests to a delightful Croatian meal – their “Throw Me a Party” contest is currently ongoing… don’t wait, get your creativity going and have a ball at Dubrovnik!
Restaurant Dubrovnik
J-0G-14 Solaris Mont Kiara
2 Jalan Solaris
Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6203-6780
email: [email protected]
Opening hours:
Tuesday-Friday: 11.30am-3.00pm; 6.30pm-11.00pm
Saturday-Sunday: 11.30am-11.00pm
Monday: Closed
I’m a fan of pasta only when there’s an absolute need to whip something up fast and friendly at home. There’s just something off about ordering pasta when eating out. And at a joint like Dubrovnik, would definitely go for something like the peka instead!